Global sporting events are always a hot topic on social media platforms across the world, and this year’s Rugby World Cup, being held in England throughout September and October, is proving to be no exception. Furthermore, a shock result can send these networks into a complete frenzy.
This has already happened in this year’s edition of the tournament after only three days of action, with a result that nobody who follows the game would have seen coming. In a true underdog story, minnows Japan scored a late try and took a last gasp win over two-time champions and current world number two South Africa.
Prior to this match, the Japanese had only ever won one World Cup game, which came back in 1991 against Zimbabwe. Saturday’s 34-32 victory sent shockwaves through the world of rugby, as well as social media.
Amongst the wave of tweets that expressed a variety of emotions included one from British television network ITV, which has dubbed the victory as the “biggest upset in rugby history”:
It's the biggest upset in rugby history!
This World Cup has just EXPLODED!@JRFURugby #RSAvJPN#RWC2015 #ITVRWC pic.twitter.com/Q8fKMspvhW
— ITV (@ITV) September 19, 2015
A number of famous faces tweeted about the game, including England’s World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson, and author J.K. Rowling, who simply tweeted:
#RSAvJPN #RugbyWorldCup You couldn't write this…
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 19, 2015
The football equivalent of the tournament was held in Brazil in the summer of 2014, and a surprising 7-1 semi-final victory for Germany over the hosts saw Twitter records smashed.
Major sporting events are always the ones that unite the globe with a sense of anticipation and excitement, but it is those historic moments that set the social media world alight.
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