On the sidelines of the match between the XV of France and Italy this Friday evening in Lyon, the media SportingPedia carried out the ranking of the most popular anthems of the Rugby World Cup on social networks, in particular by checking the number of views of the latter on TikTok and YouTube. The Italian anthem tops the rankings with 36.9 million views on TikTok and 50,000 views on YouTube. Ireland’s call from the XV du Trèfle comes in second position with 15.6 million views on TikTok and almost 65,000 views on YouTube. La Marseillaise is placed on the last step of the podium with 9.5 million views on TikTok and almost 100,000 views on YouTube. Surprisingly, the superb Scottish anthem Flower of Scotland is placed in sixth position, the New Zealand Haka in fourth place and the English God Save the King closes the ranking in tenth position.
This ranking was made following the dissatisfaction of several supporters with the interpretation of the anthems before the kick-off of the matches by children, but also following the controversy surrounding the famous song “Zombie” by the Cranberries, broadcast at the Stadium of France after the South Africa-Ireland match.
The song was broadcast over the loudspeakers of the Saint-Denis grounds following the XV du Trèfle’s 13-8 victory over the Boks, leading many observers to claim that the melody was “source of division” and incited hatred. The video showing Irish fans singing “Zombie” in Paris has been viewed more than 180,000 times on YouTube, while a shorter version has been watched by around 4.4 million people on TikTok.
The song was written by Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan to protest a bomb attack in Warrington in 1993, in which two children died. This makes it one of the most popular tunes among rugby fans, apart from the anthems played before each match which are irreplaceable.