Rugby’s Social Media Moments of the Week: Bath’s title celebrations & Ma’a Nonu rolls back the years

Across the world of rugby, there were lots of moments to look back on from this weekend. 

Given that it saw two major finals and two major play-offs being played, there was a lot at stake for the teams involved. 

Bath and Leinster both won long-awaited titles, with the wait being much longer in Bath’s instance, as they beat Leicester Tigers and the Bulls in the Premiership and URC finals, respectively.

Super Rugby Pacific and Top 14 played out their play-offs, with some history being made in France. 

Social media kept up to date with it all, and here are some of the best social media moments of the weekend. 

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Bath Title Celebrations 

Bath have finally won their first ever play-off in the Premiership, with Saturday’s win over Leicester Tigers marking their first league title since 1996. 

A narrow 23-21 win put the icing on the cake of what has already been a hugely successful season for Johann van Graan’s side. 

It secures them a unique treble in rugby, having already won the Prem Rugby Cup and Challenge Cup, and is hugely deserved after a dominant domestic season which saw them finish top of the table. 

Their celebrations have been worth the wait, with thousands of fans turning out on the streets of Bath for their open-top bus parade. 

It is the first league title that plenty of Blue, Black and White fans will have seen their club lift, with the older generation having to wait even longer. 

Ben Youngs on Officiating 

Leicester fans and players have been critical of Karl Dickson’s officiating in the final, with Ben Youngs going live on Instagram to express his disappointment at Dan Cole’s late yellow card that ended up proving to be the difference. 

It was a sad end to both Tigers legends’ careers. 

Some have seen Cole’s yellow as justified, while others insist that there was nothing that he could have done to avoid contact with Finn Russell after attempting to block his kick. 

Youngs was also criticised for box kicking late in the game with the Tigers in possession. He addressed this on the live as well and claimed that a Bath player had infringed at the ruck just before his kick, and a penalty should have been awarded. 

Whatever your view, it is unique to see a player so open in his criticism of a referee. 

Ma’a Nonu Breaks Record 

The seemingly evergreen Ma’a Nonu struck again this weekend. The All Blacks legend was the oldest player to play and now the oldest player to score in a Barrage match in the Top 14. 

Toulon comfortably beat Castres Olympique 52-23 to book their place in the semi-finals, with Nonu scoring his first try for Toulon in seven years in the process. 

At 43 years old, the fact that he is still playing at such a high level is remarkable, let alone scoring. 

Damian McKenzie Try Saver 

In Super Rugby, the Chiefs saw off the Brumbies 37-17 to reach the play-off final, where they will face the Crusaders. 

All Black McKenzie produced one of the best try-saving tackles of all time when he heroically stopped Brumbies fullback Tom Wright from dotting the ball down. 

McKenzie managed to get under the ball and use every fibre of his body to stay there and stop a certain score. 

Fans have been rightfully praising such a good action, and it proves that defence is often more important than attack. 

New National Anthem  

Ahead of the Premiership final, Eurovision star Sam Ryder played the national anthem on his electric guitar, much to the bemusement of plenty of fans. 

People took to the internet quickly to discuss the rendition, with many branding it is a strange decision. 

The TV camera’s pointing to Dan Cole’s confused look also got some enjoyment out of those watching from home, as it summed up the general mood of the whole situation. 

Prem Rebrand 

Ahead of the weekend, it was announced that the Premiership would be rebranded to simply the ‘Prem’ next season, in a bid to make it more appealing. 

There will also be other changes implemented, such as more away ends, a trial regarding Thursday night games, and potentially taking games to the USA. 

People have been sceptical of the rebranding and believe that if it is not broken, don’t fix it. 

The Thursday night games have been hugely successful in France, but fans have raised concerns about it making it hugely inaccessible for away fans, although the trial for now will only consist of one game at the start of the season. 

Overall, fans have been annoyed by the changes, but in practice, some of the new additions may end up benefiting the league as a whole. 

By Charlie Elliott

READ MORE: Bath heroes roll back the years to rule Premiership again