'The Siya Kolisi effect': Rugby edges soccer as SA’s most-watched sport ahead of All Blacks tour

Supporters watch the Springboks beat the Wallabies at Cape Town Stadium in a Rugby Championship second round clash. The Springboks’ sustained success on the world stage has been central to rugby’s rise to the top of the viewership charts.

Rugby has officially overtaken soccer as South Africa’s most watched spectator sport among the country’s consumer class, according to groundbreaking new BrandMapp research released ahead of the Springboks’ blockbuster clashes against the All Blacks later this year.

The comprehensive survey found that 44% of South Africa’s consumer-class adults — roughly six million people in households earning more than R10,000 per month — now regularly watch rugby, compared to 42% for soccer and 29% for cricket.

BrandMapp director of storytelling Brandon de Kock said the Springboks’ sustained success on the global stage has been absolutely central to rugby’s meteoric rise, particularly after back-to-back Rugby World Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2023.

“There’s nothing quite like success on the global stage to galvanise sports fans,” said De Kock. “The Springboks have earned their fans’ support and fervour.”