charlie elliot
From emerging nations finding new success to something completely bizarre happening in Trinidad and everything in between, rugby social media did not disappoint this week.
Familiar faces also provided some humor as Mako Vunipola was tested at fly-half and Afolabi Fasogbon displayed his excellent antics for Gloucester.
Here are The Rugby Paper’s top picks for the social media moments of the week.
crossbar falling on player
The Rugby Americas North Sevens tournament in Trinidad would not normally have had much of a stir in world rugby.
However, when Mexico faced Bermuda, Mexican player Diego Ramirez Aguilar ran in and ended up going straight to the post. If that wasn’t painful enough, the crossbar fell and landed on him.
A similar incident occurred at Hinckley RFC in 2017, when an intense scrum led to the disappearance of an entire post.
James Haskell also hit the post, when he attempted to tackle it to no avail.
Spain wins silver medal in 7th time
Spain recorded their third win over an All-Blacks Sevens team en route to the final in Dubai, where they were ultimately defeated by Fiji.
This was the first ever SVNS series final, a new milestone during the recent exponential growth of the sport in the country, and big things could be in store for Espana.
In recent years, 7-player setups have been getting better and better, with good results, and it’s no coincidence.
Afo Fasogbon speaks with Tom West.
Afolabi Fasogbon is a young player with great prospects for Gloucester and England.
Despite his teammates saying he is quiet and humble off the pitch, Afo is an absolute monster on the pitch and is confident.
In another piece taunting his opponents, he gave Tom West a little wave and shushed him after a penalty was awarded in a scrum.
Confidence is key for players still making a name for themselves, and Fasogbon displays this in abundance.
Marco Vunipola touch and kick
Mako Vunipola has been known for many things over his storied career, but touches and kicks are not one of them.
The touch was special, he trapped the ball in a footballer-like fashion with the inside of his foot and expertly returned it to his opponent.
Perhaps a late-career position switch to flyhalf is in the cards?
New logo for Six Nations
Six Nations fans can hardly agree on when the Lions’ tour will begin, with the exception of the Home Nations.
But the weekend’s announcement of a new logo united everyone in a mix of distrust and disdain for the Six Nations’ rebranding.
Fans were quick to compare it to various things like the original Mars Bar logo or even Looney Tunes.
Whatever first comes to mind, it’s probably not positive and the move has been a source of ridicule for fans in the southern hemisphere as well.
Trevor Nyakane Scrum
Another prop who created a funny moment in the scrum this weekend was Sharks’ Trevor Nyakane, who comically licked his lips and smiled for the cameras.
This incident was made even more interesting by the tension of the situation. This was a tight game with the Sharks dominating at scrum time against fellow South Africans the Stormers.
He finished with a smile on his face after his team won 21-15 in Durban.
Crowds of 40,000 for college rugby
In Japan, the crowds are different. Having 40,544 people attend a college game is unfathomable anywhere else in the world, the only comparison being American college football and basketball games.
Waseda beat Meiji 27-24 in front of a partisan home crowd in a game always considered the biggest game on the college roster.
It makes the Great Britain national team look like a man-and-his-dog type of event.
Read more: Each team’s performance in the Autumn Nations Series
