If the outcome of the Heineken Cup were determined by engagement with Social Media, then Ireland would be celebrating victory after victory.
Not only does Leinster top the Facebook table of those involved in the quarter finals of the tournament but Munster does likewise in the Twitter chart, Ulster lies third in both behind its two rivals and even Connacht, were it to be there, would be the fourth most popular team on Facebook with almost four times the number of fans than the actual quarter finalists ASM Clermont Auvergne.
It is interesting that Munster fans are more open to the shorter messages of Twitter but that can perhaps be attributed to a marginally busier  team with 6,254 outbound messages to 34,598 followers as opposed to Leinster’s 4,456 messages to 28,756 followers.
Leinster pulls ahead in terms of facebook fans but do call on a larger potential fan base.
It would appear the rivalry between the two sides is not just limited to the pitch.
Ulster and Connacht are also very strong, putting larger clubs in their place with a combined fan base on facebook of more than 50,000.
The best of the rest are the Cardiff Blues with less than 20,000 fans while none of Saracens, Toulouse, Edinburgh or ASM Clermont Auvergne manage to break through 10,000.
With six weeks to go before the Heineken cup reasserts itself on the national consciousness, ERC Rugby, with an impressive 41,676 fans itself on Facebook, can rest assured that the social media world has not forgotten it.
You can read the full article in Issue 11 of Sport for Business Weekly
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