Ireland scored six tries in front of a full house at the Aviva Stadium in their first game back since the Rugby World Cup.
The IRFU had a few tricks up their sleeve with Ireland’s Call led by eight-year-old Stevie Mulrooney who had appeared singing on the Late Late Toy Show last November.
He was a real pro belting out a pitch-perfect rendition accompanied by the Garda Band.
His story went around the Irish and international sports world on social media.
It was all about the kids in advance of the game with Brian O’Driscoll’s and Amy Huberman’s daughter and son among the team mascots.
The IRFU published try scores and match highlight clips on social media throughout the game and this wrap of the highlights with commentary from Ryle Nugent.
With every ticket sold and a million-plus TV audience from the opening weekend game against France to keep engaged, the stakes are high for Rugby to maintain the hold it has on the public imagination but the quality of the content was high.
From the team announcement drawing 34,000 likes on Instagram through each of the tries and moments after the game, the highest engagement was the full-time score image with 59,000 reactions.
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Team sponsors Vodafone had their 5G Irish Rugby app flying along in the stadium as well delivering the kind of additional statistical content that has become part and parcel of the match day experience for younger audiences.
They had Donncha O’Callaghan in flying form with pre and post-match chats with Keith Earls and Lindsay Peat before being joined afterward by Jack Crowley, Calvin Nash and Jack Conan to review the game for an audience of invited guests from across the business and sporting landscape.
They are running a competition for business users with the opportunity to win the right to have advertising on the LED screens around the stadium for the Scotland match that could be a Grand Slam event on Saturday, march 16th.
With 40 percent of the wins needed for a historic back-to-back Grand Slam, and a first-ever defence of the Championship in a post World Cup year, this is the playbook for maintaining the momentum that has not yet been realised by others but which is standing very well to the IRFU and its partners.
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