Cashing in on Bok fever: twelve-year-old singer Yonwaba Qetswana, pianist Luca Human, choral conductor Andre van der Merwe, and the wives and children of Springboks, in a Checkers Sixty60 campaign to "Bring it Home". (Photo: Screen grab from YouTube) 
You needn’t be a rugby fan to have been caught up in the Rugby World Cup, or its advertising.
Judging by some social media accounts, even the All Blacks had reservations about Siya Kolisi’s team, with one Wellington-based radio show host likening the Boks to “rugby’s version of a horror movie”, saying “They won’t quit, they won’t die… If you don’t bury them 10-feet deep, they will come back to haunt you.”
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According to the host, our Boks are the “zombie apocalypse” to the opposition.
Even if this “Bokalypse” was a tad over-the-top, everyone wanted to get in on the action, even if it meant printing T-shirts ahead of the game.
News24 reported that Pick n Pay offered free rugby-themed prints on T-shirts at 12 select stores across South Africa, in support of the Boks.
Customers could personalise their shirts when they purchase a T-shirt in-store, with prices starting at R65 for adults and R39 for kids.
But if you were thinking of purchasing an official match jersey before Saturday, they were like hen’s teeth, according to this report.
In September, we reported that authentic Nike Springbok Rugby replica jerseys were in short supply because they were only available in limited quantities at a tiny selection of outlets. Due to rights issues, only a few retailers are allowed to stock them and, in South Africa, that means SA Rugby Shop, Total Sports, Studio 88 and Sportsmans Warehouse.
Nike – the sole manufacturer and distributor of the official Springbok Rugby jersey – permits only selected outlets to stock the rugby replica goods.
Rugby fervour delivered
South Africa’s adland certainly bought into rugby fervour and delivered some great – and not so great – ads to remind those of us who couldn’t travel to France to support the “boys” that we were all united behind them (and, it’s all just a game).
First up was the Springboks’ five-part #StrongerTogether promo videos, airing on DStv.
They’re all following the same theme, that they’re “doing it” for someone special. Here’s one:
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Checkers Sixty60 – not officially a sponsor – released with this rendition of the national anthem at the end of August, to “Bring it home”, with help from various university choirs, singer Yonwaba Qetswana, pianist Luca Human, plus wives and children of the Boks:
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