Top 5 Classic Rugby Anthems

The rugby party starts early this weekend.

We are getting the gees going from 9am Saturday. Whether you are heading to the match or setting up a fan park at home.

We are bringing the music all day, all weekend.

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They inspire people and players alike – even reducing grown men to tears – and echo through stadiums. In honour of the URC Grand Final between the DHL Stormers and Munster Rugby in Cape Town on Saturday (27 May), we delve into the rhythm and notes that get the crowd on their feet.

These are some of the classic anthems from the rugby world inspired by the South African and Irish teams set to clash on the weekend.

5. Shosholoza

South Africans are greatly proud of their culture, heritage and history – and are unafraid to showcase it. This national favourite was first sung during the 1995 IRB Rugby World Cup. Shosholoza originated as a migrant workers’ song, but became a sports song after it was first incorporated into the Comrades Marathon, and boxing and soccer matches. Whether you’re South African or not, Shosholoza will give you goosebumps:

4. Molly Malone

Also known as “Cockles and Mussels”, it is a popular song that received Irish-anthem-status. It tells the story of a *beautiful* fishmonger who sold her goods in Dublin – but died young – of a fever. Despite the melancholic backstory, it sure gets the people swaying and cheering in unison. A much-loved Irish sports match tune:

3. Ireland’s Call

The other Irish rugby anthem is Ireland’s Call. This song was commissioned by the Irish Rugby Football Union in 1995. Written by Phil Coulter, it embodies a unity between Northern Ireland’s God Save the Queen and the Republic of Ireland’s Amhrán na bhFiann (The Soldiers Song). While the history of Ireland is divisive, during Ireland’s Call, fans from both sides of the border join in rallying their team for battle:

2. World in Union

We first heard this rugby anthem at the 1991 Rugby World Cup performed by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. It was then recorded by Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1995. Their version became synonymous with the release of Nelson Mandela and the end of Apartheid. And how beautiful isn’t it that World in Union is now forever connected to the iconic moment when Francois Pienaar lifted the Webb-Ellis trophy:

1. National Anthem of South Africa

Yes, the official anthem of South Africa. This liberation hymn dates back to the late 19th century. It is a musical mesh between the old apartheid national anthem, Die Stem van Suid Afrika and the renewed soul of post-Apartheid South Africa. Ahead of their final against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, South Africans – of all races – displayed their passion and pride during the anthem. A metaphor for what the country was working towards: