Yesterday, Ireland was crowned double champion of the 2015 Six Nations tournament, as both the men’s and women’s rugby teams finished triumphant. However it was not just on the pitch that Ireland came out on top, a winning social media campaign by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) created strong a community feel for all the fans making the trip to abroad to the games and those watching from the Emerald Isle.

It’s a big year for Irish rugby with both the Six Nations tournament and the Rugby World Cup in September. New research has revealed that over half (52%) of rugby fans multitask on their smartphones while watching the game demonstrating the huge popularity of ‘second-screening’.

In order to capitalise on the ‘second-screen’ the IRFU used social and mobile channels during the Six Nations to boost its image and create a campaign that added value and benefit for the fans and sponsors.

The IRFU let fans take charge for the social media campaign and encouraged them to share their experiences using the long established hashtag #ShouldertoShoulder. In the run up to the games a great atmosphere was created on social media with fans uploading photos enabling them to feel part of the occasion.

The IRFU tweeted links to pre-match interviews with players which brought fans to the IRFU website and initiated discussions on social media about what to expect from the game.

The IRFU also set up a match day live blog for those unable to watch on television, which was hugely popular with fans

Ireland’s official sponsor Three mobile also has their own Twitter handle @ThreeIrlRugby and hashtag #AllItTakes suggesting that they are getting a good ROMI from the team.

Through the use of social media the IRFU successfully demonstrated how to create a great campaign connecting fans at home and away and getting fans involved in the match day experience regardless of location.