West Country-based TV presenter Nick Knowles has hit back on X after a Springbok supporter account slated English sports fans.
Knowles, a regular at rugby matches, is best-known for fronting the popular TV show DIY SOS as well as appearing on Celebrity Strictly Come Dancing, but he’s no stranger to courting controversy with his forthright opinions on rugby on social media.
During Rugby World Cup 2023, Knowles once described the refereeing of one match as “grotesque” and he’s previously slated the officiating of Nigel Owens.
Responding to the Scrumming flyhalf account’s post about international sports teams with the worst fans, which listed England cricket at number one, Ireland rugby second and England football and rugby, third and fourth, Knowles said: “As an England fan I realise that our fans can be really irritating but I have to say that I have travelled the world to watch rugby, where all the nations get along with banter – always, the least hospitable, the least friendly and the most whinging fans to be sat with are the South Africans.”
Knowles’ jab has inevitably kicked off the usual back-and-forth online, with Springbok supporters firing back. None of it is likely to change anyone’s view of anyone else, but it does add another log to the never-ending bonfire of cross-hemisphere fan rivalry that lights up social media after every big Bok Test these days.
The exchange comes as Bok fans bask in the glory of their team’s 24-13 win over Ireland in Dublin – a result that ended a 13-year wait for a Springbok victory at the Aviva.
Rassie Erasmus’ side dominated the scrum and breakdown and survived a late Irish fightback to take the second half on the scoreboard. Ireland’s constant ill discipline [which saw them ship four yellow cards and a red card] fed into an increasingly terse contest, with repeated flashpoints between players adding an edge to what was already an abrasive Test match.