Fan phenomenon sees Rabbitohs supporters out in force worldwide

They are everywhere … Fiji, France, England, Portugal, New Zealand, Cambodia, Ireland, Italy, Canada and Scotland.

Then there’s the Philippines, Switzerland, Thailand, Bali, PNG, Vanuatu, Russia, Vietnam, Spain, Japan and Malaysia.

What about sightings at the Tour de France, Super Bowl, English darts, Crowded House concert, F1 Grand Prix, WrestleMania, Wembley Stadium, Movie World and Disneyland?

As far afield as Mawson Station, Antarctica – and as for the North Pole, even Santa has been sprung sporting the cardinal and myrtle* under the red and white.

Right around the globe, at the most exotic* and unexpected locations, you will find a South Sydney supporter.

The next time you see a sports photo, look closely, because there’s a fair chance you’ll see someone wearing the South Sydney colours.

“Random Souths Guy” has become a sensation* on social media – the Facebook page has nearly 20,000 members – with fans trying to outdo themselves by being photographed in the famous Bunnies gear.

“It’s becoming something of a contest for our members and fans in recent years,” said Souths chief executive Blake Solly. “We love the fact they are proud to wear that jersey wherever they are in the world.

“Not only do they post it online but I get texts and emails all the time from our fans on almost every continent on Earth, wearing their Rabbitohs jersey and supporting the club.

“Our members and fans are very proud of their association with the club and showing that pride by wearing the jumper is something that they love to do – and they’re even a bit competitive about it.

“The cardinal and myrtle are the most famous colours in rugby league and it’s a credit to all those administrators at the club over our 116-year history.

“The jersey that we will wear in 2024 looks very much like the jersey we first ran out in back in 1908. We’re looking forward to the ever-growing list of exotic places around the world where our supporters will wear the jersey.”

Other Souths fans have been spotted at a Suva supermarket, MetLife Stadium outside New York, Magic Weekend in Newcastle, England, Challenge Cup final at Tottenham, Super Rugby in Auckland, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Australia’s federal parliament.

“Souths is worldwide and has been for more than 100 years,” said club legend, Craig Coleman. “This shows how proud fans are to get out there in their jerseys and that’s the South Sydney I grew up with.

“Wherever you go there’s a Souths jersey – the Easter Show, the beaches, overseas. You go to Hawaii and see someone in a bar wearing a Souths jumper.

“The Souths’ brand is massive. We are the number one sporting team in Australia and are known all over the world.

“A lot of our support comes from George Piggins*. He was the one who rallied* our club and fans in their Souths jumpers when we needed them the most.”

A founder of Random Souths Guy on Facebook has spoken of his passion for the club and its fans.

“Considering social media is such a big thing nowadays, it just adds another way to support the club and I always try to show my passion through it,” Anthony Basha told Souths’ website.

“I think we’re like that because we’re the most popular club in the world. Obviously some opposition supporters disagree, but when you go to a finals game it’s easy to see we’ve always got some of the best attendance out of anyone.

“We’re probably the most passionate fans because we’ve been through a lot, especially in the late 90s and early 2000s when we were unfairly kicked out of the comp, we marched and were then readmitted. I think we’ve got the biggest supporter base in the world.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• cardinal and myrtle: the distinctive red and green colours of the Rabbitohs’ jersey, the fascinating origins of which are still debated. The Souths’ website states that the South Sydney rugby union side was nicknamed the Redfern Waratahs, which some sources suggest as the reason for the combination of red and green. Another popular theory is that the strong Irish population in the area at the time led to the use of the colour green and the Catholic-based cardinal red
• exotic: foreign, tropical, distant and different, unfamiliar, unusual and exciting
• sensation: state of excitement among a large number of people
• George Piggins: former player, coach and administrator of the South Sydney Rabbitohs
• rallied: came come together to provide group support or made a shared effort to achieve something

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QUICK QUIZ

1. How many countries outside Australia are named in the article?
2. Which two famous theme parks have been the scene for Random Souths Guy posts?
3. How many members does the Random Souths Guy Facebook page boast?
4. How old is the South Sydney NRL club?
5. What year was the famous cardinal and myrtle jersey first seen on the field?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Where in the world?
On a map of the world, mark or pin all of the locations listed where a Random Souths Guy has been spotted.

Which of the locations is furthest from the team’s home of South Sydney? How far away is this location?

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, HASS (Geography), Mathematics

2. Extension
Where do you think a Random Souths Guy will be spotted next? Choose a famous location to draw and hide your South Sydney supporter among the crowd (in the style of Where’s Wally?). Get a friend to see if they can spot them.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts

VCOP ACTIVITY
WOW word explorer challenge
Objective: Let’s dive into the vocabulary of the article and uncover the meanings of intriguing words.
Instructions:

1. Word search: Find and circle these words in the article. Discuss their meanings as a class.

a. sightings

b. exotic

c. outdo

d. competitive

e. association

f. administrator

g. rallied

h. passion

i. unfairly

2. Vocabulary relay: Form two teams. Each team must define one of the challenging words from the list. If they succeed, they earn a point. The team with the most points wins.

3. Word sketch: Ask students to draw a quick sketch or symbol that represents one of the challenging words. They can share their drawings and explain why they chose that representation.

4. Story building: Have students create a short story using as many vocabulary words as possible. The story could revolve around a daring competition or a futuristic sports event. Encourage them to use the words accurately.

5. Sentence builders: Challenge the students to create sentences using the challenging words. Bonus points for using more than one word in a sentence.

6. Vocabulary charades: Write each challenging word on a piece of paper, fold it, and place it in a bowl. One student picks a word and acts it out without speaking. The class guesses the word.

7. Vocabulary recycle: Can you use any of our new wow words in a different sentence that is not related to the article, or can you re-use them when telling someone about the article?

8. Discussion time: Engage the students in a discussion about the article using the new vocabulary. Ask them how these words relate to the story, and encourage them to express their opinions.

Remember, learning new words is an adventure! This activity aims to make it fun and engaging for young learners.