Johannesburg - The Sharks took the lead in an online battle with fellow Currie Cup finalists Western Province on Tuesday.
Supporters of both sides were encouraged to follow their teams on the social networking site, Twitter, to establish which had the most support in cyberspace.
Recent figures indicate that the hosts of Saturday's final in Durban are in the lead.
Users of the web-based information stream were encouraged to join either the Just_Sharks or JustWP pages.
Celebrities taking part in the cyber war include Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, Proteas' captain Graeme Smith and musician Arno Carstens.
Rugby players in both camps are also using Facebook to increase their teams' online support on Twitter.
At 1pm on Tuesday, the Sharks had 2552 followers. Province were trailing by 172. By 4pm, the Sharks' lead had increased to 177.
Among the Sharks Twitter followers are: England Test cricketer Kevin Pietersen; world champion surfer Jordy Smith; and the rock group Just Jinjer; FHM model Charne Jade Slee.
Western Province's famous Twitter followers include: actor and comedian Rob Van Vuuren; South African duo Locnville; golfer Trevor Immelman; All Blacks Official Twitter; Proteas' batsman Herschelle Gibbs, former spin bowler Paul Adams, spin bowler Robin Peterson, and captain Graeme Smith; and the frontman of Springbok Nude Girls, musician Arno Carstens.