The
Super 14 is the largest
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
football club championship in the
southern hemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'...
, consisting of four teams from
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
(Queensland/Reds, New South Wales/Waratahs, Southern NSW & ACT/Brumbies, and Western Australia/Force), five teams from
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
(Auckland/Blues, Waikato/Chiefs, Wellington/Hurricanes, Canterbury/Crusaders, and Otago/Highlanders), and five teams from
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
(Free State/Cheetahs, Western Cape/Stormers, Kwazulu Natal/Sharks, Gauteng/Lions, Northern Gauteng/Bulls). The fourteen sides all play against one another once in the regular season, with no divisional or pool system. With each team granted one bye week, this phase of the competition runs for fourteen weeks.
The teams are ranked according to the number of competition points they accrue throughout the season. Competition points are awarded as follows:
- 4 for winning a match
- 2 for drawing a match
Additional Bonus Points are awarded as follows:
- 1 Bonus Point for scoring four or more tries in a match
- 1 Bonus Point for losing by seven or fewer points
Teams can score up to two additional bonus points in each regular season match. One bonus point will be awarded to any team that scores four tries or more in a single game, regardless of win/loss/draw. A bonus point will also be awarded to the losing side if the margin of loss is 7 points or less. Only the losing side can achieve the maximum 2 bonus points.
The teams in the top four places on the competition ladder after the regular season enter the two-week knockout phase of the tournament. Two semi-finals (in which the top-ranked team hosts the fourth, and second-ranked hosts the third) are contested to decide the two finalists, which is played at the highest ranked winner's home ground, as opposed to a pre-selected neutral venue.
The current competition was inaugurated in
1996The 1996 season of the Super 12, the rugby union competition, was the inaugural season and was won by the Auckland Blues. It was a notable season because it was the first of professional rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere...
, and from the first season through to
2005The 2005 season of the Super 12 rugby union competition began on 25 February 2005 and ended on 28 May with the Canterbury-based Crusaders winning their fifth Super Rugby title against the New South Wales-based Waratahs...
, the competition was known as
Super 12; the name change came about following the expansion for the
2006 seasonThe 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday February 10 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday May 27 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...
. The term
Super Rugby is sometimes used when talking about the Super 14 and Super 12 collectively. Matches are now broadcast in 41 countries.
Format
The Super 14 is a
round-robinA round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a type of tournament "in which each contestant meets every other contestant in turn". In a single round-robin schedule, each participant plays every other participant once. If each participant plays all others twice, this is frequently called a...
competition where each team plays with every other team once; a team has six or seven home games, and six or seven away games each. There are 91 regular season games in total. Games are held over 14 weekends with each team receiving one
byeA bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
. The Super 14 uses the
Rugby union bonus points systemThe Rugby union bonus points system is a method of deciding table points from a rugby union match. It was implemented in order to encourage attacking play throughout a match, to discourage repetitive goal-kicking, and to reward teams for "coming close" in losing efforts.*No points are awarded for...
. The top four teams at the end of the round-robin phase then play semifinals - the first placed team hosts the fourth placed team, and the second placed team hosts the third placed team. The two winners then play the final at the home ground of the top surviving seed.
SANZAR
SANZARSANZAR is the body which operates the Super 14 and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly before rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's...
is a joint union between the South African, New Zealand and
AustralianThe Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body...
rugby Unions, that oversees the Super 14 and
Tri NationsThe Tri Nations is an international rugby union series that is contested annually by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and starting in 2012 by Argentina as well...
. There have always been rumours that South Africa may one day leave the Super 14 and Tri Nations to join the
Six NationsThe Six Nations Championship , known before 2000 as the Five Nations Championship, is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.The Six Nations Championship is the successor to the Five Nations and the Home...
in the
Northern HemisphereThe Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
because South Africa's timezone would suit the move. The Tri Nations takes place after the Super 14 season, between South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Logo
During the last season of the Super 12, Coast Design, Sydney was commissioned to design a new logo for the Super 14. The Super 14 logo breaks away from the traditional shield formats, common to many sporting codes, and uses Roman numerals (XIV) which is unique for sport in the region. The game's dynamism and speed are suggested by the orbiting football which has three distinct stitches, a subtle reference to the three countries of the tournament.
Before the expansion to the Super 14, the Super 12 used a logo in the shape of a shield, which had the sponsors name at the top, and then the words "Rugby" and "Super 12". The lower half of the logo used three different coloured stripes, green, black and gold, the respective colours of the national teams of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Naming rights
The
naming rightsNaming rights are the right to name a piece of property, either tangible property or an event, usually granted in exchange for financial considerations. Institutions like schools, places of worship and hospitals have a tradition of granting donors the right to name facilities in exchange for...
for the competition are different in the three countries:
- In New Zealand, sporting goods retailer Rebel Sport has naming rights and the competition is referred to as the Rebel Sport Super 14. Previously Ubix and then Telecom New Zealand (TNZ). Telecom used its ISP brand Xtra as the label in their last year of holding naming rights.
- In Australia, the Investec Bank
Investec plc is an international specialist banking group providing a diverse range of financial products and services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the JSE Securities Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
has naming rights and the competition is referred to as the Investec Super 14. Previously the Tooheys New Super 14, after the Tooheys NewTooheys New is a standard Australian lager and the most popular of the Tooheys' beers. It can be found on tap at almost any bar in New South Wales, although it is not so common in other states. It was first brewed in 1930. It was marketed in cans and bottles as Tooheys Draught, however this was...
brand of the TooheysTooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It produces beers under the Tooheys and Hahn trademarks, and is part of the Lion Nathan beverages group.-History:...
brewery. Vodafone has also previously held naming rights in Australia.
- In South Africa, telecommunications carrier Vodacom
Vodacom is a pan-African mobile telecommunications company, and was the first cellular network in South Africa. It provides GSM service to more than 35 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Revenue for the year ended 31 March 2008...
has naming rights and the competition is referred to as the Vodacom Super 14.
Super 6 & Super 10
Before 1996, regular competitive rugby union had taken shape in a number of southern hemisphere competitions, the earliest of which was the
South Pacific ChampionshipThe South Pacific Championship was a rugby union competition that was introduced in 1986, and contested through to 1991 when it was renamed the Super Six...
, which was launched in 1986. The original competition consisted of three teams from New Zealand; Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington along with two Australian teams; Queensland and New South Wales, and
FijiThe Fiji national rugby union team is one of the strongest national rugby union teams of the world, and the third from Oceania, even still as a second tier nation. It is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure...
. The competition was relaunched as the Super Six in 1992.
In 1993, the
Super 10The Super 10 was a rugby union tournament featuring ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga and Western Samoa, which ran for three years from 1993 to 1995...
replaced the South Pacific Championship and Super Six tournaments. With South Africa being readmitted into international sport following the dismantling of apartheid, there was an opportunity to launch an expanded competition which would also feature South Africa's top provincial teams. The inaugural competition featured the following teams: Waikato, Auckland, Otago and North Harbour (New Zealand); Natal Sharks, Transvaal and Northern Transvaal (South Africa); Queensland and New South Wales (Australia), Western Samoa (Pacific Nations representative). The Super 10 was won by Transvaal (South Africa) in 1993, and by Queensland (Australia) in 1994 and 1995.
Super 12
The official declaration of professionalism in rugby union in August 1995 led to a restructuring of the Super 10 competition. Following the success of the
1995 World Cup1995 World Cup may refer to:*1995 Rugby World Cup, held in South Africa for rugby union*1995 Rugby League World Cup, held in England and Wales for rugby league*1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in Sweden for women's football...
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa rugby boards formed SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) to administer an annual 12-team provincial competition pitting regional teams of the then three strongest rugby nations against each other. In addition it was decided to hold an annual Tri-Nations Test Series between the three countries. A significant reason for the development of the Super 12 was the threat to
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
from rival football code ugby part of the business model for the Foxtel pay TV network in Australia was to attract subscribers by offering an exclusive product (such as rugby union) which could not be seen on free-to-air broadcast television. By setting up the Super 12, the Unions had a product that was in demand from viewers, enabling them to sell a 10 year contract for exclusive television rights to News Corp for
US$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
555 million, giving them both coverage and financial support to kickstart the new competition.
With significant sponsorship, and rugby turning a professional sport in 1995, the Super 12 competition successfully kicked off in
1996The 1996 season of the Super 12, the rugby union competition, was the inaugural season and was won by the Auckland Blues. It was a notable season because it was the first of professional rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere...
with five domestic New Zealand, four domestic South African and three domestic Australian teams competing. New Zealand's dominance of the competition began in the first year when the Auckland Blues won the inaugural competition defeating South African side the
Natal SharksThe Sharks are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition...
45 - 21 in a home final. The Blues would repeat the success of 1996 beating Australian side the
ACT BrumbiesThe Brumbies are a Super 14 rugby union team based in Canberra, Australia and named for the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland...
23 - 7 in the
1997The 1997 Super 12 season was the 2nd season of Super 12 rugby with games being played from February to May. The final was contested by the Auckland Blues and the ACT Brumbies at Eden Park, Auckland...
final.
Auckland then reached their third successive final in
1998The 1998 Super 12 season was the 3rd season of Super 12 rugby with games being played from February to May. The final was contested by the Auckland Blues and the Canterbury Crusaders at Eden Park, Auckland...
but went down to fellow countrymen the Canterbury Crusaders 13 - 20. This would mark the beginning of the Crusaders' three-year dominance as they went on to win the
1999The 1999 Super 12 season was the 4th season of Super 12 rugby with games being played from February to May. The final was contested by the Canterbury Crusaders and the Otago Highlanders at Carisbrook, Dunedin...
and
2000The 2000 Super 12 season was a rugby union competition contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from February to May 2000...
finals over the Otago Highlanders and
ACT BrumbiesThe Brumbies are a Super 14 rugby union team based in Canberra, Australia and named for the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland...
respectively. The
2001The 2001 season of the Super 12, the international rugby union competition, was contested from February through to May, and was won by the ACT Brumbies, who beat the Coastal Sharks in the final.-Final standings:...
season was the first in which no New Zealand franchise reached the final, being contested between the
ACT BrumbiesThe Brumbies are a Super 14 rugby union team based in Canberra, Australia and named for the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland...
and
Natal SharksThe Sharks are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition...
with the Brumbies convincing winners, with a 36 - 6 scoreline.
The Crusaders won their 4th final in
2002The 2002 Super 12 season was won by the Crusaders, who defeated the Brumbies in the 2002 Super 12 Final. It was the Crusaders' fourth Super 12 championship victory, and they went through the season undefeated, the highlights including a massive 96-19 win against the second-placed NSW...
and missed out on their 5th in
2003The 2003 Super 12 season was won by the Blues, who defeated the Crusaders in the final.- Final standings :-Week 1:---------------------Week 11:---------------------Week 12:---------------------Semi Finals:----...
with a four-point loss to fellow countrymen the Blues. In
2004The Super 12 is a rugby union competition between teams from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The 2004 Super 12 season was won by the Brumbies, who defeated the Crusaders in the final.-Final standings:-2004 Final:...
the Brumbies took revenge on their 2000 final loss to the Crusaders defeating them 47 - 38 in front of a home crowd. The Crusaders would bounce back to win the
2005The 2005 season of the Super 12 rugby union competition began on 25 February 2005 and ended on 28 May with the Canterbury-based Crusaders winning their fifth Super Rugby title against the New South Wales-based Waratahs...
final 35 - 25 against the Australian side the
New South Wales WaratahsThe New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing most of New South Wales in the Super 14 competition—though not the Riverina or other southern parts of the state, which are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in...
who reached their first ever final. This was the last year of the 12 team format.
From the early 2000s Australia had started to push for the inclusion of a fourth Australian team, and South Africa for another team from its country. There was also speculation of including a team from the South Pacific Island nations, such as Fiji; or a combined
Pacific IslandersThe Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
team from Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. Argentina was also pushing for inclusion in the Super 12.
Super 14
In September 2004, SANZAR began negotiations for a new television deal to take effect in 2006. That December, SANZAR announced that a new TV deal had been signed, with
News CorporationNews Corporation is the world's second largest media conglomerate as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009...
winning the rights for the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, Australia and New Zealand and Supersport winning rights for South Africa. The contract is worth USD 323 million over five years, which is a 16% annual increase compared to the previous deal. It covers international fixtures as well as the Super 14. SANZAR remained free to negotiate separate deals for other markets, such as
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the Americas.
The TriNations is the "cash cow" for the SANZAR partners as it provides nearly 60 per cent of the money from News Ltd. The Super 14 made up about 30 per cent of the deal.
Under the new deal, Australia and South Africa each got one extra team in the competition, and a third round of fixtures was added to the Tri Nations Series. The proposal also included the possibility of splitting the updated Super 14 into two seven-team divisions, but it was decided to keep the competition in its traditional single-table format. However, Argentina and the Pacific Islands remain shut out of the competition under this proposal.
It was confirmed in 2005 that the new Australian team in the competition would be based in
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,650,000 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
and was named the
Western ForceWestern Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super 14 competition. It commenced competing in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in their first year, however its performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
. The addition of the new South African team led to considerable controversy, including government involvement. Finally, the five teams for 2006 were confirmed to be the country's existing four teams, plus the
Central CheetahsThe Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as Vodacom Cheetahs, is a South African Super 14 rugby union franchise that entered the competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State, Griffons, and Griquas Currie Cup unions...
, which draws its players from the Free State and Northern Cape Provinces.
The two new teams didn't perform all that well, the South African franchise the Cheetahs did the better of the two teams finishing 10th on the ladder notching up 5 season wins. The Australian franchise the Western Force only managed one victory and ended winning the wooden spoon as last placed 14th. The highlight for the Force was a 23-all draw against eventual champions the Crusaders, who defeated first-time finalists the Wellington Hurricanes 19 - 12.
For the 2007 season, 22
All BlacksThe New Zealand national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, is the representative side of New Zealand in rugby union. Rugby union is regarded as the country's national sport...
missed the competition's first seven rounds as part of an All Black "conditioning programme". The conditioning programme was a part of the All Blacks'
2007 Rugby World CupThe 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
preparations, and every New Zealand franchise was without players for the first seven rounds.
At the end of the regular season, for the first time since 1998, no Australian franchise had made the semi-finals. Although the Brumbies were strong and the Western Force experienced vast improvement it was a poor season for the
Queensland RedsThe Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
and Waratahs who finished last and second last respectively. Even with the 22 All Blacks back for the second half of the competition the New Zealand teams could not get back to the full strengths that has been seen in previous years. Also, it was known before the final that the competition would be won for the first time ever by a South African team, as the Sharks and Bulls, who finished 1-2 on the season ladder, both won their respective semifinals. The final, held
in DurbanThe Kings Park Stadium, also known for sponsorship reasons as the ABSA Stadium, is a stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban, South Africa, which was originally built in 1891 and extensively renovated in the 1990s...
, saw the visiting Bulls win 20-19.
Future
Early reports suggested that South Africa may withdraw from the Super 14 post-2010. It has been speculated that South Africa may want to align themselves with the European nations instead, because of the better time zone and travel issues. Some South African officials feel they are disadvantaged because of the long away legs of the tournament.
In a later development, South African Rugby Union president
Oregan Hoskins-Overview of Policies:He was appointed to this position in 2006. Noted events that have occurred during his tenure as President include South Africa victory at the 2007 Rugby World Cup...
expressed his desire for two Argentina teams be included into the competition, expanding it to a "Super 16". It was hoped this could happen as part of Argentina's entry into the Tri Nations. However it was agreed at the end of 2007 that Argentina will not join the Tri Nations until 2012 at the earliest, with the key to admission being Argentina's agreement to establish a professional domestic rugby structure.
Mid way through the 2008 Super 14 Series the NZRU started to desire more urgent, and radical changes to the Super 14 tournament. This change in view came about after the news that many key players would be looking to move North after their contracts had expired, to play in European competitions where more money could be earned. Broadcast figures for the Super 14 series were also down as much as 20%.
A recent idea by the ARU, supported by the NZRU, included the introduction of a conference system similar to that seen
in North AmericaMajor professional sports league, or simply major league, is a term used in Canada and the United States for the highest professional competitions in team sports...
(with the addition of a fifteenth franchise) to be introduced for the 2010 season - although this has now been put back to 2011, after the current television deal expires. Each team would play teams within their national conference twice and outside their conference just once. The fifteenth franchise would either come from Australia (expected to be based in Melbourne at a major new stadium currently under construction) or - in the case that it was a foreign-based franchise such as
JapanRugby union in Japan is a major sport. Japan has the fourth largest population of rugby union players in the world and the sport has been played there for over a century...
or the
Pacific IslandsThe Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.-Oceania:...
- be included in the Australian conference to ensure that each conference had an equal number of teams. Further expansion in the future has also been proposed, with new franchises in the Pacific islands, Japan and
ArgentinaRugby union is a popular team sport played in Argentina. The first rugby match played in the country dates back to 1873, as the game was introduced by the British. The Argentina national team, sometimes referred to as the Pumas, have competed at the Rugby World Cup, and are considered a tier one...
all being mooted as possible franchise locations.
In January 2009, the SARU announced that a new franchise in the South Eastern Cape region would be launched in June of that year to coincide with the arrival of the
British and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions, formerly known as the British Isles and the British Lions, is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in
Port ElizabethPort Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, 770 km east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in...
for
one of their midweek tour matchesThe 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009....
. The SEC franchise is to be launched with the goal of a future place in Super Rugby, but no timetable for its inclusion has been set. SARU confirmed that the new franchise would not be known as the
Southern SpearsThe Southern Spears, were a South African rugby union franchise who were originally founded in 2005 and were intended to participate in the Super 14 from 2007 onwards; however, their proposed entry into the competition led to considerable controversy within the country's rugby establishment...
, which was the abortive attempt to establish a franchise in the SEC region in 2006. Eventually, the new side was revealed as the
Southern KingsThe Southern Kings are a South African Rugby Union team that are hopeful of playing in Super Rugby from 2011 in a to-be-formed Australian conference in the Super 15. They were formed in 2009 in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa...
.
On May 19 2009, following prolonged negotiations, SANZAR unveiled its model for an expanded season to start in 2011. This model was due to be presented to current broadcast rights holder News Corporation for approval before the end of June 2009. The new structure is based around the original ARU proposal for three national conferences, whereby each side would have played the other four teams from their own country twice and all of the other teams once, before a six team finals series. However, there were two major compromises that - while somewhat complicating the model - were designed to accommodate the wishes of all three countries. Firstly, each team would only play four of the five teams in each of the other two national conferences, meaning sixteen regular season games for each team. This 'trimming' of the model would allow for a late February start (somewhat placating the ARU and NZRU who wanted a March start), a three week gap for the June test matches (favoured by the SARU) and an early August finish so as not to overlap new streamlined versions of New Zealand and South Africa's domestic competitions. Secondly, the three conference winners and the three best performed of the remaining teams would qualify for a three week finals series, with seedings deciding the match-ups. This system would be a hybrid of the conference-based qualification system favoured by the SARU and the 'top six' model favoured by the ARU and NZRU. Additionally, while the fifteenth franchise will play in the Australian conference, its location has yet to be confirmed.
Teams
| Overview of teams |
| Country |
Team |
City/Area |
Stadium/s (Capacity) |
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
|
BrumbiesThe Brumbies are a Super 14 rugby union team based in Canberra, Australia and named for the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland...
|
Australian Capital Territory The ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the Australian Capital Territory and southern regions of New South Wales. The union is represented by one team in the Super 14 competition, the Brumbies...
ACT and Southern NSW including CanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, QueanbeyanQueanbeyan is a city and local government area in south eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is a city overshadowed somewhat by its proximity to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra: it has effectively become a de facto district of the nearby capital city as it lies on the...
, NowraNowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located approximately south of the state capital of Sydney, it has a population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 27,478...
and AlburyAlbury is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is also a Local Government Area, administered by Albury City Council...
|
Canberra StadiumCanberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
, (25,011) |
WaratahsThe New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing most of New South Wales in the Super 14 competition—though not the Riverina or other southern parts of the state, which are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in...
|
New South Wales The New South Wales Rugby Union is the organisation responsible for the sport of rugby union in most of the state of New South Wales, Australia. NSWRU is represented in the Super 14 competition by the NSW Waratahs. NSWRU also runs the Tooheys New Cup and the Shute Shield...
Northern and Central NSW including SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
, NewcastleThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, WollongongWollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney....
, TamworthTamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth with an urban population of 42,501 people is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city provides services...
and Coffs HarbourCoffs Harbour is a coastal city located on the north coast of New South Wales about 540 km north of Sydney, 385 km north of Newcastle, and 440 km south of Brisbane....
|
Sydney Football Stadium, (45,500) |
RedsThe Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
|
Queensland The Queensland Rugby Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the Australian state of Queensland. It is a member and founding union of the Australian Rugby Union.-See also:*Queensland Reds*Australian Rugby Union*The Wallabies...
All of Qld including BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
, Gold CoastThe Gold Coast is a city in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. It is the second most populous city in the state and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is also the most populous non-capital city in the country...
, CairnsCairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The city itself was named after William Wellington Cairns . It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas...
and RockhamptonRockhampton is a regional city and Local Government Area located in Queensland with the 2006 census recording the Rockhampton Statistical Subdivision population to be around 74,531,5 people...
|
Suncorp StadiumLang Park, currently known as Suncorp Stadium due to naming rights, is a rectangular sporting stadium located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia. Built on the site of a cemetery, the stadium has been the home of rugby league football in Queensland since 1957 and today also...
, (52,500) |
ForceWestern Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super 14 competition. It commenced competing in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in their first year, however its performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
|
Western Australia RugbyWA, formerly known as the Western Australia Rugby Union, is the governing body for rugby union in the state of Western Australia, Australia. In 2004, RugbyWA successfully secured the fourth Australian Super 12 licence, entering a team in the expanded Super 14 competition from 2006, called the...
All of WA, including PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,650,000 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
, MandurahMandurah is a city in Western Australia located approximately south of the state capital, Perth, Western Australia.Mandurah is the fastest-growing regional city in Australia, and is also the largest city in Western Australia outside the Perth metropolitan area, having experienced hypergrowth for...
, BunburyThe port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after Mandurah and Perth the state capital. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
and KalgoorlieKalgoorlie, alternatively known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a city in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of Perth, the state capital...
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Members Equity StadiumPerth Oval is a sports stadium in Perth, Australia. It has been the home of the Australian A-League club Perth Glory since 1996 and has been the home of the Western Australia Rugby League since 2003...
, (20,500) |
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
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Blues |
Auckland, North HarbourThe North Harbour Rugby Union , commonly referred to colloquially as North Harbour or simply Harbour, is a provincial rugby team which competes in the Air New Zealand Cup, the successor to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship .-Area:Harbour Rugby...
, and NorthlandThe Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
.
(North Auckland PeninsulaThe North Auckland Peninsula, frequently referred to simply as the Northland Peninsula, is located in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is easily confused with, though not the same as Northland Region, which occupies the top 80% of the peninsula...
of North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
and most of metropolitan AucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with a population approaching 1.4 million residents, percent of the country's population. Demographic trends indicate that it will continue to grow faster than the rest...
). |
Eden ParkEden Park is the biggest sports ground in Auckland, New Zealand for both rugby union during winter, and cricket in summer . To accommodate both sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, (47,500)
North Harbour StadiumNorth Harbour Stadium is a stadium situated in Albany in North Shore City in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997 after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, Rugby League and football are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape. The...
, (25,000) |
| Chiefs The Chiefs are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Their home ground is Waikato Stadium. The Chiefs play in black, red and yellow coloured jerseys...
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WaikatoThe Waikato Rugby Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the region of Waikato in the North Island of New Zealand. Their senior representative team compete in the Air New Zealand Cup, and won the inaugural competition in 2006....
, Bay of PlentyThe Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body for rugby union in the Bay of Plenty, in the North-East of the North Island...
and Counties-ManukauThe Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Franklin district of New Zealand. The Steelers colours are red, white, and black horizontal bands. The 'Steelers' moniker is a reference to the nearby Glenbrook steel factory...
Central and eastern North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, including HamiltonHamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's seventh largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
; Southern AucklandSouth Auckland is an imprecisely defined area of Auckland, New Zealand, often stereotyped as a socio-economically disadvantaged, and sometimes rough, urban area with a relatively large Polynesian and Māori population. The name South Auckland is not an official place name but is in common use by New...
, TaurangaTauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.Settled by Europeans in the early 19th century, and constituted as a city in 1963., Tauranga City is the fifth largest urban area in New Zealand, with an urban population of The city lies in the...
and RotoruaRotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
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Waikato StadiumWaikato Stadium is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold...
, (25,800) |
| Crusaders |
Canterbury and TasmanThe Tasman Rugby Union is New Zealand's newest provincial union. It came about with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays. Nelson Bays, in turn, came about with the amalgamation of Nelson and Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Unions in 1967....
.
North and central South IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, including ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area. It is one third the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch.The city was named by...
, NelsonThe city of Nelson is close to the centre of New Zealand. It lies at the shore of Tasman Bay, at the northern end of the South Island, and is the administrative centre of the Nelson region....
, BlenheimBlenheim is a town in Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
and TimaruTimaru is a major port city in the southern Canterbury region of New Zealand, located 160 kilometres south of Christchurch and about 200 kilometres north of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island...
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AMI Stadium, (36,000) |
| Highlanders |
Otago and Southland.
Southern South IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, including DunedinDunedin , , is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. It has the largest council boundary area of any New Zealand city, and is the hub of the fifth-largest urban area...
and InvercargillInvercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
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CarisbrookCarisbrook is a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, soccer, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
, (29,000)
Rugby Park StadiumRugby Park Stadium is a rugby union venue and home ground for Air New Zealand Cup team Southland. Rugby Park Stadium is located on the corner of Elles Road and Tweed Street in Invercargill...
, (25,000) |
| Hurricanes The Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
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Wellington, TaranakiTaranaki Rugby Football Union is the governing body of Rugby in the New Zealand province of Taranaki. The main stadium is Yarrow Stadium which is in the main centre of New Plymouth. Since 2006 Taranaki has played in the annual Air New Zealand Cup in which it also competes for the Ranfurly shield...
, ManawatuFor Current Season see Click HereManawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of Rugby in the Manawatu rugby province. It is based in the city of Palmerston North but has club teams from nearby towns in the province, such as Feilding, Rongotea and Woodville.The Union's home ground is FMG Stadium,...
, and Hawke's BayThe Hawke's Bay Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. The union is based in Napier.-Representative rugby:...
.
Southern and southwestern North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, including WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
, Palmerston NorthPalmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of In 2008 it was the 11th-largest city in New Zealand, and the centre of the seventh-largest urban area...
, New PlymouthNew Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers came....
and NapierNapier is a port city in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. It has a population of Less than twenty kilometres separate the centres of Hastings City and Napier, and as such the two are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
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Westpac StadiumWestpac Stadium, previously known as WestpacTrust Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin in other parts of New Zealand, although the locals refer to it by either its proper name or simply as The Stadium. Fans of...
, (34,500) |
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
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BullsThe Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition. They are based in Pretoria and play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld...
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PretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
(plus East Rand and Limpopo ProvinceLimpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Pietersburg, now renamed to Polokwane. The province was formed from the northern region of the Transvaal province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...
) |
Loftus Versfeld, (51,762) |
| Central Cheetahs The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as Vodacom Cheetahs, is a South African Super 14 rugby union franchise that entered the competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State, Griffons, and Griquas Currie Cup unions...
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Bloemfontein Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa as well as one of the nation's three capitals, the judicial capital. The city's Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning "place of cheetahs" and became part of the Mangaung Local Municipality in 2000...
(Free StateThe Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans were abolished and included into the...
plus Northern CapeThe Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated of the provinces of South Africa, created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, which is part of a trans-frontier park with Botswana...
) |
Free State StadiumThe Free State Stadium, also known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used for rugby union, as well as football .The primary rugby union tenants of the facility are:...
, (36,538) |
LionsThe Lions, known as the Cats through the 2006 season, are a South African rugby union franchise that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They have not achieved great success in this competition, finishing at the bottom of the table three times . However, they have managed to reach the...
|
Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi or Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
(plus MpumalangaMpumalanga, , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
and North WestNorth West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mafikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng.-History:...
) |
Coca-Cola Park, (59,611) |
SharksThe Sharks are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition...
|
Durban Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
(KwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994 the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and all pieces of territory that made up the homeland of KwaZulu....
) |
ABSA Stadium, (55,000) |
StormersThe Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as Vodacom Stormers, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition . They have never reached the final of the Super 12 competition, having been eliminated in the semi-finals in their best two years, 1999 and 2004...
|
Cape TownCape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, and the largest in land area, forming part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many...
(plus northern Western CapeThe Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
) |
Newlands StadiumNewlands Stadium is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people and is an all seater venue.Various sports clubs currently use the stadium as their home base, including:* Stormers in Super Rugby...
, (51,900) |
For the 2007 season, the
Southern SpearsThe Southern Spears, were a South African rugby union franchise who were originally founded in 2005 and were intended to participate in the Super 14 from 2007 onwards; however, their proposed entry into the competition led to considerable controversy within the country's rugby establishment...
, based in
Port ElizabethPort Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, 770 km east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in...
, were originally intended to replace the lowest-finishing South African team from the 2006 competition. However, the existing South African Super 14 franchises opposed the plan, which they believed was pushed through by controversial former president of the
South African Rugby UnionThe South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
, Brian van Rooyen. On 19 April 2006, after van Rooyen was ousted as president, SARU announced that the Spears would not enter the competition. SARU then called for an investigation into the viability of the Spears after discovering the franchise had serious financial irregularities.
In August, 2006, a
High Court of South AfricaThe High Court of South Africa is a court of law in South Africa. The court, when constituted in 1994, inherited the jurisdiction of the provincial and local divisions of the Supreme Court of South Africa that was formally abolished following the post apartheid settlement...
ruling stated that the Spears had a valid contract with SANZAR and SARU to compete in the Super 14 and Currie Cup. However, because of the organisation's financial and administrative troubles, in November 2006 a settlement was reached. The Spears abandoned their legal case, and will continue to exist, however they now will not compete in the Super 14.
Past winners
Super 12
| Year |
|
Final |
|
Losing semi-finalists |
| Winner |
Score |
Runner-up |
1st losing semi-finalist |
2nd losing semi-finalist |
1996
DetailsThe 1996 season of the Super 12, the rugby union competition, was the inaugural season and was won by the Auckland Blues. It was a notable season because it was the first of professional rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere...
|
Blues |
45 - 21 |
Sharks |
Reds |
Bulls |
1997
DetailsThe 1997 Super 12 season was the 2nd season of Super 12 rugby with games being played from February to May. The final was contested by the Auckland Blues and the ACT Brumbies at Eden Park, Auckland...
|
Blues |
23 - 7 |
Brumbies |
HurricanesThe Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
|
Sharks |
1998
DetailsThe 1998 Super 12 season was the 3rd season of Super 12 rugby with games being played from February to May. The final was contested by the Auckland Blues and the Canterbury Crusaders at Eden Park, Auckland...
|
Crusaders |
20 - 13 |
Blues |
Sharks |
Highlanders |
1999
DetailsThe 1999 Super 12 season was the 4th season of Super 12 rugby with games being played from February to May. The final was contested by the Canterbury Crusaders and the Otago Highlanders at Carisbrook, Dunedin...
|
Crusaders |
24 - 19 |
Highlanders |
Reds |
StormersThe Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as Vodacom Stormers, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition . They have never reached the final of the Super 12 competition, having been eliminated in the semi-finals in their best two years, 1999 and 2004...
|
2000
DetailsThe 2000 Super 12 season was a rugby union competition contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from February to May 2000...
|
Crusaders |
20 - 19 |
Brumbies |
Highlanders |
Cats |
2001
DetailsThe 2001 season of the Super 12, the international rugby union competition, was contested from February through to May, and was won by the ACT Brumbies, who beat the Coastal Sharks in the final.-Final standings:...
|
Brumbies |
36 - 6 The 2001 Super 12 Final was held on 26 May 2001 at Canberra Stadium between the ACT Brumbies and the Coastal Sharks. Brumbies won 36-6.- Match Details :...
|
Sharks |
Cats |
Reds |
2002
DetailsThe 2002 Super 12 season was won by the Crusaders, who defeated the Brumbies in the 2002 Super 12 Final. It was the Crusaders' fourth Super 12 championship victory, and they went through the season undefeated, the highlights including a massive 96-19 win against the second-placed NSW...
|
Crusaders |
31 - 13 |
Brumbies |
WaratahsThe New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing most of New South Wales in the Super 14 competition—though not the Riverina or other southern parts of the state, which are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in...
|
Highlanders |
2003
DetailsThe 2003 Super 12 season was won by the Blues, who defeated the Crusaders in the final.- Final standings :-Week 1:---------------------Week 11:---------------------Week 12:---------------------Semi Finals:----...
|
Blues |
21 - 17 |
Crusaders |
HurricanesThe Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
|
Brumbies |
2004
DetailsThe Super 12 is a rugby union competition between teams from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The 2004 Super 12 season was won by the Brumbies, who defeated the Crusaders in the final.-Final standings:-2004 Final:...
|
Brumbies |
47 - 38 |
Crusaders |
StormersThe Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as Vodacom Stormers, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition . They have never reached the final of the Super 12 competition, having been eliminated in the semi-finals in their best two years, 1999 and 2004...
|
ChiefsThe Chiefs are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Their home ground is Waikato Stadium. The Chiefs play in black, red and yellow coloured jerseys...
|
2005
DetailsThe 2005 season of the Super 12 rugby union competition began on 25 February 2005 and ended on 28 May with the Canterbury-based Crusaders winning their fifth Super Rugby title against the New South Wales-based Waratahs...
|
Crusaders |
35 - 25 |
WaratahsThe New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing most of New South Wales in the Super 14 competition—though not the Riverina or other southern parts of the state, which are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in...
|
Bulls |
HurricanesThe Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
|
Super 14
| Year |
|
Final |
|
Losing semi-finalists |
| Winner |
Score |
Runner-up |
1st losing semi-finalist |
2nd losing semi-finalist |
2006
DetailsThe 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday February 10 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday May 27 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...
|
Crusaders |
19 - 12The Final of the 2006 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on May 27, 2006 at Jade Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. The match was won by the Crusaders 19 points to 12 over the visiting Wellington-based side, the Hurricanes...
|
HurricanesThe Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
|
WaratahsThe New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing most of New South Wales in the Super 14 competition—though not the Riverina or other southern parts of the state, which are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in...
|
Bulls |
2007
DetailsThe 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at ABSA Stadium in Durban...
|
Bulls |
20 - 19The Final of the 2007 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on 19 May, 2007 at ABSA Stadium in Durban, South Africa. The match was won by the Bulls 20 points to 19 over their hosts the Sharks...
|
Sharks |
Crusaders |
Blues |
2008
DetailsThe 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 31 May, when the Crusaders won their seventh Super Rugby title with a 20–12 victory over the Waratahs in front of the Crusaders' home fans. The 2008 season was the third of the expansion,...
|
Crusaders |
20 - 12The final of the 2008 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on 31 May 2008 at AMI Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand...
|
WaratahsThe New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing most of New South Wales in the Super 14 competition—though not the Riverina or other southern parts of the state, which are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in...
|
Sharks |
HurricanesThe Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
|
2009
DetailsThe 2009 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2009 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 30 May. The 2009 season was the fourth of the expansion, which led to the name change to the Super 14. The schedule, which covered 3½ months, featured a total of 94 matches, with each...
|
|
Bulls |
61 - 17 The Final of the 2009 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on 30 May 2009 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. The Bulls won the match 61 points to 17 over the visiting Chiefs side, which is situated in Hamilton, New Zealand...
|
ChiefsThe Chiefs are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Their home ground is Waikato Stadium. The Chiefs play in black, red and yellow coloured jerseys...
|
|
HurricanesThe Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
|
Crusaders |
| Team | Wins | Runner-up |
|---|
| NZL Crusaders |
7 |
2 |
| NZL Blues |
3 |
1 |
| AUS Brumbies |
2 |
3 |
| ZAF Bulls |
2 |
0 |
| ZAF Sharks |
0 |
3 |
AUS WaratahsThe New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing most of New South Wales in the Super 14 competition—though not the Riverina or other southern parts of the state, which are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in...
|
0 |
2 |
| NZL Highlanders |
0 |
1 |
| NZL Hurricanes The Hurricanes are a professional rugby union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that competes in the Super 14...
|
0 |
1 |
| NZL Chiefs The Chiefs are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Their home ground is Waikato Stadium. The Chiefs play in black, red and yellow coloured jerseys...
|
0 |
1 |
Wins by Country
| Country | Wins | Runner-up |
|---|
| |
10 |
6 |
| |
2 |
5 |
| |
2 |
3 |
Trophies
The Super 14 trophy is sterling silver and has the competition logo on a globe which sits atop of a four-sided twisted spiral; it stands at 49 centimetres high and weighs 2.7 kilogram. Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith in Nelson, New Zealand hand made the trophy which took over two months to make; the same workshop made the gold ring in
Peter JacksonPeter Robert Jackson, CNZM is a New Zealand filmmaker, producer and screenwriter, best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy adapted from the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien...
's
The Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three live action fantasy epic films: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King...
.
On February 7, a new
Super 14 trophyThe Super 14 Trophy is a silver trophy awarded to the winner of the Super 14, a rugby union competition, final. in Nelson, New Zealand hand made the trophy. The same workshop made the gold ring in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Three different silversmiths constructed the trophy...
was unveiled in Wellington, New Zealand for the expanded competition.
In the first Super 14 finalThe Final of the 2006 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on May 27, 2006 at Jade Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. The match was won by the Crusaders 19 points to 12 over the visiting Wellington-based side, the Hurricanes...
, played at
Jade StadiumLancaster Park, formerly Jade Stadium and currently known as AMI Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a sports stadium situated in Christchurch, New Zealand....
, in Christchurch, on May 27, 2006, the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes 19-12.
There are several other trophies contested during the competition; the Charles Anderson VC Memorial Cup between the Brumbies and Stormers, the Bob Templeton Cup between the Reds and Waratahs, and the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy between the Blues and Highlanders.
Every year the
Super Rugby player of the yearSuper Rugby player of the year is an accolade awarded annually.-List of winners and nominees:...
is awarded.
Team records
- Highest score: 96 points – Crusaders defeated Waratahs 96-19, 2002
- Lowest score: 0 points - Reds defeated Hurricanes 11-0, 1999; Brumbies defeated Bulls 15-0, 1999; Sharks defeated Bulls 29-0, 1999; Brumbies defeated Cats 64-0, 2000; Highlanders defeated Bulls 23-0, 2005; Blues defeated Brumbies 17-0, 2006; Brumbies defeated Reds 36-0, 2007; Crusaders defeated Force 53-0, 2007; Crusaders defeated Stormers 22-0, 2008; Highlanders defeated Crusaders 6-0, 2009
- Highest combined score: 115 points - Crusaders defeated Waratahs 96-19, 2002
- Lowest combined score: 6 points - Highlanders defeated Crusaders 6-0, 2009
- Highest winning margin: 89 points – Bulls defeated Reds 92-3, 2007
- Highest score away: 60 points – Blues defeated Hurricanes 60-7, 2002
- Most consecutive wins: 15 wins – Crusaders, 2002/03
- Most consecutive losses: 11 losses – Bulls, 2002
- Most tries in a match: 14 tries – Crusaders v Waratahs, 2002
- Most tries in a season: 71 tries – Crusaders, 2005
- Fewest tries in a season: 15 tries – Blues, 1999, 2000; Reds, 2007
- Most wins in a season: 12 wins – Crusaders, 2008 regular season
- Fewest wins in a season: 0 wins – Bulls, 2002 regular season
- Least losses in a season: 0 losses - Crusaders, 2002
- Most wins in a row at home: 21 wins – Blues 1996-1998; Crusaders 2004-2006
Match
- Points: 50 – Gavin Lawless
Gavin Lawless is a former South African rugby union player.Playing as , he set a number of point scoring records, including the most tries and most points in a Super 12 match , the most penalties in a Currie Cup season , and the most conversions in a Currie Cup final Gavin Lawless is a former South...
, Sharks
- Tries: 4, Joe Roff
Joe Roff is a retired Australian rugby union footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for Brumbies and Australia. He also had a spell at the French club Biarritz and in 2005-6 at Kubota Spears in Japan's Top League...
(Brumbies), Gavin LawlessGavin Lawless is a former South African rugby union player.Playing as , he set a number of point scoring records, including the most tries and most points in a Super 12 match , the most penalties in a Currie Cup season , and the most conversions in a Currie Cup final Gavin Lawless is a former South...
& Stefan TerblancheStefan Terblanche is a rugby union player. He plays mostly at fullback but can also play on the wing.Stefan played in 37 tests for the Springboks, scoring 19 tries, including a South African test record of 4 tries on debut against Ireland at Bloemfontein on June 13, 1998, which he later bettered...
(Sharks), Joeli VidiriJoeli Vidiri is a Fijian rugby union footballer who also played for the All Blacks. He plays as a wing.-Career:...
, Doug HowlettDouglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a but he has also covered at national and international levels...
& Mils MuliainaJunior Malili Muliaina , better known as Mils Muliaina, is an international rugby union player for the New Zealand All Blacks...
(BluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
), Caleb RalphCaleb Stan Ralph is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. Ralph began his first-class career with Bay of Plenty, then moved to Auckland before heading to Canterbury. He started his Super Rugby career with the Chiefs in 1997, Blues and the Crusaders...
(CrusadersThe Crusaders are a New Zealand rugby union team based in Christchurch that compete in the Super 14 . They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history. The franchise represents the Buller, Canterbury, Mid-Canterbury, South Canterbury, Tasman, and West Coast provincial rugby unions...
), Sitiveni SivivatuSitiveni Waica Sivivatu is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, playing on the position of a . He was largely successful in the 2005 Super 12 season playing for the Chiefs, and acquired a starting position in the All Blacks...
(ChiefsThe Chiefs are a professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Their home ground is Waikato Stadium. The Chiefs play in black, red and yellow coloured jerseys...
)
- Conversions: 13 – Andrew Mehrtens
Andrew Philip Mehrtens MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, currently playing in France for Racing Métro in the Paris region, who has been one of the top s in the world since the advent of the sport's professional era in the mid-1990s...
, CrusadersThe Crusaders are a New Zealand rugby union team based in Christchurch that compete in the Super 14 . They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history. The franchise represents the Buller, Canterbury, Mid-Canterbury, South Canterbury, Tasman, and West Coast provincial rugby unions...
- Penalties: 8 – Jannie Kruger, Derick Hougaard
Derick Hougaard is a South African rugby union player who plays for Saracens in England. He normally plays at flyhalf...
, BullsBulls may refer to several things:*Male cattle*Sometimes used in place of bullshit *Blue Bulls, a rugby club in South Africa*Belfast Bulls, an american football team in Northern Ireland...
- Drop Goals: 4 - Morne Steyn
Morne Steyn is a South African rugby union player who plays at the fly-half position.He plays at number 10 for the Bulls in the Super 14...
, Bulls
Career
- Points: 996* – Stirling Mortlock
Stirling Austin Mortlock is a professional rugby union player. He is the current ACT Brumbies Captain.-Early life:...
, Brumbies
- Tries: 59 Doug Howlett
Douglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a but he has also covered at national and international levels...
, Blues
- Conversions: 148 – Matt Burke
.Matthew Burke is a retired Australian rugby union player. He grew up in Carlingford, New South Wales, and was schooled at St Gerard Majella Catholic Primary School, Carlingford and St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill...
, Waratahs
- Penalties: 195 – Andrew Mehrtens
Andrew Philip Mehrtens MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, currently playing in France for Racing Métro in the Paris region, who has been one of the top s in the world since the advent of the sport's professional era in the mid-1990s...
, Crusaders
- Quickest Try: 16 Seconds – Keegan Daniel
Keegan Rhys Daniel is a South African rugby union player.Born in the rural farming town of Humansdorp, Daniel started his education at Gonubie Primary before moving off to one of South Africa’s best known rugby nurseries, Dale College Boy's High School.Daniel played Craven Week for the Border...
, Sharks
Season
- Points: 221 – Daniel Carter, Crusaders, 2006
- Tries: 15 - Joe Roff
Joe Roff is a retired Australian rugby union footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for Brumbies and Australia. He also had a spell at the French club Biarritz and in 2005-6 at Kubota Spears in Japan's Top League...
, Brumbies, 1997; Rico GearRico Levi Gear is a New Zealand rugby union international player. He is a specialist right wing but can also cover midfield positions...
, Crusaders, 2005
- Conversions: 39 – Stirling Mortlock
Stirling Austin Mortlock is a professional rugby union player. He is the current ACT Brumbies Captain.-Early life:...
, Brumbies, 2000
- Penalties: 43 – Andrew Mehrtens
Andrew Philip Mehrtens MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, currently playing in France for Racing Métro in the Paris region, who has been one of the top s in the world since the advent of the sport's professional era in the mid-1990s...
, Crusaders, 1999
Domestic competitions
Each respective country competing in the Super 14 has a number of their own domestic leagues, which feed into Super franchises. South Africa actually used their
Currie CupThe Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
teams as opposed to creating new franchises during the earlier years of the Super 12. However, the Currie Cup is now the third tier of rugby in South Africa, below Test and Super, it is played after the Super 14 season, and all clubs are aligned to a franchise, though it is mainly the big five, the
Blue BullsThe Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons named the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
, Golden Lions,
Natal SharksThe Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participate in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They play out of Durban at Kings Park Stadium, currently known for sponsorship reasons as ABSA Stadium. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the...
,
Free State CheetahsThe Free State Cheetahs , for sponsorship reasons named Vodacom Free State Cheetahs, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein...
and Western Province which contribute the most to the Super 14 sides.
In New Zealand, the
Air New Zealand CupThe Air New Zealand Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic rugby union competition. It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the NPC was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC now compete in the amateur Heartland Championship. It is sponsored...
is the most prominent domestic tournament below the Super 14, in which all the respective Unions are also aligned with Super franchises.
In Australia, a new national club competition called the Mazda Australian Rugby Championship was launched in 2007. It was intended to bridge the gap between Super 14 and club rugby, and was similar to the Currie Cup and Air New Zealand Cup. It consisted of eight teams: Sydney Fleet, Central Coast Rays, Western Sydney Rams (from New South Wales), Ballymore Tornadoes, East Coast Aces (from Queensland), Perth Spirit (from Western Australia), Melbourne Rebels (from Victoria) and the Canberra Vikings (from ACT).
The competition began on 10 August, played in a round-robin format, with the Grand Final played on 14 October. Western Sydney were the minor premiers (i.e., finished atop the league table before the playoffs), but lost in the semifinals. Central Coast won the inaugural and ultimately only Grand Final. The ARU scrapped the competition after its inaugural season, citing larger-than-expected financial losses of
A$The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
4.7 million.
Media
The Super 14 is broadcast on Supersport in South Africa,
Sky SportSKY Sport is a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by New Zealand's satellite pay-TV company, SKY Network Television. SKY Sport 1 was launched in 1990...
in New Zealand, and on
FOX SportsFox Sports is an Australian group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
in Australia. The Super 14 is
simulcastSimulcast is a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast", and refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are...
terrestrially on
M-NetM-Net is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by a consortium of newspaper companies, including Naspers....
in South Africa. In 2004, the Seven Network said it had no interest in the then Super 12 competition because of poor ratings. There is also a problem with the different time zones between the three nations, which can make it difficult for fans to watch games when their team is playing away. The Super 14 is now broadcast in over 40 countries, in Spain it is broadcast by
Digital+Digital+ is a Spanish satellite platform that offers a variety of channels, both national and international, as well as pay per view films and football, known as "Taquilla"...
.
The Super 14 competition is featured in the
Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible...
(EA) Rugby series. See
Rugby 06Rugby 06 is the 2006 release in the Rugby series by EA Sports. The game allows players to play as many Rugby nations, both major and minor, and includes many tournaments, such as the Rugby World Cup, the Tri Nations, the Six Nations, and the Super 14....
,
Rugby 08Rugby 08 is the 2007 release in the Rugby series by EA Sports. The game allows players to play as many Rugby nations, both major and minor, and includes many tournaments, such as the Rugby World Cup, Tri Nations, Six Nations, Guinness Premiership and Super 14.Rugby 08 was released prior to the...
.
See also
- Super 14 franchise areas
The Super 14 competition in rugby union, including teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, is based on a franchise system of teams representing substantial regions of the three participating countries...
- List of Super 14 stadiums
- List of Super Rugby records
- Super 14 trophy
The Super 14 Trophy is a silver trophy awarded to the winner of the Super 14, a rugby union competition, final. in Nelson, New Zealand hand made the trophy. The same workshop made the gold ring in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Three different silversmiths constructed the trophy...
- Super 12 champions
Super 12 champions was a title given to the winning team of the Super 12 rugby union competition. The tournament ran from 1996-2005, and has since expanded to the Super 14....
- Super 14 champions
Super 14 champions is the title given to the winner of the rugby union competition, the Super 14. The tournament was previously known as the Super 12 from 1996 to 2005, but following an expansion in 2006 to include the Western Force, from Perth, Western Australia, and the Central Cheetahs, from...
- South Pacific Championship
The South Pacific Championship was a rugby union competition that was introduced in 1986, and contested through to 1991 when it was renamed the Super Six...
- Super 10
The Super 10 was a rugby union tournament featuring ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga and Western Samoa, which ran for three years from 1993 to 1995...
- Experimental law variations
The experimental law variations , also known as the Stellenbosch Laws, are a proposed set of amendments to the laws of rugby union. They are under consideration by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board...
- Top 14 - France
- Top League
In an effort to drive up the overall standard and popularity within Japan of Japanese rugby and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team, the Japan Rugby Football Union created a new professional 12-team league, called the Top League. The first season was 2003-4...
- Japan
External links