Super Rugby

Rugby union club competition

This article is about the men's rugby union tournament in the Pacific region. For the pan-American men's tournament, see Super Rugby Americas. For the women's tournament in Australia, see Super Rugby Women's. For the women's tournament in New Zealand, see Super Rugby Aupiki. For the man's tournament in Brazil, see Brazilian Rugby Union Championship.

Super RugbyCurrent season, competition or edition:
2025 Super Rugby Pacific season

Formerly| Super 12 (1996–2005)
Super 14 (2006–2010)
Sport| Rugby Union
Founded| 1996; 29 years ago (1996)
First season| 1996
Owner(s)| SANZAAR
CEO| Jack Mesley
No. of teams| 11
Country| Australia (4 teams)
Fiji (1 team)
New Zealand (5 teams)
Pacific Islands (1 team)
Former:
South Africa (8 teams)
Argentina (1 team)
Japan (1 team)
Australia (1 team)
Most recent
champion(s)| Crusaders
(2025, 13th title)
Most titles| Crusaders (13 titles)
Broadcaster(s)| Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea:
Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
National Broadcasting Corporation
Sky Sport (Sky Open)
Stan Sport (Nine Network)
International:
Canal+
Digicel (Pacific Islands)
ESPN
FloSports
Premier Sports Asia
Sky Italia
Sky Sports
SuperSport
TSN
Wowow
Sponsor(s)| SMARTECH Business Systems[1]
DHL
Harvey Norman
Shop N Save Supermarket
Related
competitions| Women's Competitions
Super Rugby Women's
Super Rugby Aupiki
COVID-19 Regional Competitions:
Super Rugby Aotearoa
Super Rugby AU
Super Rugby Trans-Tasman
Super Rugby Unlocked
Official website| super.rugby

Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 season with 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, building on competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986. The Super 12 was established by SANZAR after the sport became professional in 1995. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 only included teams from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands.

The name was changed to Super 14 with the addition of two teams for the 2006 season, and with expansion to 15 teams for the 2011 season, the competition was rebranded as Super Rugby (with no number). In 2016 two new teams, the Jaguares from Argentina and Sunwolves from Japan, joined the competition, playing in two newly separated African groups. In 2018, the Cheetahs, Kings and Western Force were dropped, leaving 15 teams. The Sunwolves left the competition before the end of the 2020 season.

The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Due to international travel restrictions relating to the pandemic, Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby held domestic tournaments, Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa respectively.[3][4] Both these tournaments continued in 2021, to be followed by Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, a crossover tournament.[5] In September 2020, the South African Rugby Union withdrew their four franchises from the competition, with plans for them to join the PRO14.[6] The Argentine Jaguares also left the competition.

In August 2021 a 12-team format was confirmed, with the addition of the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika, a team representing the Pacific Islands. The tournament from 2022 is named Super Rugby Pacific.[7][8]

The competition has been dominated by New Zealand teams, who have won 21 times in 28 years. The Crusaders have won most often, with 13 titles.

## Organisation and format

[edit]

### SANZAAR

[edit]

Main article: SANZAAR

SANZAAR is the body that administers Super Rugby, and has the Australian, New Zealand, South African and Argentine rugby unions as its members. SANZAAR also runs the Rugby Championship tournament that is contested by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa following the conclusion of the Super Rugby tournament; the Tri-Nations preceded the Rugby Championship before Argentina joined the competition. The organisation was formed in 1996 to establish and run the Super 12, and Tri-Nations Tournament.

### Competition format

[edit]

Western Force (Blue) kicking off to the New South Wales Waratahs (White).

Prior to 2011, Super Rugby was a round-robin competition where each team played every other team once; a team had six or seven home games, and six or seven away games each. The winner received four competition points; if the game was a draw two points were awarded to each team. The bonus points system was also used, where any team scoring four or more tries, and/or losing by seven points or less, receives an extra competition point. In 2016, the try bonus changed. A team now has to score three more tries than their opponents. The top four teams at the end of the round-robin phase then played semi-finals – the first placed team hosting the fourth placed team, and the second placed team hosting the third placed team.[9] The two winners then played the final at the home ground of the top surviving seed.[9] There were 91 regular season games in total.[10] Games were held over 14 weekends with each team receiving one bye.

From 2011 – 2015 the format changed, with each country forming its own conference. Each team within a conference played each of the other teams in its conference twice, once at home and once away. Each team then played four out of the five teams from each of the other conferences once. Competition points were awarded on a similar basis as before. The format of the finals also changed; it involved six teams: the top team in each of the three conferences plus the three next teams with the highest total number of points, regardless of conference. The four lower ranking teams were paired in two sudden death games; the winners of those two games each played one of the two top ranked teams (which received a bye at the start of the finals). Those winners played for the championship.[11]

For the 2016 and 2017 seasons the format changed again, with three more teams joining, one each from Argentina, Japan and South Africa. There were four conferences, with Africa getting two conferences. The finals had eight teams with each conference winner getting a home quarter final. They were joined by four wild card teams, three from the Australasian group and one from the South African group.

From the 2018 season the format changed again, with two South African teams and an Australian team being dropped. There were three conferences, one containing the five New Zealand teams, a South African one including Argentina's team and an Australian one including Japan's team.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the competition had to undergo a change in structure and be split into regionalised tournaments. There were two national competitions, Australia's Super Rugby AU and New Zealand's Super Rugby Aotearoa, and those were followed by Super Rugby Trans-Tasman in 2021, a crossover competition involving the five Australian sides playing the five New Zealand sides. Super Rugby currently only consists of Australian and New Zealand sides, with the Japanese Sunwolves departing the competition after the 2020 season, the South African sides voting to leave to join an expanded PRO14 (Later known as the United Rugby Championship), and the Argentine Jaguares not set to compete in any Super Rugby tournament in 2021.

From 2022, the tournament reverted to round robin format featuring 12 teams, with the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika joining the competition. There are no divisions from 2022 onwards, with one main log being used instead, and top 8 teams qualifying for the playoffs.

Since 2022, each Super Rugby season has featured a "Super Round", where an entire round of Super Rugby matches is played over a weekend at a single stadium; both the 2022 and 2023 Super Rounds were played at AAMI Park in Melbourne, with the 2024 Super Round set to be played there as well.

## History

[edit]

### Background

[edit]

Before 1996, a number of transnational competitions involving regional and provincial rugby union teams had taken shape in the southern hemisphere. The earliest of these was the South Pacific Championship, which was launched in 1986 and continued until 1990.

Super 6 Champions  Season  | Champions

|

1992  | Queensland

#### Super 6

[edit]

After the demise of the South Pacific Championship, with no tournament played in 1991, the competition was relaunched as the Super 6 in 1992. The original Super 6 competition consisted of three provincial teams from New Zealand: Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington; along with two Australian state teams: Queensland and New South Wales; and also the Fiji national team.

#### Super 10

[edit]

Super 10 Champions 1993 – 1995 Season  | Champions

|

1993 | Transvaal
1994 | Queensland
1995 | Queensland

Main article: Super 10 Rugby

In 1993, the Super Six competition was revamped and expanded into the Super 10 tournament. 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, Northern Transvaal and Transvaal (South Africa); Queensland and New South Wales (Australia) and Western Samoa (Pacific Tri-Nations winner). The Super 10 was won by Transvaal (South Africa) in 1993, and by Queensland (Australia) in 1994 and 1995.

### SANZAR era

[edit]

#### Super 12 (1995–2005)

[edit]

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 Cup, the rugby boards of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa formed SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) to administer an annual 12-team provincial/franchise based competition pitting regional teams from the three 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 union from rival football code rugby league: 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$555 million, giving them both coverage and financial support to kickstart the new competition.[12]

Format history  Period  | Name  | Teams  | Countries

|
|
|

1996–2005 | Super 12  | 12  | Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
2006–2010 | Super 14  | 14
2011–2015 | Super Rugby  | 15
2016–2017 | 18  | Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa
2018–2020 | 15
2020 | Super Rugby
(AU, NZ, SA)  | 17  | Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
2021 | Super Rugby
(AU, NZ, TT)  | 10  | Australia, New Zealand
2022–2024 | Super Rugby Pacific  | 12  | Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Pacific Islands
2025– | 11

With significant sponsorship, and rugby turning a professional sport in August 1995, the Super 12 competition successfully kicked off in 1996 with five New Zealand franchises, four South African provinces 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 Sharks 45–21 in a home final. The Blues would repeat the success of 1996 beating Australian side the ACT Brumbies 23–7 in the 1997 final.

The Blues then reached their third successive final in 1998 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 1999 and 2000 finals over the Otago Highlanders and ACT Brumbies respectively. The 2001 season was the first in which no New Zealand franchise reached the final, being contested between the ACT Brumbies and Sharks with the Brumbies convincing winners, with a 36–6 scoreline.

The Crusaders won their 4th final in 2002 winning all 11 matches and missed out on their 5th in 2003 with a four-point loss to fellow countrymen the Blues. In 2004 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 2005 final 35–25 against the Australian side the New South Wales Waratahs 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 Islanders team from Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.[citation needed] Argentina was also pushing for inclusion in the Super 12.[citation needed] In the early 2000s, the provincial names from the New Zealand franchises were dropped, so, for example, the Canterbury Crusaders became The Crusaders. Also South Africa followed the New Zealand franchise model, where previously South African participation was decided by the previous year's Currie Cup placings.

#### Super 14 (2006–2010)

[edit]

SANZAR announced in December 2004 that a new five-year television deal had been signed that would cover 2006 to 2010, with News Corporation winning the rights for the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and SuperSport winning rights for South Africa. The contract was worth US$323 million over five years, a 16% annual increase compared to the previous deal.[12] It covers international fixtures as well as the Super 14. SANZAR remained free to negotiate separate deals for other markets, such as France, Japan and the Americas.

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 new Australian team in the competition was based in Perth and was named the Western Force.

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 Cheetahs, which draws its players from the Free State and Northern Cape Provinces. For the 2007 season, the Southern Spears, based in Port Elizabeth, 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 was pushed through by controversial president of the South African Rugby Union, Brian van Rooyen. After van Rooyen was ousted as president, SARU announced that the Spears would not enter the competition.[13] SARU investigated the viability of the Spears after discovering serious financial irregularities.[14] A High Court of South Africa ruling stated that the Spears had a valid contract 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, but not compete in the Super 14.[15]

SANZAR rejected a proposal to split the Super 14 into two seven-team divisions, and decided to keep the competition in its traditional single-table format. Argentina and the Pacific Islands remained shut out of the competition.

The two new teams did not 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 Hurricanes 19–12.

The Cats (now the Lions) playing the Sharks.

During the 2007 season, 22 All Blacks missed the competition's first seven rounds as part of an All Black "conditioning programme" that was a part of the All Blacks' 2007 Rugby World Cup preparations, and every New Zealand franchise was without players for the first seven rounds.[16][17][18] 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 Reds and Waratahs who finished last and second last respectively. Also, the competition featured the first all-South African final as the Sharks and Bulls, who finished 1–2 on the season ladder, both won their respective semi-finals. The final, held in Durban, saw the visiting Bulls win 20–19.

During the time the competition was branded as the Super 14, only two teams won the tournament. The Crusaders winning the 2006 and 2008 tournaments; while the Bulls ended victorious in 2007, 2009, and 2010 respectively.

#### Super Rugby: 15 teams (2011–2015)

[edit]

SANZAR unveiled in 2009 its model for an expanded season that would begin in 2011. This model was based around the original ARU proposal for three national conferences: each side were to have played the other four teams from their own country twice and the other ten teams once each; the season has to end with a six-team finals series.

The Super Rugby logo used from 2011 to 2021.

There were four major compromises, however, designed to accommodate certain wishes of each country, that somewhat complicated the model:

* Each team would only play four, instead of all five, teams in each of the other two national conferences, making sixteen regular season games for each team instead of eighteen, and allowing for a late February start, somewhat placating the ARU and NZRU who wanted a March start.
* There would be a three-week gap for the June test (international) matches favoured by the SARU.
* The season would finish in early August so as not to overlap new streamlined versions of New Zealand's and South Africa's domestic competitions.
* The three conference winners and the three best performers of the remaining teams would qualify for a three-week finals series, with seedings deciding the match-ups. This system is a hybrid of the conference-based qualification system favoured by the SARU and the 'top six' model favoured by the ARU and NZRU.

SANZAR announced in 2009 the addition of a fifth Australian team that would play in the expanded "Super Rugby" competition in 2011. The licence was awarded to Victoria, Australia, and the team's name announced as the Melbourne Rebels. The Australian start-up franchise was given the nod ahead of South Africa's Southern Kings.[19] Brian Waldron, former CEO of the NRL club the Melbourne Storm, was confirmed as the new CEO of the Rebels on 11 January 2010, but resigned on 23 April after a salary cap breach was uncovered at the Storm.[20]

### SANZAAR era

[edit]

#### Expansion: 18 teams (2016–2017)

[edit]

In February 2012, SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters announced that the organisation was considering adding franchises in Argentina, Japan and the United States in 2016, the first year of SANZAR's next television contract. This was also the year that rugby sevens entered the Olympics, which contributed towards increased interest in the sport in many countries, including Japan and the US.[21]

Australian sports broadcasting analyst Colin Smith noted that the addition of Japanese and American teams could result in a TV deal worth more than A$1 billion beyond 2020. Specifically, he stated, "You could have a deal comparable to the other major sports in Australia. Rugby is a college (university) sport in the US, if soccer can create its own league there and sell teams for $40 million, imagine what you could do in 10–12 years with rugby in that market."[21] By comparison, the largest TV deal in Australian sport, that of the Australian Football League (Australian rules), is worth A$1.26 billion from 2012 to 2016. Even that figure was dwarfed by the TV contracts of the NFL, for which contracts at the time were worth more than US$4 billion annually.[22]

Peters added that the conference-based structure was ideal for expanding the competition to new territories, either by adding new conferences or by adding teams to the current conferences. He also discussed the possibility that offshore Super Rugby teams could be a home for surplus players from the SANZAR countries, keeping them in the SANZAR fold and away from European clubs.[23]

Prior to Super Rugby's broadcast contracts expiring after the 2015 season, SANZAR considered several alternatives for the competition's future organisation: [24]

* Retention of the conference system that was in place for 2011–15.
* Expansion of the structure to include teams from Asia, the United States and/or Canada.[25]
* A split of the competition, with South Africa forming one competition with the likely addition of at least one Argentine side, and Australia and New Zealand forming another, with the possibility of including Asian teams.

The last proposal, made by the SARU, was reportedly driven by internal union politics. With only five guaranteed places in Super Rugby but six active franchises, the bottom team in the South African Conference faced a promotion/relegation playoff with the sixth franchise for a place in the next season's competition. Australia and New Zealand warmed to the SARU proposal, as a trans-Tasman competition would potentially allow for more regional derbies, fewer time zone complications and less player travel.[24] However, NZRU chief executive Steve Tew indicated that a competition that did not include South African teams was a commercial non-starter because of large broadcast revenues from that country and because the NZRU considered Super Rugby matches in South Africa to be critical for national team development.[25]

SANZAR announced on 4 September 2013 that South Africa would be granted a sixth franchise starting in the 2016 season, negating the need for relegation play-offs involving the sixth South African franchise.[26] SANZAR then announced on 20 November 2014 that Japan and Argentina would each be allocated a team from the 2016 season onwards.[27]

In 2017, the Australian Rugby Union was rebranded to Rugby Australia.[28]

#### Contraction: 15 teams (2018–2020)

[edit]

In April 2017, SANZAAR confirmed the competition would be reduced to 15 teams in 2018 with two South African and one Australian team to have their franchises withdrawn.[29] Subsequently, four South African teams took part: the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers, with the Cheetahs and Kings losing their spots. The Cheetahs and Kings joined the Pro 12, which became the Pro14 from the 2017–2018 season onwards.[30] On 11 August 2017, Australia announced that the Western Force had lost their licence.[31] On 21 March 2019, SANZAAR confirmed that 2020 will be the Sunwolves' last season of competition in Super Rugby.[32]

#### COVID-19: Regionalisation, South African departure (2020–2021)

[edit]

The logos for Super Rugby Aotearoa, Super Rugby AU, Super Rugby Trans-Tasman and Super Rugby Unlocked

The global COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 Super Rugby competition to be cut short. As health concerns eased, other professional sports returned to play. The Super Rugby season was unable to resumed, however, due to border restrictions and the need for teams to be placed into quarantine upon arrival in each country. This resulted in New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia forming their own Super Rugby tournaments starting in June and July respectively, so that their teams could compete domestically.[33][34] South African Rugby subsequently launched its own domestic Super Rugby competition which started play in October 2020.[35]

The three competitions formed were:

* Super Rugby Aotearoa (5 teams, New Zealand) [33]
* Super Rugby AU (5 teams, Australia) [34]
* Super Rugby Unlocked (7 teams, South Africa) [35]

Super Rugby AU final between Queensland Reds and Brumbies in 2021.

Super Rugby Aotearoa featured all five New Zealand teams from Super Rugby: the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders and Hurricanes.[33] Super Rugby AU included Australia's four teams, the Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies and Rebels, as well as former Super Rugby side, the Western Force.[34] The Force had continued as a franchise after their 2017 post-season exclusion from Super Rugby and were playing in Global Rapid Rugby, also suspended due to COVID-19. The Australian and New Zealand competitions each scheduled a 20-game home and away season in 2020 but Super Rugby AU played two additional knockout matches to decide the Australian title.[34]

Super Rugby Unlocked featured South Africa's four Super Rugby teams (the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers) plus former franchise the Cheetahs as well as the Currie Cup sides Griquas and Pumas. These seven teams competed in a single round-robin domestic format in 2020.[35]

In September 2020, SA Rugby announced the withdrawal from Super Rugby of all of their teams, with plans for the four sides to join an expanded Pro14/United Rugby Championship competition.[36] Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU continued in 2021,[37][38] Super Rugby Trans-Tasman would also take place in 2021, a crossover competition featuring the Australian sides playing the New Zealand sides.[39]

#### Super Rugby Pacific: Pacific Islands expansion (2022–present)

[edit]

In the longer term, a new 12-team tournament from 2022 onwards had been mooted, with the current five Australian and five New Zealand sides to be joined by Moana Pasifika, and a Fijian side.[7] New Zealand Rugby has confirmed that it intends to partner with Fiji Rugby and Moana Pasifika, along with Australia going forward.[40] In April 2021, it was announced that licences had been offered to the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika ahead of joining Super Rugby in 2022.[41] The new format was confirmed in August 2021, with the tournament branded as Super Rugby Pacific, with the competition returning to a round robin format, although the divisions will be replaced by one main log instead.[42]

In 2024, the Melbourne Rebels, following a period of financial difficulties and being placed into administration, were shut down by Rugby Australia.[43] The Rebels board challenged the decision to cut the team and took Rugby Australia to court over the decision.[44] The Rebels did not take part in the 2025 Super Rugby season.

In 2025, talks of expansion were mentioned in the Australian[45] and New Zealand[46] news-media after World Rugby Chairman Brett Robinson met officials in the United States about the possibility of including an American team in the competition.[47] Australian sports news website, The Roar, wrote: "At the heart of World Rugby's interest in the expansion is to ensure the United States has a competitive national side by the time the 2031 Rugby World Cup moves to the Americas for the first time. It comes after the USA Eagles missed qualification for the first time in 2023 – five years after Major League Rugby started in 2018."[47]

## Current franchises

[edit]

Main article: Super Rugby franchise areas

There are eleven franchises currently in Super Rugby; four from Australia, one from Fiji, five from New Zealand, and one representing the Pacific Islands. Each franchise is representing a franchise area, with each franchise in New Zealand representing a collection of unions, compared to the Australian model of one franchise per union. This model differs from the traditional club-based model of other Australian sports; with 4 Super Rugby teams in Australia compared to the 16 Australian-based National Rugby League teams and the 18 teams of the Australian Football League. The Pacific Islands franchise, Moana Pasifika, played mainly in New Zealand during the 2022 season.

Brumbies

Force

Reds

Waratahs

Drua

Auckland

Chiefs

Crusaders

Highlanders

Hurricanes

Super Rugby teams in Auckland:
Blues
Moana Pasifika

Super Rugby (Oceania)

Blues

Moana Pasifika

Super Rugby (Auckland)

|

Club  | City  | Stadium  | Capacity  | First season

|
|
|
|

Blues | Auckland, Auckland Region | Eden Park | 50,000  | 1996 (Super 12)
Brumbies | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory  | GIO Stadium | 25,011  | 1996 (Super 12)
Chiefs | Hamilton, Waikato | FMG Stadium Waikato | 25,800  | 1996 (Super 12)
Crusaders | Christchurch, Canterbury | Apollo Projects Stadium | 17,104  | 1996 (Super 12)
Drua | Suva, Fiji  | Churchill Park
HFC Bank Stadium | 10,000
15,446  | 2022
Force | Perth, Western Australia  | HBF Park | 20,500  | 2006 (Super 14)
Highlanders | Dunedin, Otago | Forsyth Barr Stadium | 30,748  | 1996 (Super 12)
Hurricanes | Wellington, Wellington Region | Sky Stadium | 34,500  | 1996 (Super 12)
Moana Pasifika[A] | North Shore, Auckland Region | North Harbour Stadium | 14,000  | 2022
Reds | Brisbane, Queensland  | Suncorp Stadium | 52,500  | 1996 (Super 12)
Waratahs | Sydney, New South Wales  | Allianz Stadium | 42,500  | 1996 (Super 12)

* Notes:

1. ^ Moana Pasifika are a team created to represent the Pacific Islands. However, they are owned and run by New Zealand Rugby and will be based in Auckland for the foreseeable future, and are therefore listed with the New Zealand flag.

## Former franchises

[edit]

* Argentina:
* Jaguares – Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province (not named in a Super Rugby competition for 2021)
* Australia:
* Melbourne Rebels – Melbourne, Victoria (withdrawn by Rugby Australia in 2024)
* Japan:
* Sunwolves – Minato, Tokyo Prefecture (withdrawn by the Japan Rugby Football Union in 2020)[a]
* South Africa:
* Bulls – Pretoria, Gauteng (withdrawn by the South African Rugby Union in 2020)[b]
* Cheetahs – Bloemfontein, Free State (withdrawn by Super Rugby and moved to Pro14 in 2017, participated in Super Rugby Unlocked in 2020)[c]
* Griquas – Kimberley, Northern Cape (participated in Super Rugby Unlocked in 2020)
* Lions – Johannesburg, Gauteng (withdrawn by the South African Rugby Union in 2012, returned to Super Rugby in 2014; withdrawn by the South African Rugby Union in 2020)[d]
* Pumas – Mbombela, Mpumalanga (participated in Super Rugby Unlocked in 2020)
* Sharks – Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (withdrawn by the South African Rugby Union in 2020)[e]
* Southern Kings – Gqeberha, Eastern Cape (withdrawn by Super Rugby and moved to Pro14 in 2017)
* Stormers – Cape Town, Western Cape (withdrawn by the South African Rugby Union in 2020)[f]

## Champions

[edit]

Main article: List of Super Rugby champions

Super Rugby grand finals  Season  | Teams  | Champion  | Score  | Runner-up

|
|
|
|

1996 | 12  |  Auckland Blues | 45–21 |  Natal Sharks
1997 | 12  |  Auckland Blues | 23–7 |  ACT Brumbies
1998 | 12  |  Canterbury Crusaders | 20–13 |  Auckland Blues
1999 | 12  |  Canterbury Crusaders | 24–19 |  Otago Highlanders
2000 | 12  |  Crusaders | 20–19 |  Brumbies
2001 | 12  |  Brumbies | 36–6 |  Sharks
2002 | 12  |  Crusaders | 31–13 |  Brumbies
2003 | 12  |  Blues | 21–17 |  Crusaders
2004 | 12  |  Brumbies | 47–38 |  Crusaders
2005 | 12  |  Crusaders | 35–25 |  Waratahs
2006 | 14  |  Crusaders | 19–12 |  Hurricanes
2007 | 14  |  Bulls | 20–19 |  Sharks
2008 | 14  |  Crusaders | 20–12 |  Waratahs
2009 | 14  |  Bulls | 61–17 |  Chiefs
2010 | 14  |  Bulls | 25–17 |  Stormers
2011 | 15  |  Reds | 18–13 |  Crusaders
2012 | 15  |  Chiefs | 37–6 |  Sharks
2013 | 15  |  Chiefs | 27–22 |  Brumbies
2014 | 15  |  Waratahs | 33–32 |  Crusaders
2015 | 15  |  Highlanders | 21–14 |  Hurricanes
2016 | 18  |  Hurricanes | 20–3 |  Lions
2017 | 18  |  Crusaders | 25–17 |  Lions
2018 | 15  |  Crusaders | 37–18 |  Lions
2019 | 15  |  Crusaders | 19–3 |  Jaguares
2020 | 15 (17)  | Seasons cancelled (§ regional competitions)
2021 | 10
2022 | 12  |  Crusaders | 21–7 |  Blues
2023 | 12  |  Crusaders | 25–20 |  Chiefs
2024 | 12  |  Blues | 41–10 |  Chiefs
2025 | 11  |  Crusaders | 16–12 |  Chiefs

## Performances

[edit]

Performances in the Super Rugby by team  Team  | Title(s)  | Runners-up  | Seasons won  | Seasons runner-up

|
|
|
|

Crusaders | 13  | 4  | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025 | 2003, 2004, 2011, 2014
Blues | 4  | 2  | 1996, 1997, 2003, 2024 | 1998, 2022
Bulls | 3  | 0  | 2007, 2009, 2010 | —
Brumbies | 2  | 4  | 2001, 2004 | 1997, 2000, 2002, 2013
Chiefs | 2  | 4  | 2012, 2013 | 2009, 2023, 2024, 2025
Waratahs | 1  | 2  | 2014 | 2005, 2008
Hurricanes | 1  | 2  | 2016 | 2006, 2015
Highlanders | 1  | 1  | 2015 | 1999
Reds | 1  | 0  | 2011 | —
Sharks | 0  | 4  | —  | 1996, 2001, 2007, 2012
Lions | 0  | 3  | —  | 2016, 2017, 2018
Stormers | 0  | 1  | —  | 2010
Jaguares | 0  | 1  | —  | 2019

### By nation

[edit]

Performances in finals by nation  Nation  | Titles  | Runners-up  | Total

|
|
|

New Zealand | 21  | 13  | 34
Australia | 4  | 6  | 10
South Africa | 3  | 8  | 11
Argentina | 0  | 1  | 1

### Conference winners

[edit]

Between 2011 and 2019, teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have played in 3 separate conferences. With teams playing each team in their own conference twice (home and away) and in the other conferences playing four of the five teams. The winner of each conference is awarded a home final and their region specific conference trophy. In 2016, the South Africa conference was split in two, with Japan's Sunwolves and Argentina's Jaguares added to South Africa 1 and 2, respectively. In 2018, the South African conferences re-integrated, with Argentina's Jaguares remaining in the South Africa conference, and Japan's Sunwolves joining the Australia conference.

Conference  | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Australia  | Reds | Brumbies | Waratahs | Brumbies | Waratahs | Brumbies
New Zealand  | Crusaders | Chiefs | Crusaders | Hurricanes | Crusaders
South Africa 1  | Stormers | Bulls | Sharks | Stormers | Stormers | Lions | Jaguares
South Africa 2  | Lions

### Regional competition winners

[edit]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, regionalised tournaments were played for the remainder of the 2020 Super Rugby season and the 2021 Super Rugby season. Those competitions were: Super Rugby AU (Australia), Super Rugby Aotearoa (New Zealand), Super Rugby Unlocked (South Africa) and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman (Australia and New Zealand).

Year | Super Rugby AU | Super Rugby Aotearoa | Super Rugby Unlocked | Super Rugby Trans-Tasman

|
|
|
|

2020  | Brumbies | Crusaders | Bulls | —
2021  | Reds | Crusaders | — | Blues

## Salary cap

[edit]

### Australia

[edit]

The five Australian teams playing in the competition are subjected to a A$5.5 million salary cap for a squad of up to 40 players per Australian team.[48][49][50] The Australian Rugby Union decided in 2011 to introduce the salary cap because of financial pressures.[51] Originally starting in 2012 as a cap of A$4.1 million, it was later raised to A$4.5 million for the 2013 and 2014 seasons to take pressure off the teams' ability to recruit and retain players.[52] The salary cap is a key component of the negotiation between the ARU and the Rugby Union Players Association over the collective bargaining agreement.[53] The fact that the Australian teams in Super Rugby face a salary cap has been attributed as a factor that makes it more difficult for Australian teams to win the title.[54]

The cap regulations have some small concessions:[55]

* Five players on each team may be paid A$30,000 each per season by team sponsors; this amount is not included in the team cap.
* The maximum cap charge for a non-Australian player is A$137,000, regardless of his actual wages.

Compared to other Australian 'rival' sporting leagues, such as the NRL and AFL, the salary cap is considerably lower. Two times lower than the AFL and only makes up 55% of the NRL salary cap. However the Australian Super Rugby salary cap stands greater than the A-League, the BBL and the NBL.[citation needed]

## Brand and image

[edit]

### Trophies

[edit]

Main article: Super Rugby Trophy

There have been several iterations of the trophy awarded to the winner of the Super Rugby competitions.

The Super 14 trophy, unveiled in New Zealand ahead of the 2006 season, was made of sterling silver with the competition logo on a globe sitting atop of a four-sided twisted spiral.[56] Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith in Nelson, New Zealand hand-made the trophy which took over two months to complete.[56]

On 30 June 2011, SANZAR unveiled the new trophy that will be presented to the winners of the Super Rugby final from 2011 and beyond,[57] was crafted from solid stainless steel and polished to a mirror finish. It has a height of 65 cm and a mass of 18 kilograms.[57] The trophy was designed by Blue Sky Design of Sydney. The trophy was manufactured by Box and Dice Pty Ltd also based in Sydney.[57]

SANZAR CEO Greg Peters said "The shape of the trophy is centred around three curved legs, each representing the Conferences involved in the Super Rugby competition . . . The champions trophy is the 'big one', and will become the ultimate symbol of Super Rugby supremacy in the years to come."[57]

The colour on each leg corresponds to the Conferences with gold for Australia, black for New Zealand, and green for South Africa.[57]

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, the Ganbattle Trophy between Sunwolves and Rebels and the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy between the Blues and Highlanders. Every year the Super Rugby player of the year is awarded.

### Logo

[edit]

During the last season of the Super 12, Coast Design of Sydney was commissioned to design a new logo for the Super 14.[58] The Super 14 logo broke away from the traditional shield formats, common to many sporting codes, and used Roman numerals (XIV), which is unique for sport in the region.[59] 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.[59]

The Super Rugby logo dispenses with numbers, featuring a large blue "S" with a white rugby ball in the centre and "SupeRugbY" below the "S". The three stitches of the previous ball are retained.

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.[60]

### Naming rights

[edit]

The naming rights for the competition are different in the five countries:

* In New Zealand, Investec Bank has naming rights starting with the 2011 season, and the competition is referred to as Investec Super Rugby. During the Super 14 era, sporting goods retailer Rebel Sport had naming rights and the Super 14 competition was referred to as the Rebel Sport Super 14. Previously the naming rights holders were U-Bix 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, telecommunications company Vodafone has been the title sponsor of Super Rugby since 2017[61] As a result, the competition is officially referred to as Vodafone Super Rugby. Prior to this, Super Rugby in Australia was sponsored by Suncorp Group through their life insurance brand Asteron Life. Vodafone were also the title sponsor of the competition during the Super 12 era. In the first season of Super Rugby, Australia had no naming rights partner. Previous to that, Investec acquired naming rights in the middle of the Super 14 era from Lion Nathan, who had named the competition the Tooheys New Super 14, after its Tooheys New beer brand.
* In South Africa, telecommunications carrier Vodacom has naming rights, and the expanded competition is referred to as Vodacom Super Rugby. Before 1999, when cigarette advertising was banned in South Africa, the competition was sponsored by Winfield.
* In Argentina, telecommunications carrier Personal has naming rights, and the expanded competition is referred to as Personal Super Rugby.
* In Japan, real estate developer Mitsubishi Estate acquired naming rights in 2018, the competition referred to as Mitsubishi Estate Super Rugby.[62] The competition had no title sponsor in Japan during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

## Competition records

[edit]

Main article: List of Super Rugby records

### Team records

[edit]

#### Single match

[edit]

* Highest score: 96 points – Crusaders defeated Waratahs 96–19, 2002
* Highest combined score: 137 points – Chiefs defeated Lions 72–65, 2010
* Lowest combined score: 6 points – Highlanders defeated Crusaders 6–0, 2009
* Highest winning margin: 89 points – Bulls defeated Reds 92–3, 2007
* Most tries in a match by both teams: 18 by Lions and Chiefs, 2010
* Most tries in a match by one team: 14 by Crusaders (v Waratahs), 2002; 14 by Cheetahs (v Sunwolves), 2016; 14 by Lions (v Sunwolves), 2017

#### Season

[edit]

* Most points: 596 – Hurricanes, 2017
* Most points conceded: 684 – Southern Kings, 2016
* Fewest points: 82 – Brumbies, 2021; Force, 2021
* Fewest points conceded: 79 – Blues, 2021
* Best points difference: 324 – Hurricanes, 2017
* Worst points difference: −402 – Southern Kings, 2016
* Most points: 66 – Reds, 2011; Stormers, 2012; Chiefs, 2013; Hurricanes, 2015
* Fewest points: 0 – Bulls, 2002; Rebels, 2021; Waratahs, 2021
* Most wins: 14 – Stormers, 2012; Hurricanes, 2015; Crusaders, 2017; Lions, 2017
* Most defeats: 13 – Lions, 2010; Rebels, 2011; Highlanders, 2013; Force, 2016; Southern Kings, 2016; Sunwolves, 2016; Rebels, 2017; Moana Pasifika, 2023
* Most tries: 89 – Hurricanes, 2017
* Fewest tries: 11 – Force, 2021

### Player records

[edit]

#### Career

[edit]

* Most Caps: 202 – Wyatt Crockett, Crusaders
* Points: 1,708 – Dan Carter, Crusaders
* Tries: 66 – Sevu Reece, Crusaders
* Conversions: 329 – Beauden Barrett, Hurricanes & Blues
* Penalties: 307 – Dan Carter, Crusaders
* Drop goals: 26 – Morné Steyn, Bulls

#### Season

[edit]

* Points: 263 – Morné Steyn, Bulls, 2010
* Tries: 16 – Joe Roff, Brumbies, 1997; Ben Lam, Hurricanes, 2018
* Conversions: 57 – Richie Mo'unga, Crusaders, 2023
* Penalties: 58 – Christian Leali'ifano, Brumbies, 2013

#### Match

[edit]

* Points: 50 – Gavin Lawless, Sharks, 1997
* Tries: 5 – Sean Wainui, Chiefs, 2021; Macca Springer, Crusaders, 2025
* Conversions: 13 – Andrew Mehrtens, Crusaders, 2002
* Penalties: 9 – Elton Jantjies, Lions, 2012

## Domestic competitions

[edit]

Each respective country competing in Super Rugby has a number of their own domestic leagues, which feed into Super Rugby teams.

South Africa actually used their Currie Cup teams as opposed to creating new teams 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 Rugby; it is played after the Super Rugby season, and all unions are aligned to a Super Rugby team, though it is mainly the big six, Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Sharks, Free State Cheetahs, Western Province and Eastern Province Elephants which contribute the most to the Super Rugby sides.

In New Zealand, the National Provincial Championship is the most prominent domestic competition below the Super Rugby, in which all the respective Unions are also aligned with Super Rugby sides.

In Australia, the National Rugby Championship (NRC) was launched in 2014. Several teams that played in the former Australian Rugby Championship in 2007,[63] were revived for the NRC.

Argentina, until 2018, like South Africa and New Zealand, had a national championship where several provincial unions competed, the Campeonato Argentino. Another national championship, but for clubs, is Nacional de Clubes.

Japan's main domestic competition was the Japan Rugby League One (formerly Top League), featuring 16 clubs, while the second division, the Top Challenge League, featured 8 clubs.

Fiji's domestic competition is the Skipper Cup, featuring the countries top 12 provincial sides.

## Media

[edit]

Until 2020, in Australia, pay TV station Fox Sports showed every match live and beginning in 2016, free-to-air station Network Ten started showing a full match replay every Sunday morning of the 'Match of the Round' featuring at least one Australian team. Network Ten also showed full match replays of all finals matches featuring Australian teams. From 2021 onwards, Nine Network possesses the broadcasting rights, and any future Super Rugby seasons will have games aired live on streaming service Stan, with the potential for a number of games to be simulcast live on either Nine's flagship free-to-air channel or a multichannel, similar to the current situation with Super Rugby AU.[64]

Super Rugby is broadcast on Supersport in South Africa and is simulcast terrestrially on M-Net. Sky Sport is the official broadcaster in New Zealand. Super Rugby was broadcast in over 40 countries – in the UK on Sky Sports; in Spain it is broadcast by Digital+, and in the United States by ESPN+, which has confirmed all matches will be broadcast live or on demand. In Canada, TSN broadcasts all matches only on TSN GO, their online SD streaming platform. Following the 2020 season though, broadcasting deals with European broadcasters ended, and no new deal had been arranged for the start of the 2021 season.[65][66]

On 24 February 2021, RugbyPass announced streaming rights for the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, to be streamed in all territories in the UK & Ireland, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, totalling 100 territories.[67]

On 6 March 2021, World Rugby announced streaming for the Super Rugby AU competition, to be streamed in all territories in the UK & Ireland, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, totalling over 100 territories.[68]

On 19 March 2021, further broadcasters were announced for both competitions, with ESPN and ESPN International being announced as covering North and South America, Digicel covering the Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea, Telefónica covering Spain and Wowow covering Japan.[69]

On 13 May 2021, further broadcasters were announced for Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, with RugbyPass picking up streaming services in European territories again for the tournament. Canal+ was announced as covering France, ESPN Argentina covering the United States, Premier Sports covering Southeast Asia, Sky Italia covering Italy and TSN covering Canada.[70]

On 14 February 2022, SANZAAR announced the launch of Sanzaarrugby.tv, a global streaming service for the Super Rugby competition to territories that don't have right holder broadcasters in place.[71]

The current broadcasters ahead of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season are:[72]

### Broadcasters

[edit]

Broadcaster  | Country(ies)

|

Canal+ |  France
French Guiana
Guadeloupe
Luxembourg
Martinique
Mayotte
Monaco
Réunion
Romandy
Digicel |  American Samoa
Cook Islands
French Polynesia
Guam
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
New Caledonia
Niue
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Wallis and Futuna
ESPN Latin America |  Argentina
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Puerto Rico
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Fijian Broadcasting Corporation |  Fiji
FloSports |  United States
National Broadcasting Corporation |  Papua New Guinea
Nine Network
Stan Sport |  Australia
Premier Sports Asia |  Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Macau
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Palau
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Prime
Sky Sport |  New Zealand
Sky Italia |  Italy
Malta
San Marino
Ticino
Vatican City
Sky Sports[73] |  Republic of Ireland
United Kingdom
SuperSport |  Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Republic of the Congo
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
TSN |  Canada
Wowow |  Japan

## See also

[edit]

* Sports portal

* List of Super Rugby champions
* List of Super Rugby stadiums
* SANZAAR
* Super Rugby Aotearoa
* Super Rugby AU
* Super Rugby Trans-Tasman
* Super Rugby Unlocked
* Super W
* Super Rugby Aupiki

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Also played in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong and Kallang, Central Region, Singapore.
2. ^ Competed as Northern Transvaal between 1996 and 1997.
3. ^ Competed as Free State in 1997.
4. ^ Competed as Transvaal in 1996, as the Gauteng Lions in 1997 and as the Cats between 1998 and 2006.
5. ^ Competed as the Natal Sharks in 1996.
6. ^ Competed as Western Province in 1996.

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[edit]

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## Bibliography

[edit]

* Gifford, Phil (2004). The Passion – The Stories Behind 125 years of Canterbury Rugby. Wilson Scott Publishing. ISBN 0-9582535-1-X.
* Howitt, Bob (2005). SANZAR Saga – Ten Years of Super 12 and Tri-Nations Rugby. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 1-86950-566-2.
* McIlraith, Matt (2005). Ten Years of Super 12. Hodder Moa. ISBN 1-86971-025-8.

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[edit]

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| Majors|

* A-League Men
* Australian Football League
* Cricket
* Big Bash League
* One-Day Cup
* Sheffield Shield
* National Basketball League
* National Rugby League
* Super Rugby Pacific

|

Minors|

* Australian Baseball League
* Australian Boardriders Battle
* Australian Dodgeball League
* Australian Gridiron League
* Australian Ice Hockey League
* Australian National Water Polo League
* Australian Supercross Championship
* Australian Volleyball League
* Bowls Premier League
* Super Rugby AUS
* F-League
* Handball League Australia
* Hockey One
* ProMX
* Touch Football
* National Touch League
* NRL Touch Premiership

Women's|

| Majors|

* A-League Women
* AFL Women's
* Cricket
* Women's Big Bash League
* NRL Women's Premiership
* Super Netball
* Super Rugby Women's
* Women's National Basketball League

|

Minors|

* Australia Women's Championships
* Cricket
* Women's National Cricket League
* Ladies Gridiron League
* Hockey One
* Australian Women's Ice Hockey League
* Australian Women's Volleyball League

Others|

| Individual|

* Athletics
* Badminton
* Bodybuilding
* Chess
* Cycling
* road race
* time trial
* Figure skating
* Golf
* PGA Tour of Australasia
* WPGA Tour of Australasia
* Judo
* Rowing
* Strength athletics
* Snooker
* Surf Life Saving
* Swimming
* Tennis
* Association of Tennis Professionals
* Women's Tennis Association
* Wrestling

|

Motorsports|

* Supercars Championship

* v
* t
* e

Super Rugby

* SANZAAR
* Champions
* Records
* Centurions
* Franchise areas
* Stadiums
* Referees
* Trophy
* Super W
* Super Rugby Aupiki
* Super Round

Teams|

| Current teams|

* Blues
* Brumbies
* Chiefs
* Crusaders
* Drua
* Force
* Highlanders
* Hurricanes
* Moana Pasifika
* Reds
* Waratahs

|

Former teams|

* Bulls
* Cheetahs
* Griquas
* Jaguares
* Lions
* Pumas
* Rebels
* Sharks
* Southern Kings
* Stormers
* Sunwolves

Super 12 seasons|

* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005

Super 14 seasons|

* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010

Super Rugby seasons|

* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020 (AU, NZ, SA)
* 2021 (AU, NZ, TT)

Super Rugby Pacific seasons|

* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Super Rugby finals|

* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* ~~2021~~
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Player transfers|

* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25

Regionalised competitions|

* Super Rugby Aotearoa
* Super Rugby AU
* Super Rugby Trans-Tasman
* Super Rugby Unlocked

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Super Rugby stadiums

Australia|

* Allianz Stadium
* GIO Stadium
* HBF Park
* Suncorp Stadium

Fiji|

* Churchill Park
* HFC Bank Stadium

New Zealand|

* Apollo Projects Stadium
* Eden Park
* FMG Stadium Waikato
* Forsyth Barr Stadium
* North Harbour Stadium
* Sky Stadium

Secondary stadiums (2025)|

* Bay Oval
* McLean Park
* Navigation Homes Stadium

Former stadiums|

| Argentina|

* José Amalfitani Stadium

|

Australia|

* AAMI Park
* Allianz Stadium
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney
* Ballymore
* Brookvale Oval
* Cbus Super Stadium
* CommBank Stadium
* Leichhardt Oval
* Mars Stadium
* McDonald Jones Stadium
* Manuka Oval
* Queensland Country Bank Stadium
* Subiaco Oval
* Sunshine Coast Stadium
* Sydney Cricket Ground
* Willows Sports Complex
* WIN Stadium

England|

* Twickenham Stadium

Hong Kong|

* Mong Kok Stadium

Japan|

* Level5 Stadium
* Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium

New Zealand|

* Alpine Energy Stadium
* AMI Stadium
* Athletic Park
* Baypark Stadium
* Carisbrook
* Central Energy Trust Arena
* Go Media Stadium
* Owen Delany Park
* Queenstown Events Centre
* Rotorua International Stadium
* Rugby Park
* Semenoff Stadium
* Tauranga Domain
* Trafalgar Park
* Wakatipu Rugby Club
* Yarrow Stadium

Samoa|

* Apia Park

Singapore|

* National Stadium

Tonga|

* Teufaiva Stadium

South Africa|

* Boet Erasmus Stadium
* Boland Stadium
* Bosman Stadium
* Buffalo City Stadium
* DHL Newlands
* Emirates Airline Park
* Jonsson Kings Park
* Loftus Versfeld
* Mbombela Stadium
* Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
* North West Stadium
* Outeniqua Park
* Orlando Stadium
* Puma Stadium
* Tafel Lager Park
* Toyota Stadium

* v
* t
* e

Super Rugby referees

Australia|

* Nic Berry
* Angus Gardner
* Damon Murphy
* Jordan Way

New Zealand|

* James Doleman
* Angus Mabey
* Ben O'Keeffe
* Todd Petrie
* Marcus Playle
* Paul Williams

Former referees|

| Argentina|

* Federico Anselmi
* Francisco Pastrana

|

Australia|

* George Ayoub
* Brett Bowden
* Andrew Cole
* Graham Cooper
* Stuart Dickinson
* Wayne Erickson
* Matt Goddard
* Rohan Hoffmann
* Will Houston
* Reuben Keane
* Michael Keogh
* Barry Leask
* James Leckie
* Andrew Lees
* Paul Marks
* Peter Marshall
* Matt O'Brien
* Nathan Pearce
* Amy Perrett
* Andy Turner
* Scott Young

Japan|

* Shuhei Kubo

New Zealand|

* Lyndon Bray
* Nick Briant
* Keith Brown
* Kelvin Deaker
* Mike Fraser
* Colin Hawke
* Rodney Hill
* Paul Honiss
* Glen Jackson
* Bryce Lawrence
* Paul Macfie
* Vinny Munro
* Jamie Nutbrown
* Paddy O'Brien
* Brendon Pickerill
* Chris Pollock
* Alan Riley
* Ian Smith
* Dan Waenga
* Glenn Wahlstrom
* Steve Walsh
* Steve Walsh Snr.
* Jonathon White
* Garratt Williamson

South Africa|

* Aimee Barrett-Theron
* Stuart Berry
* Phillip Bosch
* Griffin Colby
* Eugene Daniels
* JC Fortuin
* Marius Franken
* Tappe Henning
* Quinton Immelman
* AJ Jacobs
* Cwengile Jadezweni
* Jason Jaftha
* Marius Jonker
* Craig Joubert
* Jonathan Kaplan
* Michael Katzenellenbogen
* Mark Lawrence
* Pro Legoete
* Johan Meuwesen
* Stef Neethling
* Jaco Peyper
* Rasta Rasivhenge
* Ian Rogers
* Willie Roos
* Egon Seconds
* Carl Spannenberg
* Lourens van der Merwe
* Marius van der Westhuizen
* Jaco van Heerden
* Shaun Veldsman
* André Watson

* v
* t
* e

Lists of Super Rugby players by team

Teams|

| Current teams|

* Blues
* Brumbies
* Chiefs
* Crusaders
* Drua
* Force
* Highlanders
* Hurricanes
* Moana Pasifika
* Reds
* Waratahs

|

Former teams|

* Bulls
* Cheetahs
* Griquas
* Jaguares
* Lions
* Pumas
* Rebels
* Sharks
* Southern Kings
* Stormers
* Sunwolves

* v
* t
* e

Top-level rugby union club competitions

Tier 1 nations|

| European cups|

* European Rugby Champions Cup
* European Rugby Challenge Cup
* Rugby Europe Super Cup

|

International|

* Super Rugby Americas
* Super Rugby Pacific
* United Rugby Championship

Domestic|

* Argentina
* Nacional de Clubes
* Torneo de la URBA
* Torneo del Interior
* Australia
* Super Rugby AUS
* Australian Club Championship
* Provincial Club Competitions
* England
* Premiership
* Championship
* Premiership Rugby Cup
* RFU Championship Cup
* France
* Top 14
* Pro D2
* Championnat Fédéral Nationale
* Ireland
* All-Ireland League
* All-Ireland Cup
* Italy
* Serie A Elite
* Serie A Elite Cup
* Japan
* Japan Rugby League One
* Top Challenge League
* Top League Champions Cup
* All-Japan Rugby Football Championship
* New Zealand
* National Provincial Championship
* Heartland Championship
* Scotland
* Super 6
* Scottish Premiership
* 1872 Cup
* South Africa
* Currie Cup
* SA Cup
* Gold Cup
* Varsity Cup
* Wales
* Welsh Premier Division
* WRU Challenge Cup

Defunct|

* Anglo-Welsh Cup
* Australian Provincial Championship
* British and Irish Cup
* Campeonato Argentino
* Celtic Cup
* Challenge Yves du Manoir
* Continental Club Rugby League
* Coppa Italia
* European Rugby Continental Shield
* Global Rapid Rugby
* Irish Interprovincial Championship
* Japan Company Rugby Football Championship
* National Rugby Championship
* Pro14 Rainbow Cup
* RFU Knockout Cup
* Rugby Challenge
* Scottish Inter-District Championship
* South Pacific Championship
* Welsh–Scottish League

Other nations|

| Africa|

* Kenya

|

Americas|

* Brazil
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Asia|

* Hong Kong
* India
* Malaysia
* South Korea
* Sri Lanka

Europe|

* Austria
* Belgium
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Finland
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Serbia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Ukraine
* Central East Europe
* Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia

Oceania|

* Fiji
* Samoa
* Tonga

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

|

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