Compiled by Ranjika Perera
With the completion of Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa, it’s time for the top five teams from Australia and New Zealand to battle it out for the Trans-Tasman title.
SUPER RUGBY TRANS-TASMAN - SCHEDULE
(All times are in Australian Eastern Standard Times or AEST, which is currently four and a half hours ahead of SL time)
Round One
* Highlanders vs. Queensland Reds, Friday 14 May, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, 5:05 pm
* NSW Waratahs vs. Hurricanes, Friday 14 May, SCG, Sydney, 7:45 pm
* Crusaders vs. Brumbies, Saturday 15 May, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, 5:05 pm
* Melbourne Rebels vs. Blues, Saturday 15 May, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 7:45 pm
* Western Force vs. Chiefs, Saturday 15 May, HBF Park, Perth, 9:55 pm
Round Two
* Hurricanes vs. Melbourne Rebels, Friday 21 May, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 5:05 pm
* Western Force vs. Highlanders, Friday 21 May, HBF Park, Perth, 7:45 pm
* Blues vs. NSW Waratahs, Saturday 22 May, Eden Park, Auckland, 2:35 pm
* Chiefs vs. Brumbies, Saturday 22 May, FMG Stadium, Hamilton, 5:05 pm
* Queensland Reds vs. Crusaders, Saturday 22 May, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 7:45 pm
Round Three
* Hurricanes vs. Western Force, Friday 28 May, McLean Park, Napier, 5:05 pm
* NSW Waratahs vs. Crusaders, Saturday 29 May, WIN Stadium, Wollongong, 3:05 pm
* Blues v. Brumbies, Saturday 29 May, Eden Park, Auckland, 5:15 pm
* Queensland Reds vs. Chiefs, Saturday 29 May, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville, 7:45 pm
* Highlanders vs. Melbourne Rebels, Sunday 30 May, Queenstown Recreation Centre, Queenstown, 12:35 pm
Round Four
* Crusaders vs. Western Force, Friday 4 June, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, 5:05 pm
* Queensland Reds vs. Blues, Friday 4 June, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 7:45 pm
* Chiefs vs. Melbourne Rebels, Saturday 5 June, FMG Stadium, Hamilton, 2:35 pm
* Highlanders vs. NSW Waratahs, Saturday 5 June, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, 5:05 pm
* Brumbies vs. Hurricanes, Saturday 5 June, GIO Stadium, Canberra, 7:45 pm
Round Five
* Hurricanes vs. Queensland Reds, Friday 11 June, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 5:05 pm
* Brumbies vs. Highlanders, Friday 11 June, GIO Stadium, Canberra, 7:45 pm
* Melbourne Rebels vs. Crusaders, Saturday 12 June, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 2:35 pm
* Blues vs. Western Force, Saturday 12 June, Eden Park, Auckland, 5:05 pm
* NSW Waratahs vs. Chiefs, Saturday 12 June, Brookvale Oval, Sydney 7:45 pm
Final
Saturday, 19 June 2021
SUPER RUGBY - EXPLAINED
* Super Rugby is a men’s professional rugby union club competition currently involving teams from Australia and New Zealand.
* It previously included teams from South Africa, Argentina, and Japan. Building on various Southern Hemisphere competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986, with teams from a number of southern nations, the Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 season with 12 teams from three nations: Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
* The Super 12 was established by SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina Rugby; previously known as SANZAR) is the body which oversees Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union) after the sport became professional in 1995.
* SANZAAR meets annually and is composed of the CEOs from its member unions.
* At its peak the tournament featured the top players from nations representing 16 of the 24 top-three finishes in the history of the Rugby World Cup, and is widely regarded as rugby union’s strongest provincial competition.
* After the Covid-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 and beyond will only include Australian and New Zealand clubs.
* The Sunwolves left the competition for financial reasons before the conclusion of the 2020 season.
* The 2020 Super Rugby season was subsequently cancelled due to the pandemic and this led to a mass-scale restructuring of the competition.
* Due to international travel restrictions relating to the pandemic, the competition was unable to resume in its multinational format, prompting Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby to launch domestic tournaments, Super Rugby AU, and Super Rugby Aotearoa respectively.
* Both these tournaments will continue in 2021, to be followed by Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, a crossover tournament.
* In September 2020, the South African Rugby Union announced the withdrawal of their four Super Rugby franchises from the competition, with plans for them to join an expanded PRO14.
* The Argentinean Jaguares are not set to compete in any Super Rugby tournaments in 2021, and their future is in doubt, and it is highly likely that they will be disbanded.
* The long-term future of Super Rugby in 2022 and beyond is in question, with a potential 12 team format being discussed. This hypothetical competition would feature the current ten Australian and New Zealand sides with the addition of Moana Pasifika and a Fijian team.
* The competition has been dominated by New Zealand teams, who have won 17 times in 24 years. The Crusaders have won most often, with ten titles.
New Zealand-based Crusaders won the 2019 Super Rugby season. They are the most successful team in the competitions history and have won a collective of 10 titles[/caption]
Super Rugby AU finale showcased a tense battle between The Queensland Reds and The Brumbies on Saturday. The Reds came from behind to clinch victory by 19 points to 16 to lift the trophy after eleven years. It was sweet revenge for the reds after last year’s defeat in the finale. Skipper James O’Connor scored all nineteen points for the Reds in the final, including the winning try on injury time.
The Reds and Crusaders will be the two teams to beat in the Trans-Tasman competition which was scheduled to kickstart on Friday (14). The opening match was to be played between The Brumbies and The Highlanders in Dunedin. The ten teams will face each other in the next five weeks. After the completion of the round-robin stage, the top two teams will play in the final which is scheduled for the 19th of June.