2017 Super Rugby season

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2017 Super Rugby season
CountriesArgentina (1 team)
Australia (5 teams)
Japan (1 team)
New Zealand (5 teams)
South Africa (6 teams)
Tournament format(s)Conference and knockout
ChampionsCrusaders (8th title)
Matches played142
Tries scored978 (6.89 per match)
Top point scorer(s)Elton Jantjies, Lions (197)
Top try scorer(s)Ngani Laumape, Hurricanes (15)
Official websiteOfficial site
2016 (Previous) (Next) 2018

The 2017 Super Rugby season was the 22nd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. It was the second season featuring an expanded 18-team format, following the competition's expansion from 15 teams prior to the 2016 season.

After 17 rounds of matches between 23 February and 15 July – with Rounds 15 and 16 split due to the 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals and British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand – four conference winners and four wildcard teams progressed to the finals series, which will consist of quarterfinals, semifinals and a final on 5 August.

Competition format[edit]

The 18 participating teams were divided into two geographical groups, each consisting of two conferences: the Australasian Group, with five teams in the Australian Conference and five teams in the New Zealand Conference, and the South African Group, with six South African teams, one Argentine team and one Japanese team split into two four-team conferences – an Africa 1 Conference and an Africa 2 Conference.[1]

In the group stages, there were 17 rounds of matches, where each team played 15 matches and had two rounds of byes for a total of 135 matches. Due to the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in June and July, Rounds 15 and 16 were split; Round 15 of the Australian and New Zealand Conferences were played on the weekend of 3 June, with Round 16 of the New Zealand Conference scheduled for the following week. The South African Conference Round 15 matches were played on the weekend of 1 July, with the Round 16 matches for the Australian and South African conferences scheduled for a week later.

Teams played six intra-conference matches; in the four-team African Conferences, each team played the other three teams in their conference at home and away, while in the five-team Australasian Conferences, each team played two teams home and away and once against the other two teams (one at home and one away). The other nine matches were a single round of matches against each team in the other conference in their group, as well as against each team from one of the conferences in the other group. For 2017, the teams in Africa 1 played the teams in the New Zealand Conference, while the teams in Africa 2 played the teams in the Australian Conference.

The top team in each of the four conferences qualified for the quarterfinals. The next three highest-ranked teams in the Australasian Group and the next highest-ranked team in the South African group also qualified to the quarterfinals as wildcards. The conference winners were seeded #1 to #4 for the quarterfinals, in order of log points gained during the group stages, while the wildcards were seeded as #5 to #8 in order of log points gained during the group stages.

In the quarterfinals, the conference winners hosted the first round of the finals, with the highest-seeded conference winner hosting the fourth-seeded wildcard entry, the second-seeded conference winner hosting the third-seeded wildcard entry, the third-seeded conference winner hosting the second-seeded wildcard entry and the fourth-seeded conference winner hosting the top-seed wildcard entry.

The quarterfinal winners progressed to the semifinals. Instead of the following the Shaughnessy playoff format used from 1996 to 2016, the semi-finals were drawn according to a predetermined bracket.[2] Under the new format, the winner of Quarter-final 1 (which featured the highest-seeded conference winner and the lowest-seeded wildcard) will play the winner of Quarter-final 4 (which featured the fourth-seeded conference winner and the highest-seeded wildcard) and likewise with the winners of Quarter-finals 2 and 3. The two semi-final hosts were the highest-seeded winners of their respective quarter-finals.

The winners of the semifinals advanced to the final, at the venue of the highest-seeded team.

Changes for 2018[edit]

On 9 April 2017, SANZAAR announced that the competition would return to a 15-team format for 2018, with two teams from South Africa and one team from Australia being dropped. To ensure five-team conferences, Japanese side the Sunwolves would move from the South African Conference to the Australian Conference.[3]

On 7 July 2017, the South African Rugby Union confirmed that the Cheetahs and Southern Kings were the South African teams that would not participate in the competition going forward,[4] and both those teams joined the Pro14 competition from the 2017–18 season onwards.[5]

Standings[edit]

The final standings for the 2017 Super Rugby season were:[6]

2017 Super Rugby standings: Australasian Group
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 New Zealand Crusaders 15 14 0 1 544 303 +241 77 37 7 0 63 Conference leaders
Qualify to finals
2 Australia Brumbies 15 6 0 9 315 279 +36 41 32 3 7 34
3 New Zealand Hurricanes 15 12 0 3 596 272 +324 89 31 9 1 58 Wildcard teams
Qualify to finals
4 New Zealand Chiefs 15 12 1 2 433 292 +141 55 30 6 1 57
5 New Zealand Highlanders 15 11 0 4 488 308 +180 62 40 5 2 51
6 New Zealand Blues 15 7 1 7 425 391 +34 55 50 4 3 37
7 Australia Force 15 6 0 9 313 404 −91 36 55 1 1 26 Dropped from Super Rugby
for the 2018 season
8 Australia Reds 15 4 0 11 321 479 −158 46 61 1 4 21
9 Australia Waratahs 15 4 0 11 396 522 −126 52 68 1 2 19
10 Australia Rebels 15 1 1 13 236 569 −333 23 79 0 3 9
2016 Super Rugby standings: South African Group
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 South Africa Lions 15 14 0 1 590 268 +322 81 27 9 0 65 Conference leaders
Qualify to finals
2 South Africa Stormers 15 10 0 5 490 436 +54 64 61 3 0 43
3 South Africa Sharks 15 9 1 5 392 323 +69 38 37 1 3 42 Wildcard teams
Qualify to finals
4 Argentina Jaguares 15 7 0 8 404 386 +18 49 45 1 4 33
5 South Africa Southern Kings 15 6 0 9 391 470 −79 49 60 1 3 28 Dropped from Super Rugby
for the 2018 season
6 South Africa Cheetahs 15 4 0 11 395 551 −156 46 75 1 4 21
7 South Africa Bulls 15 4 0 11 339 459 −120 39 59 0 4 20
8 Japan Sunwolves 15 2 0 13 315 671 −356 41 96 1 3 12
Competition rules
Qualification:

The top eight teams will qualify to the finals, with their final positions in the overall log determining their seedings in the quarter-finals. The conference winners will be seeded #1 to #4 for the quarter-finals, in order of log points gained during the group stages, while the wildcards will be seeded as #5 to #8 in order of log points gained during the group stages. In the quarter-finals, the conference winners will host the first round of the finals, with the highest-seeded conference winner hosting the fourth-seeded wildcard entry, the second-seeded conference winner hosting the third-seeded wildcard entry, the third-seeded conference winner hosting the second-seeded wildcard entry and the fourth-seeded conference winner hosting the top-seed wildcard entry. The Quarter Final winners will progress to the semi-finals, where the winners of quarter-finals 1 and 4 will play each other, as well as the winners of quarter-finals 2 and 3, each tie hosted by the higher-seeded team. The winner of the semi-finals will progress to the Final, again to be held at the venue of the highest-seeded team.

Points breakdown:
* 4 points for a win
* 2 points for a draw
* 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less
* 1 bonus point for scoring at least three tries more than the opponent in a match
Classification:
Teams standings are calculated as follows:[7]
* Conference Leaders (i.e. conference leaders will always be ranked at the top)
* Log points
* Number of games won
* Overall points difference
* Number of tries scored
* Overall try difference

Round-by-round[edit]

The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:

Team Progression – Australasian Group
Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 QF SF Final
Crusaders 4
(5th)
8
(4th)
12
(3rd)
16
(3rd)
21
(1st)
26
(1st)
26
(1st)
31
(1st)
36
(1st)
41
(1st)
46
(1st)
50
(1st)
54
(1st)
59
(1st)
63
(1st)
63
(1st)
63
(1st)
Won Won Won
Brumbies 1
(7th)
2
(8th)
6
(2nd)
10
(2nd)
11
(2nd)
11
(2nd)
16
(2nd)
17
(2nd)
17
(2nd)
18
(2nd)
18
(2nd)
19
(2nd)
23
(2nd)
28
(2nd)
33
(2nd)
34
(2nd)
34
(2nd)
Lost
Hurricanes 5
(1st)
10
(1st)
10
(4th)
15
(4th)
15
(4th)
20
(4th)
24
(3rd)
28
(4th)
33
(3rd)
33
(4th)
38
(4th)
38
(4th)
43
(3rd)
48
(3rd)
53
(3rd)
54
(3rd)
58
(3rd)
Won Lost
Chiefs 5
(4th)
10
(3rd)
14
(1st)
19
(1st)
19
(3rd)
24
(3rd)
24
(4th)
29
(3rd)
33
(4th)
37
(3rd)
42
(3rd)
42
(3rd)
43
(4th)
45
(5th)
49
(4th)
53
(4th)
57
(4th)
Won Lost
Highlanders 0
(9th)
1
(9th)
5
(8th)
5
(8th)
9
(6th)
14
(6th)
18
(5th)
18
(5th)
23
(5th)
28
(5th)
32
(5th)
36
(5th)
41
(5th)
45
(4th)
46
(5th)
46
(5th)
51
(5th)
Lost
Blues 5
(3rd)
5
(5th)
6
(5th)
6
(5th)
11
(5th)
15
(5th)
16
(6th)
17
(6th)
17
(6th)
22
(6th)
26
(6th)
31
(6th)
31
(6th)
33
(6th)
37
(6th)
37
(6th)
37
(6th)
Force 1
(8th)
5
(2nd)
5
(7th)
5
(7th)
5
(9th)
5
(9th)
9
(7th)
9
(8th)
9
(8th)
9
(9th)
9
(9th)
13
(9th)
13
(9th)
17
(8th)
17
(8th)
21
(7th)
26
(7th)
Reds 4
(6th)
5
(6th)
6
(6th)
6
(6th)
6
(8th)
6
(8th)
6
(9th)
10
(7th)
10
(7th)
11
(8th)
11
(8th)
16
(7th)
16
(8th)
16
(9th)
17
(9th)
21
(8th)
21
(8th)
Waratahs 4
(2nd)
4
(7th)
4
(9th)
4
(9th)
8
(7th)
8
(7th)
8
(8th)
8
(9th)
9
(9th)
13
(7th)
14
(7th)
14
(8th)
19
(7th)
19
(7th)
19
(7th)
19
(9th)
19
(9th)
Rebels 0
(10th)
0
(10th)
0
(10th)
0
(10th)
1
(10th)
1
(10th)
1
(10th)
5
(10th)
7
(10th)
7
(10th)
7
(10th)
8
(10th)
8
(10th)
8
(10th)
8
(10th)
8
(10th)
9
(10th)
Team Progression – South African Group
Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 QF SF Final
Lions 4
(3rd)
9
(1st)
9
(4th)
14
(3rd)
19
(1st)
23
(1st)
23
(2nd)
28
(1st)
32
(1st)
37
(1st)
42
(1st)
46
(1st)
51
(1st)
56
(1st)
61
(1st)
61
(1st)
65
(1st)
Won Won Lost
Stormers 4
(1st)
8
(2nd)
13
(1st)
13
(2nd)
17
(2nd)
22
(2nd)
26
(1st)
26
(2nd)
26
(2nd)
26
(2nd)
26
(2nd)
26
(2nd)
30
(2nd)
30
(2nd)
34
(2nd)
39
(2nd)
43
(2nd)
Lost
Sharks 1
(4th)
5
(5th)
9
(2nd)
13
(4th)
17
(4th)
18
(4th)
22
(3rd)
22
(3rd)
24
(3rd)
28
(3rd)
32
(3rd)
33
(3rd)
38
(3rd)
42
(3rd)
42
(3rd)
42
(3rd)
42
(3rd)
Lost
Jaguares 4
(2nd)
5
(3rd)
9
(3rd)
14
(1st)
18
(3rd)
18
(3rd)
19
(4th)
19
(4th)
20
(4th)
20
(4th)
24
(4th)
24
(4th)
24
(4th)
24
(4th)
25
(4th)
29
(4th)
33
(4th)
Kings 0
(7th)
4
(6th)
4
(6th)
5
(7th)
5
(7th)
5
(7th)
6
(7th)
6
(7th)
10
(6th)
15
(5th)
15
(5th)
19
(5th)
19
(5th)
19
(5th)
23
(5th)
27
(5th)
28
(5th)
Cheetahs 1
(5th)
5
(4th)
9
(5th)
9
(5th)
9
(5th)
9
(5th)
9
(5th)
9
(6th)
10
(7th)
10
(7th)
11
(7th)
11
(7th)
11
(7th)
16
(6th)
17
(7th)
17
(7th)
21
(6th)
Bulls 0
(6th)
1
(7th)
1
(7th)
5
(6th)
5
(6th)
5
(6th)
6
(6th)
10
(5th)
14
(5th)
14
(6th)
14
(6th)
15
(6th)
15
(6th)
15
(7th)
19
(6th)
20
(6th)
20
(7th)
Sunwolves 0
(8th)
0
(8th)
1
(8th)
1
(8th)
1
(8th)
1
(8th)
5
(8th)
5
(8th)
5
(8th)
6
(8th)
7
(8th)
7
(8th)
7
(8th)
7
(8th)
7
(8th)
7
(8th)
12
(8th)
Key: win draw loss bye

Matches[edit]

The fixtures for the 2017 Super Rugby competition were released on 20 September 2016.[8] The following matches were played during the regular season:

Home \ Away BLU BRU BUL CHE CHI CRU FOR HIG HUR JAG LIO REB RED SHA KIN STO SUN WAR
Blues 38–14 50–32 16–16 24–15 12–16 24–28 34–29
Brumbies 12–18 25–17 13–18 6–13 32–3 43–10 22–27
Bulls 20–14 24–62 10–17 20–34 26–13 30–31 33–41 34–21
Cheetahs 34–28 27–41 21–48 41–45 25–28 30–38 34–40 38–31
Chiefs 41–26 28–10 28–12 24–31 26–18 46–17 27–20 46–31
Crusaders 33–24 17–13 45–17 25–22 20–12 57–24 50–3
Force 7–16 6–55 12–34 15–24 31–22 26–19 46–41 40–11
Highlanders 26–20 15–24 27–30 51–12 40–17 57–14 40–15 44–28
Hurricanes 56–21 61–7 14–17 31–22 41–15 71–6 41–22 38–28
Jaguares 15–39 41–14 6–16 36–24 22–8 25–33 30–31 46–39
Lions 51–14 24–21 44–14 34–29 54–10 94–7 55–36
Rebels 18–56 19–17 14–27 19–41 29–32 10–47 24–29 25–32
Reds 16–15 20–22 26–40 15–34 28–26 47–34 26–29
Sharks 17–30 37–12 18–13 10–27 9–9 19–17 22–10 37–14
Southern Kings 10–19 20–21 26–39 19–42 44–3 35–32 10–41
Stormers 30–22 37–24 53–10 34–26 32–25 16–29 52–15
Sunwolves 48–21 21–20 7–47 17–83 17–38 23–37 31–44
Waratahs 33–40 12–28 22–41 19–13 27–40 50–23 24–26
Source: http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/fixtures/2017-super-rugby#fixtures
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Finals[edit]

The four conference winners advanced to the Quarter Finals, where they had home advantage against four wildcard teams, which consisted of the third to fifth-ranked teams in the Australasian Group and the third-ranked team in the South African Group.

The final seedings of these teams were:[9]

Conference leaders
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts
1 South Africa Lions 15 14 0 1 590 268 +322 81 27 9 0 65
2 New Zealand Crusaders 15 14 0 1 544 303 +241 77 37 7 0 63
3 South Africa Stormers 15 10 0 5 490 436 +54 64 61 3 0 43
4 Australia Brumbies 15 6 0 9 315 279 +36 41 32 3 7 34
Wildcard teams
5 New Zealand Hurricanes 15 12 0 3 596 272 +324 89 31 9 1 58
6 New Zealand Chiefs 15 12 1 2 433 292 +141 55 30 6 1 57
7 New Zealand Highlanders 15 11 0 4 488 308 +180 62 40 5 2 51
8 South Africa Sharks 15 9 1 5 392 323 +69 38 37 1 3 42

The play-off fixtures were as follows:

 
QuarterfinalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
22 July – Johannesburg
 
 
Lions 23
 
29 July – Johannesburg
 
Sharks 21
 
Lions 44
 
21 July – Canberra
 
Hurricanes 29
 
Brumbies 16
 
5 August – Johannesburg
 
Hurricanes 35
 
Lions 17
 
22 July – Christchurch
 
Crusaders 25
 
Crusaders 17
 
29 July – Christchurch
 
Highlanders 0
 
Crusaders 27
 
22 July – Cape Town
 
Chiefs 13
 
Stormers 11
 
 
Chiefs 17
 

Quarterfinals[edit]

21 July 2017 Brumbies 16–35 Hurricanes GIO Stadium, Canberra  
19:35 Try: James Dargaville rugby ball 3'
Joshua Mann-Rea rugby ball 15'
Pen: Wharenui Hawera rugby goalposts icon 11', 28' (2/2)
Report[10]
Scoreboard[11]
Try: Wes Goosen rugby ball 7'75'
Jordie Barrett rugby ball 25'
TJ Perenara rugby ball 68'
Con: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 25', 69', 76' (3/4)
Pen: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 38', 48', 65' (3/3)
Cards: Jeffery Toomaga-Allen yellow card 40' to 50'
Attendance: 9,971
Referee: Glen Jackson


22 July 2017 Crusaders 17–0 Highlanders AMI Stadium, Christchurch  
19:35 Try: Joe Moody rugby ball 32'
Codie Taylor rugby ball 39'
Con: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 33', 40' (2/2)
Pen: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 5' (1/4)
Report[13]
Scoreboard[14]
Cards: Liam Squire yellow card 4' to 14' Attendance: 11,000[12]
Referee: Angus Gardner


22 July 2017 Lions 23–21 Sharks Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
14:30 Try: Franco Mostert rugby ball 47'
Jaco Kriel rugby ball 51'
Lionel Mapoe rugby ball 60'
Con: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 61'
Pen: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 9'
Ruan Combrinck rugby goalposts icon 77'
Cards: Franco Mostert yellow card 64' to 74'
Report[16]
Scoreboard[17]
Try: Kobus van Wyk rugby ball 10'
Dan du Preez rugby ball 65'
Con: Curwin Bosch rugby goalposts icon 66'
Pen: Curwin Bosch rugby goalposts icon 34', 39'
Drop: Curwin Bosch rugby goalposts icon 16'
Cards: Stephan Lewies yellow card 45' to 55'
Attendance: 26,000[15]
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen


22 July 2017 Stormers 11–17 Chiefs Newlands Stadium, Cape Town  
17:00 Try: Siya Kolisi rugby ball 44'
Pen: SP Marais rugby goalposts icon 23', 62' (2/3)
Report[19]
Scoreboard[20]
Try: Shaun Stevenson rugby ball 75'
Pen: Damian McKenzie rugby goalposts icon 29', 31', 38', 51' (4/4)
Cards: Sam Cane yellow card 59' to 69'
Attendance: 27,500[18]
Referee: Jaco Peyper

Semifinals[edit]

29 July 2017 Crusaders 27–13 Chiefs AMI Stadium, Christchurch  
19:35 Try: Bryn Hall rugby ball 16'
Israel Dagg rugby ball 48'
Seta Tamanivalu rugby ball 57'72'
Con: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 17', 58' (2/4)
Pen: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 13' (1/1)
Report[22]
Scoreboard[23]
Try: Brodie Retallick rugby ball 77'
Con: Damian McKenzie rugby goalposts icon 77' (1/1)
Pen: Damian McKenzie rugby goalposts icon 26', 37' (2/2)
Attendance: 13,000[21]
Referee: Glen Jackson


29 July 2017 Lions 44–29 Hurricanes Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
14:30 Try: Jacques van Rooyen rugby ball 38'
Ross Cronjé rugby ball 43'
Malcolm Marx rugby ball 52'
Harold Vorster rugby ball 61'
Elton Jantjies rugby ball 68'
Kwagga Smith rugby ball 73'
Con: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 39', 45', 62', 69' (4/6)
Pen: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 4', 58' (2/2)
Report[25]
Scoreboard[26]
Try: TJ Perenara rugby ball 6'
Wes Goosen rugby ball 10'
Ardie Savea rugby ball 29'
Ngani Laumape rugby ball 55'
Con: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 11', 56' (2/3)
Beauden Barrett rugby goalposts icon 30' (1/1)
Pen: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 19' (1/2)
Cards: Beauden Barrett yellow card 57' to 67'
Attendance: 27,908[24]
Referee: Jaco Peyper

Final[edit]


5 August 2017 Lions 17–25 Crusaders Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
16:00 Try: Malcolm Marx rugby ball 63'
Corné Fourie rugby ball 72'
Con: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 64', 72' (2/2)
Pen: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 26' (1/1)
Cards: Kwagga Smith Red card 38'
Report[27]
Scoreboard[28]
Try: Seta Tamanivalu rugby ball 7'
Jack Goodhue rugby ball 11'
Kieran Read rugby ball 42'
Con: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 8', 43' (2/3)
Pen: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 40', 52' (2/2)
Referee: Jaco Peyper

Players[edit]

Squads[edit]

The following squads were named for the 2017 Super Rugby season:

Blues squad
Forwards Gerard Cowley-TuiotiEpalahame FaivaCharlie FaumuinaBlake GibsonJosh GoodhueAlex HodgmanAkira IoaneJerome KainoSteve LuatuaSione MafileoPauliasi ManuMatt MouldsJames ParsonsSam PrattleyLeighton PriceKara PryorScott ScraftonMurphy TaramaiPatrick TuipulotuJimmy TupouOfa Tu'ungafasiDid not play:Brandon Nansen
Backs Michael CollinsMatt DuffieTJ FaianePiers FrancisBryn GatlandBilly GuytonRieko IoaneGeorge MoalaMelani NanaiSam NockDeclan O'DonnellStephen PerofetaAugustine PuluRene RangerJordan TrainorIhaia WestSonny Bill WilliamsDid not play:Matt Vaega
Coach Tana Umaga
Brumbies squad
Forwards Robbie AbelAllan AlaalatoaChris AlcockBen AlexanderRory ArnoldJarrad ButlerSam CarterTom CusackBlake EneverSaia Fainga'aLolo FakaosileaScott FardyBen HyneLeslie Leulua’iali’i-MakinJoshua Mann-ReaNic MayhewJordan SmilerScott SioFaalelei SioneTom StaniforthDid not play:Rob Valetini
Backs Nigel Ah WongTom BanksTomás CubelliJames DargavilleKyle GodwinWharenui HaweraJordan Jackson-HopeTevita KuridraniChristian LealiifanoRyan LonerganAndy MuirheadJoe PowellDe Wet RoosAndrew SmithHenry SpeightIsaac ThompsonAidan TouaDid not play:Anthony Fainga'aNick JoosteLausii Taliauli
Coach Stephen Larkham
Bulls squad
Forwards Jacobie AdriaanseShaun AdendorffArno BothaRenaldo BothmaLood de JagerNick de JagerMartin DreyerLizo GqobokaJason JenkinsJohn-Roy JenkinsonJannes KirstenHanro LiebenbergEdgar MarutlulleAbongile NonkontwanaTrevor NyakaneJacques PotgieterMarnus SchoemanPierre SchoemanRG SnymanRuan SteenkampAdriaan StraussRuben van HeerdenConraad van VuurenJaco VisagieDid not play:Corniel ElsRoelof SmitHendré Stassen
Backs Ulrich BeyersFrancois BrummerWarrick GelantTravis IsmaielTony JantjiesJesse KrielKefentse MahloDuncan MatthewsRabz MaxwaneFranco NaudéBurger OdendaalRudy PaigeHandré PollardTian SchoemanJan SerfonteinJade StighlingDries SwanepoelJamba UlengoIvan van ZylPiet van ZylAndré WarnerDid not play:JT JacksonJohnny KôtzeLuther Obi
Coach Nollis Marais
Cheetahs squad
Forwards Justin BassonTom BothaUzair CassiemAranos CoetzeeChris DryJoseph DwebaElandré HuggettReniel HugoNiell JordaanArmandt KosterCharles MaraisDanie MienieOupa MohojéOx NchéJunior PokomelaBoom PrinslooPaul SchoemanFrancois UysTorsten van JaarsveldHenco VenterReinach VenterCarl WegnerDid not play:Jacques du ToitHilton LobbertsDennis Visser
Backs Rayno BenjaminClayton BlommetjiesNico LeeJW JonkerNiel MaraisTian MeyerAli MgijimaZee MkhabelaLuther ObiSergeal PetersenRaymond RhuleWilliam Small-SmithClinton SwartMichael van der SpuyRuan van RensburgFrancois VenterShaun VenterFred ZeilingaDid not play:Ryno Eksteen
Coach Franco Smith
Chiefs squad
Forwards Michael AllardiceDominic BirdLachlan BoshierMitchell BrownSam CaneHika ElliotSiegfried FisiihoiKane HamesNathan HarrisMitchell KarpikSefo KautaiNepo LaulalaMichael LeitchLiam MessamBrayden MitchellAtunaisa MoliLiam PolwartBrodie RetallickAidan RossTom SandersTaleni SeuSebastian SiatagaSamisoni Taukei'ahoJames TuckerDid not play:Mitchell GrahamMatiaha Martin
Backs Solomon AlaimaloFinlay ChristieAaron CrudenStephen DonaldJohnny Fa'auliTawera Kerr-BarlowAnton Lienert-BrownJames LoweDamian McKenzieSam McNicolTim Nanai-WilliamsAlex NankivellCharlie NgataiToni PuluShaun StevensonJonathan TaumateineDid not play:Glen FisiiahiChase TiatiaBrad Weber
Coach Dave Rennie
Crusaders squad
Forwards Michael Ala'alatoaScott BarrettHeiden Bedwell-CurtisJed BrownWyatt CrockettWhetu DouglasMitchell DunsheaOwen FranksVernon FredericksBen FunnellOliver JagerAndrew MakalioJoe MoodyTim PerryKieran ReadLuke RomanoPete SamuQuinten StrangeJordan TaufuaCodie TaylorMatt ToddSam Whitelock
Backs Tim BatemanGeorge BridgeRyan CrottyIsrael DaggMitchell DrummondEreatara EnariLeon FukofukaJack GoodhueBryn HallDavid HaviliMitchell HuntDigby IoaneManasa MataeleMarty McKenzieRichie Mo'ungaSeta TamanivaluSean WainuiDid not play:Sione FifitaJone Macilai-Tori
Coach Scott Robertson
Force squad
Forwards Jermaine AinsleyRichie ArnoldLewis CarmichaelAdam ColemanPekahou CowanBen DaleyTetera FaulknerRichard HardwickOnehunga HaviliRoss Haylett-PettyMatt HodgsonKane KotekaBen McCalmanIsi NaisaraniMatt PhilipTatafu Polota-NauAnaru RangiBrynard StanderHeath TessmannFrancois van WykShambeckler VuiDid not play:Angus CottrellBen MatwijowHarry Scoble
Backs Marcel BracheLuke BurtonRobbie ColemanPeter GrantDane Haylett-PettyJono LanceRyan LouwrensSemisi MasirewaBill MeakesLuke MorahanAlex NewsomeChance PeniIan PriorCurtis RonaMichael RuruMitch ShortJames Verity-Amm
Coach David Wessels
Highlanders squad
Forwards Alex AinleyLiam ColtmanAsh DixonElliot DixonGareth EvansTom FranklinSiua HalanukonukaJackson HemopoDillon HuntJames LentjesDaniel Lienert-BrownCraig MillarGuy MillarGreg Pleasants-TateSekonaia PoleDan PryorAki SeiuliAdrian SmithTupou SopoagaLiam SquireSiate TokolahiJoe WheelerLuke WhitelockDid not play:Shane ChristieJosh Dickson
Backs Marty BanksRichard BuckmanMatt FaddesMalakai FekitoaKayne HammingtonTevita LiWaisake NaholoPatrick OsborneJosh RentonAaron SmithBen SmithFletcher SmithLima SopoagaRob ThompsonSio TomkinsonTeihorangi WaldenDid not play:Jason EmeryHayden Parker
Coach Tony Brown
Hurricanes squad
Forwards Mark AbbottLeni ApisaiJames BlackwellDane ColesChris EvesMichael FatialofaVaea FifitaCallum GibbinsToa HalafihiMike KaingaSam LousiBen MayJames O'ReillyReed PrinsepHugh RentonRicky RiccitelliArdie SaveaBrad ShieldsBlade ThomsonJeffery Toomaga-AllenLoni UhilaDid not play:James BroadhurstGeoffrey CridgeReggie Goodes
Backs Pita AhkiVince AsoBeauden BarrettJordie BarrettOtere BlackWes GoosenCory JaneBen LamNgani LaumapeNehe Milner-SkudderTJ PerenaraMatt ProctorJulian SaveaChris SmylieTe Toiroa TahuriorangiDid not play:Kylem O'DonnellPeter Umaga-Jensen
Coach Chris Boyd
Jaguares squad
Forwards Matías AlemannoFelipe ArreguiRodrigo BáezCristian BartoloniAgustín CreevySantiago García BottaRamiro HerreraMarcos KremerIgnacio LarragueTomás LavaniniJuan Manuel LeguizamónTomás LezanaBenjamín MacomePablo MateraJulián MontoyaLucas Noguera PazJavier Ortega DesioGuido PettiEnrique PierettoLeonardo SenatoreRoberto TejerizoNahuel Tetaz ChaparroDid not play:Facundo GigenaJuan Cruz GuillemaínSantiago Portillo
Backs Gonzalo BertranouEmiliano BoffelliSantiago CorderoJerónimo de la FuenteJoaquín Díaz BonillaBautista EzcurraFelipe EzcurraSantiago González IglesiasJuan Martín HernándezMartín LandajoManuel MonteroMatías MoroniRamiro MoyanoMatías OrlandoNicolás SánchezJoaquín TuculetDid not play:Santiago ÁlvarezGabriel AscárateNicolás Freitas
Coach Raúl Pérez
Lions squad
Forwards Ruan AckermannCyle BrinkRobbie CoetzeeRuan DreyerLourens ErasmusAndries FerreiraCorné FourieJohannes JonkerJaco KrielRobert KrugerMalcolm MarxFranco MostertMarvin OrieSti SitholeDylan SmithKwagga SmithAkker van der MerweJacques van RooyenHencus van WykWarren WhiteleyDid not play:Justin AckermanFabian BooysenHacjivah Dayimani
Backs Andries CoetzeeRuan CombrinckRoss CronjéFaf de KlerkRohan Janse van RensburgElton JantjiesSylvian MahuzaLionel MapoeHoward MnisiJacques NelShaun ReynoldsCourtnall SkosanDillon SmitMadosh TambweJaco van der WaltAnthony VolminkHarold Vorster
Coach Johan Ackermann
Rebels squad
Forwards Cruze Ah-NauSteve CumminsDominic DayMurray DouglasColby Fainga'aJames HansonEsei Ha'anganaPatrick LeafaTyrel LomaxAmanaki MafiSean McMahonWill MillerTom MoloneyJordy ReidCulum RetallickFereti Sa'agaJake SchatzSiliva SilivaHugh SinclairToby SmithLopeti TimaniJordan UeleseLaurie WeeksDid not play:Harley FoxSam JeffriesRob LeotaTim MetcherAlex Toolis
Backs Jack DebreczeniTom EnglishJackson Garden-BachopHarrison GoddardReece HodgeMitch InmanMarika KoroibeteJack MaddocksBen MeehanSefa NaivaluJonah PlacidMichael SnowdenNic StirzakerSione TuipulotuSemisi TupouBen VolavolaDid not play:Pama FouKentaro KodamaJack McGregorDennis Pili-GaitauDom Shipperley
Coach Tony McGahan
Reds squad
Forwards Kane DouglasSef Fa'agaseReece HewatScott HigginbothamLeroy HoustonPhil KiteAdam KorczykAlex MafiStephen MooreCadeyrn NevilleAndrew ReadyIzack RoddaKirwan SandayRob SimmonsJames SlipperGeorge SmithSam TalakaiCaleb TimuHendrik TuiLukhan TuiTaniela TupouMarkus VanzatiDid not play:Michael Gunn
Backs Quade CooperNick FrisbyKarmichael HuntSamu KereviChris KuridraniCampbell MagnayLachlan MarantaJake McIntyreEto NabuliJayden NgamanuDuncan Paia'auaIzaia PereseMoses SoroviHamish StewartJames TuttleDid not play:Chris Feauai-SautiaHenry Taefu
Coach Nick Stiles
Sharks squad
Forwards Lourens AdriaanseHyron AndrewsRuan BothaStephan CoetzeeJean DrosteDan du PreezJean-Luc du PreezThomas du ToitStephan LewiesFranco MaraisJohn-Hubert MeyerTendai MtawariraTera MtembuCoenie OosthuizenEtienne OosthuizenChiliboy RalepelleJuan SchoemanPhilip van der WaltJacques VermeulenDid not play:Keegan DanielJean DeyselFrancois KleinhansKhaya Majola
Backs Lukhanyo AmGarth AprilCurwin BoschMichael ClaassensJohan DeyselAndré EsterhuizenBenhard Janse van RensburgPatrick LambieMarius LouwLwazi MvovoOdwa NdunganeS'busiso NkosiClément PoitrenaudInny RadebeCobus ReinachS'bura SitholeRhyno SmithKobus van WykJeremy WardDid not play:Tristan BlewettRowan GouwsHanco Venter
Coach Robert du Preez
Southern Kings squad
Forwards Martin BezuidenhoutThembelani BholiChris CloeteSchalk FerreiraJustin ForwoodRoss GeldenhuysKurt HauptChris HeibergIrné HerbstRuaan LermMzamo MajolaGiant MtyandaAndisa NtsilaTyler PaulSchalk van der MerweWilhelm van der SluysDayan van der WesthuizenMike WillemseStefan WillemseMzwanele ZitoDid not play:Tango BalekileChristiaan de BruinCameron LindsaySintu ManjeziWandile PutumaCJ Velleman
Backs Masixole BandaAlshaun BockChrysander BothaLionel CronjéPieter-Steyn de WetNtabeni DukisaStokkies HanekomMalcolm JaerBerton KlaasenMakazole MapimpiWandile MjekevuWaylon MurrayYaw PenxeLouis SchreuderRicky SchroederJohan SteynJohann TrompStefan UngererRudi van RooyenLuzuko VulindluDid not play:Siyanda GreyNeil MaritzGarrick Mattheus
Coach Deon Davids
Stormers squad
Forwards Juarno AugustusNizaam CarrJaco CoetzeeJan de KlerkStephan de WitPieter-Steph du ToitRynhardt ElstadtEben EtzebethJC Janse van RensburgOli KebbleSteven KitshoffSiya KolisiWilco LouwFrans MalherbeBongi MbonambiSikhumbuzo NotsheCaylib OosthuizenRamone SamuelsJD SchickerlingKobus van DykFrans van WykChris van ZylAlistair VermaakCobus WieseDid not play:Johan du ToitDean MuirMarnus SchoemanChad SolomonEduard Zandberg
Backs Bjorn BassonKurt ColemanDamian de AllendeJuan de JonghDaniël du PlessisJean-Luc du PlessisRobert du PreezDewaldt DuvenageCheslin KolbeDan KrielDillyn LeydsSP MaraisGodlen MasimlaJustin PhillipsSeabelo SenatlaBrandon ThomsonShaun TreebyJano VermaakEW ViljoenDamian WillemseDid not play:Huw JonesKhanyo Ngcukana
Coach Robbie Fleck
Sunwolves squad
Forwards Takuma AsaharaWillie BritzUwe HeluTakeshi HinoShota HorieMalgene IlauaKeita InagakiHeiichiro ItoShokei KinTakeshi KizuKoo Ji-wonNaohiro KotakiShinya MakabeShuhei MatsuhashiMasataka MikamiYuhimaru MimuraLiaki MoliYusuke NiwaiShunsuke NunomakiYuya OdoHitoshi OnoEd QuirkAtsushi SakateYoshitaka TokunagaRahboni Warren-VosayacoSam WykesYasuo YamajiKoki YamamotoKotaro YatabeDid not play:Kohei AsahoriKyosuke KajikawaKazuhiko Usami
Backs Derek CarpenterHayden CrippsShota EmiKenki FukuokaTeruya GotoTimothy LafaeleRikiya MatsudaKotaro MatsushimaTakaaki NakazuruJumpei OguraYasutaka SasakuraKaito ShigenoHikaru TamuraYu TamuraFumiaki TanakaHarumichi TatekawaJamie-Jerry TaulagiWill TupouKeisuke UchidaRiaan ViljoenRyohei YamanakaYuki YatomiDid not play:Michael BondKazushi HanoAtaata MoeakiolaYutaka NagareTakahiro Ogawa
Coach Filo Tiatia
Waratahs squad
Forwards Jack DempseyDamien FitzpatrickNed HaniganJed HollowayMichael HooperMaclean JonesSekope KepuTolu LatuDave LoloheaRyan McCauleyDavid McDulingDean MummHugh RoachTom RobertsonPaddy RyanWill SkeltonAngus Ta'avaoSenio ToleafoaMichael WellsDid not play:Sam NeedsMatt SandellBrad Wilkin
Backs Cameron ClarkIsrael FolauBernard FoleyJake GordonBryce HegartyRob HorneDavid HorwitzAndrew KellawayMatt LucasMack MasonTaqele NaiyaravoroNick PhippsReece RobinsonIrae SimoneDid not play:Andrew DeeganHarry Jones
Coach Daryl Gibson

Referees[edit]

The following refereeing panel was appointed by SANZAAR for the 2017 Super Rugby season:[29]

2017 Super Rugby referees
Argentina Federico Anselmi
Australia Nic BerryAngus GardnerRohan HoffmannWill Houston
Japan Shuhei Kubo
New Zealand Nick BriantMike FraserGlen JacksonJamie NutbrownBen O'KeeffeBrendon PickerillPaul Williams
South Africa Quinton ImmelmanJaco PeyperRasta RasivhengeEgon SecondsMarius van der WesthuizenJaco van Heerden

Attendances[edit]

Team Main Stadium Capacity Total Attendance Average Attendance % Capacity
New Zealand Blues Eden Park 50,000
New Zealand Chiefs Waikato Stadium 25,800
New Zealand Hurricanes Westpac Stadium 34,500 132,667 16,583 50%
New Zealand Crusaders Rugby League Park 18,000
New Zealand Highlanders Forsyth Barr Stadium 30,728
Australia Reds Suncorp Stadium 52,500 105,806 15,115 28%
Australia Brumbies Canberra Stadium 25,011 79,093 9,886 39%
Australia Waratahs Sydney Football Stadium 44,000 101,499 14,499 32%
Australia Melbourne Rebels AAMI Park 29,500
Australia Force nib Stadium 20,500
South Africa Sharks ABSA Stadium 52,000
South Africa Bulls Loftus Versfeld 51,792
South Africa Lions Ellis Park 62,567
South Africa Southern Kings Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium 48,000 68,965 9,852 20%
South Africa Cheetahs Free State Stadium 46,000
South Africa Stormers Newlands Stadium 51,900
Argentina Jaguares José Amalfitani Stadium 49,640 71,916 8,989 18%
Japan Sunwolves Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium 27,188

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Outline of the Super Rugby competition structure" (PDF). All Blacks. 1 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  2. ^ "SANZAAR Confirms Super Rugby Fixtures & Finals Format". SANZAAR. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  3. ^ "New Zealand Rugby welcomes Investec Super Rugby revamp" (Press release). New Zealand Rugby Union. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Future SA Vodacom Super Rugby franchises confirmed". South African Rugby Union. 7 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Statement: Expansion to Guinness PRO14 Championship" (Press release). Celtic Rugby Limited. 1 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b "SA Rugby Log – 2017 Vodacom Super Rugby". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Team with "Most Wins" will finish higher in Super Rugby". SANZAAR. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  8. ^ "2017 Super Rugby Schedule Announced" (Press release). SANZAAR. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Super Rugby – Official SANZAAR Site". SANZAAR. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Hurricanes book semi-final spot". SANZAAR. 21 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Match Centre: Brumbies 16-35 Hurricanes". SANZAAR. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Rugby: It's time to talk about the Super Rugby crowds".
  13. ^ "Crusaders blank Highlanders". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Match Centre: Crusaders 17-0 Highlanders". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Rugby: It's time to talk about the Super Rugby crowds".
  16. ^ "Combrinck the hero for Lions". SANZAAR. 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Match Centre: Lions 23-21 Sharks". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Rugby: It's time to talk about the Super Rugby crowds".
  19. ^ "Chiefs squeeze past Stormers in Cape Town". SANZAAR. 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  20. ^ "Match Centre: Stormers 11-17 Chiefs". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Tony Smith: Stadium state not only reason for Crusaders' crowd figures dip". August 2017.
  22. ^ "Ruthless Crusaders book final spot". SANZAAR. 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Match Centre: Crusaders 27-13 Chiefs". SANZAAR. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Super Rugby crowd conundrum with NZ not alone with empty seats telling at Ellis Park". 30 July 2017.
  25. ^ "Lions fightback floors Hurricanes". SANZAAR. 30 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  26. ^ "Match Centre: Lions 44-29 Hurricanes". SANZAAR. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  27. ^ "Crusaders reclaim Super Rugby crown". SANZAAR. 6 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  28. ^ "Match Centre: Lions 17-25 Crusaders". SANZAAR. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  29. ^ "2017 Super Rugby Referee Team" (Press release). SANZAAR. 6 February 2017. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.

External links[edit]