Super Rugby Previews, Predictions & Betting Tips
Super Rugby is a professional rugby union competition featuring Southern Hemisphere clubs from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan. Operated by SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby), Super Rugby is one of the most watched professional rugby competitions in the world.
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Super Rugby History
The first rugby union club competition involving Southern Hemisphere rugby union clubs was the South Pacific Championship which started in 1986 and continued until 1990. The South Pacific Championship featured six teams - three from New Zealand (Auckland, Canterbury & Wellington), two from Australia (Queensland & New South Wales) and the Fiji national team.
No tournament was played in 1991 with another competition called Super 6 launched in 1992. Super 6 lasted just one season with Queensland winning the title. In 1993 the Super 6 competition was expanded to the Super 10 with teams from South Africa allowed to participate after the end of apartheid.
The inaugural Super 10 competition featured four teams from New Zealand (Waikato, Auckland, Otago & North Harbour), three from South Africa (Natal, Transvaal & Northern Transvaal), two from Australia (Queensland & New South Wales) and Pacific Tri-Nations winners Western Samoa. The Super 10 competition was won by Transvaal in 1993 and Queensland in 1994 and 1995.
Rugby union became a professional sport in 1995 with the Super 10 competition being restructured. The successful 1995 World Cup provided the impetus for the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa rugby boards to form SANZAR.
SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) was the administration board to organise a new competition featuring 12 clubs or franchises from the three nations. One benefit of the formation of SANZAR was the implementation of an annual Tri-Nations Test Series between South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
The formation of Super 12 allowed rugby union to compete with rugby league from a financial perspective. The Foxtel pay TV network in Australia was interested in exclusive rights to broadcast the competition, with SANZAR selling a 10-year contract for exclusive television rights to News Corp for US $555 million.
The new Super 12 competition successfully began in 1996 with five New Zealand franchises (Auckland Blues, Waikato Chiefs, Otago Highlanders, Wellington Hurricanes, Canterbury Crusaders), four South African provinces (Natal Sharks, Northern Transvaal, Transvaal, Western Province) and three domestic Australian teams (Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies, NSW Waratahs).
New Zealand's dominance began immediately with the Auckland Blues winning the competition after beating Natal Sharks 45- 21 in the final. The Blues went back to back after defeating ACT Brumbies 23-7 in the 1997 final.
The Blues reached their third successive final in 1998 but were defeated by fellow New Zealand franchise Canterbury Crusaders 20-13. The Crusaders went on to win in 1999 and 2000 finals with the 2001 season being the first won by a club outside New Zealand franchise, the Brumbies defeating and Sharks 36-6 in the 2001 final.
The Crusaders won their 4th final in 2002, the Blues won in 2003 and the Brumbies were victorious again in 2004 with 47-38 win against the Crusaders in front of a home crowd in Canberra. The Crusaders bounced back to win the 2005 final 35-25 against the New South Wales Waratahs which was the last competition to feature a 12 team format.
In the early 2000s Australia and South Africa wanted another team from their countries in the competition. There was talk of a team from the South Pacific Island nations being included and Argentina wanted to be included in Super 12.
In 2004 SANZAR negotiated a five-year tv deal from 2006 to 2010 worth US$323 million. News Corp won the rights for the UK, Australia and New Zealand and SuperSport for South Africa.
Australia and South Africa got their wish of an extra team in the competition. The new Australian team was based in Perth and named the Western Force, South Africa’s new team was called the Cheetahs and drew players from the Free State and Northern Cape Provinces.
The 2006 season saw the start of the Super 14 competition, SANZAR keeping the competition in a single-table format. The Western Force and Cheetahs didn't perform well, the Force only winning one game and finishing with the wooden spoon in last place.
Only two teams won the tournament during the Super 14 era. The Crusaders won in 2006 and 2008, the Bulls winning in 2007, 2009, and 2010.
SANZAR decided to expand the competition once again in 2011. The idea was to have three national conferences (South Africa, New Zealand & Australia) with each side playing the other four teams from their own country twice, the other ten teams once with the finals series involving six teams.
The additional team came from Victoria, Australia, and was named the Melbourne Rebels. The new competitions was rebranded as Super Rugby, a competition featuring 15 teams and running from 2011 to 2015.
In 2012 SANZAR considered adding teams from Argentina, Japan and the United States in 2016 to capitalise on the interest generated by the rugby sevens entering the Olympics.
On 4 September 2013 SANZAR announced that a sixth franchise from South Africa would enter the competition and on 20 November 2014 it was announced that teams from Japan and Argentina would be a part of Super Rugby starting in the 2016 season.The two new teams were called the Jaguares (Argentina) and Sunwolves (Japan).
The competition was reduced to 15 teams in 2018 with two South African and one Australian teams eliminated. Four teams from South Africa remained (Bulls, Lions, Sharks, Stormers) with the Cheetahs and Kings missing out. The Western Force were the team from Australia that lost their licence.
In March 2019 SANZAAR confirmed that 2020 will be the Sunwolves last in Super Rugby.
Where is the Super Rugby competition?
Super Rugby games are played at the stadiums of all 15 clubs. The teams with the best regular season records host matches in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and Super Rugby final.
| Conference | Club | City, State | Stadium | Capacity |
| Australia | Brumbies | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Canberra Stadium | 25,011 |
| Australia | Rebels | Melbourne, Victoria | AAMI Park | 30,050 |
| Australia | Reds | Brisbane, Queensland | Suncorp Stadium | 52,500 |
| Australia | Sunwolves | Japan Tokyo | Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium | 27,188 |
| Australia | Waratahs | Sydney, New South Wales | Sydney Cricket Ground | 44,000 |
| New Zealand | Blues | Auckland, Auckland Region | Eden Park | 50,000 |
| New Zealand | Chiefs | Hamilton, Waikato | FMG Stadium Waikato | 25,800 |
| New Zealand | Crusaders | Christchurch, Canterbury | Rugby League Park | 18,600 |
| New Zealand | Highlanders | Dunedin, Otago | Forsyth Barr Stadium | 30,748 |
| New Zealand | Hurricanes | Wellington, Wellington Region | Westpac Stadium | 34,500 |
| South Africa | Bulls | Pretoria, Gauteng | Loftus Versfeld Stadium | 51,762 |
| South Africa | Jaguares | Argentina Buenos Aires | Estadio José Amalfitani | 49,540 |
| South Africa | Lions | Johannesburg, Gauteng | Emirates Airline Park | 62,567 |
| South Africa | Sharks | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | Kings Park Stadium | 52,000 |
| South Africa | Stormers | Cape Town, Western Cape | Newlands Stadium | 51,900 |
When is the Super Rugby competition?
The Super Rugby competition begins in February each year with the finals played in July and the final held in early August.
Super Rugby Fixtures
The Super Rugby fixtures are announced in September each year for the following season. We will have a full list of all the fixtures so you don’t miss any of the games from the Super Rugby season.
Super Rugby Format
The 15 Super Rugby teams are divided into three geographical conferences. The Australian Conference includes four Australian teams and the Sunwolves from Japan. The New Zealand Conference includes five New Zealand teams and the South African Conference includes four South African teams and the Jaguares from Argentina.
There are 18 matches in the group stage with each team playing 16 matches and having two byes. Teams played each team in their own conference twice home and away, once against the four teams in the other two conferences.
The top team in each conference qualifies for the quarter-finals, the next best five teams across the three conferences qualify as wildcards. The conference winners and best wildcard team hosted the quarter-finals.
The clubs with the best records in the regular season host matches in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Super Rugby Conferences & Teams
The Australian Conference comprises four teams based in Australia and one in Japan. The South African conference includes four teams from South Africa and one from Argentina. There are five teams comprising the New Zealand Conference.
| Conference | Club | City, State |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Brumbies | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Australia | Rebels | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Australia | Reds | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Australia | Sunwolves | Japan Tokyo |
| Australia | Waratahs | Sydney, New South Wales |
| New Zealand | Blues | Auckland, Auckland Region |
| New Zealand | Chiefs | Hamilton, Waikato |
| New Zealand | Crusaders | Christchurch, Canterbury |
| New Zealand | Highlanders | Dunedin, Otago |
| New Zealand | Hurricanes | Wellington, Wellington Region |
| South Africa | Bulls | Pretoria, Gauteng |
| South Africa | Jaguares | Argentina Buenos Aires |
| South Africa | Lions | Johannesburg, Gauteng |
| South Africa | Sharks | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal |
| South Africa | Stormers | Cape Town, Western Cape |
Super Rugby Final
The Super Rugby Final is the showpiece of the Super Rugby competition which is held in early August each year. The two best teams play one match at the home stadium of the team that had the best regular season record.
Who has won the most Super Rugby titles?
New Zealand club Crusaders are the most successful in Super Rugby history. The Crusaders have won the title nine times since 1996 and have been runners-up on for occasions.
The Blues (New Zealand) and Bulls (South Africa) have won three Super Rugby titles each, with the Brumbies (Australia) and Chiefs (New Zealand) winning Super Rugby twice.
The Reds and Waratahs (Australia), Highlanders and Hurricanes )New Zealand) have won once each.
| Team | Combined | Super 12 | Super 14 | Super Rugby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Blues | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Bulls | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Brumbies | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Chiefs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Reds | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Waratahs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Highlanders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hurricanes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
The competition has been dominated by clubs from New Zealand who have won 16 titles in 23 seasons. Australian clubs have won four Super Rugby titles with South Africa winning three.
| Country | Total Wins |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | 16 |
| Australia | 4 |
| South Africa | 3 |
Super Rugby Results
It’s vital to keep up to date with all the Super Rugby results to know what teams and players are performing well. The Sanzar website has all the Super Rugby results to help you understand the betting odds. Who were the recent Super Rugby winners and runners-up?
Super Rugby Champions & Runners-Up
| Year | Teams | Winners | Final Score | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 12 | Blues | 45–21 | Sharks |
| 1997 | 12 | Blues | 23–7 | Brumbies |
| 1998 | 12 | Crusaders | 20–13 | Blues |
| 1999 | 12 | Crusaders | 24–19 | 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 |
Who are the defending Super Rugby champions?
The Crusaders won their ninth Super Rugby title in 2018 with a 37-18 win against the Lions in the final on 4 August 2018. The Crusaders dominated at AMI Stadium in Christchurch with tries to Seta Tamanivalu, David Havili, Mitchell Drummond and Scott Barrett.
Richie Mo'unga kicked four conversions and three penalties as the Crusaders went back to back for the first time since the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Super Rugby Betting Odds
Every major online bookmaker will offer odds for Super Rugby games. Some of the most popular Super Rugby betting markets include head to head, line (handicap), margin, 1st half, 2nd half, total points and player markets such as first try scorer and anytime try scorer.
Super Rugby Live Streaming
Many online bookmakers allow their customers to watch sport by live streaming on iphone and android devices, tablets or computer. One of the best is bet365 where you can watch a number of sports including football, tennis, basketball and cricket.
All you need is a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to qualify, meaning wherever you can get an internet signal you can now bet and watch at the same time. Geo-restrictions apply, for other FAQs please see the terms and conditions at bet365.
Many major television broadcasters also have online live streaming services so you can live stream all the Super Rugby games. Please see each individual broadcaster for live streaming information.
| Broadcaster | Country |
|---|---|
| SuperSport | Africa |
| Fox Sports Australia | Australia |
| Sky Sport | New Zealand |
| ESPN | Argentina |
| ESPN 3 | United States |
| TSN | Canada |
| J Sports | Japan |
| Setanta Sports Asia | Asia Pacific |
| OSN | Bahrain |
| OSN | Iraq |
| OSN | Jordan |
| OSN | Saudi Arabia |
| OSN | Kuwait |
| OSN | Lebanon |
| OSN | Oman |
| OSN | Palestine |
| OSN | Qatar |
| OSN | United Arab Emirates |
| OSN | Yemen |
| Sky Italia | Italy |
| Sky Italia | Vatican City |
| Sky Italia | San Marino |
| Sky Italia | Canton of Ticino |
| Sky UK | United Kingdom |
| Sky UK | Ireland |
| Canal+ | France |
| Canal+ | Andorra |
| Canal+ | Monaco |
| Canal+ | Luxembourg |
| Canal+ | Romandy |
Super Rugby Free Bets
Different online bookies will have offers where they offer free bets for Super Rugby games. Keeping track of all the super rugby free bets is a great way to give yourself the best chance of making a profit by betting on Super Rugby.
Super Rugby free bets can come in the form of cash back or bonus bets so be sure to do your homework.
Super Rugby Bet of the Day
Our Super Rugby Bet of the Day is our best best bet from each round of Super Rugby fixtures. Our rugby union experts will select their best bet from all the games which they think has the best chance of winning.
Super Rugby Replays & Highlights
Many broadcasters will show replays of Super Rugby games so you can catch up on all the action. Watch as many Super Rugby games as possible is one of the best ways to understand what’s happening and give you an edge over the bookmakers.
Many websites offer Super Rugby highlights so you can watch all the key moments including match winning tries. This is a great way to keep up to date on players in form and those likely to pick in the first and anytime try scorer betting markets.
Super Rugby Betting Tips
At FreeTips.com we provide regular Super Rugby tips which include game winner, line or handicaps, margin betting, half-time/full-time tips, match total tips and player tips such as first try scorer and anytime tryscorer.
Our mission at FreeTips.com is to provide you with free expertly researched Super Rugby tips that will help you achieve consistent profits and beat the bookie.
Super Rugby News
Staying up to date with all the latest Super Rugby news is imperative if you want to stay one step ahead of the bookmakers and be able to spot value. Player injuries and omissions can make a big difference to who wins a Super Rugby game or help swing the balance in favour of one team.
The following websites are essential in keeping up to date with all the latest Super Rugby news:
Super Rugby Social Media
There are many essential Super Rugby social media accounts to follow for all the latest news, videos, highlights, player interviews, fixtures, results and insight.
Here are some of the best alongside all the official twitter accounts for all 15 teams in Super Rugby.
