Super Rugby is one of the finest Rugby Union tournaments played on the global stage and is has often been considered the tournament closest to that of the pace of top class international rugby.
It is played in the Southern Hemisphere between clubs and franchises from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand while Japan and Argentina have one side each in the competition.
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Super Rugby History
Super Rugby evolved from multiple competitions that have existed since their beginning in 1986.
It began with the creation of the South Pacific Championship, which was comprised of six teams from three nations – Auckland, Canterbury, and Wellington from New Zealand; Queensland and New South Wales from Australia; and also featured the Fiji national team.
Following the suspension of rugby in 1991, the Super 6 tournament replaced the South Pacific Championship in 1992 but lasted only for one season, with Queensland being the winners.
This was soon to be changed when the Super 10 was established in 1993 where additional teams from South Africa participated as a result of the end of apartheid. The Super 10 consisted of the following teams; Waikato, Auckland, Otago and North Harbour (New Zealand), Natal, Transvaal and Northern Transvaal (South Africa), Queensland and New South Wales (Australia), and the Western Samoan team.
The first ever winner of the Super 10 was the Transvaal Rugby Club, followed by two championships won by Queensland - in 1994 and 1995.
In 1995, when rugby union was made a professional sport, the boards of rugby from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa joined together to create SANZAR – this was the result of this decision along with the decision to change the structure of the Super 10 competition (before its expansion to Super 12).
The Super 12 actually began in 1996, and with the formation of the Super 12 competition expanding from 10 to 12 teams there was also a name change to the Super 12 as well. The Tri-Nations were established to include the national teams from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
In the Super 12 competition, there were five New Zealand representative teams (Auckland Blues, Waikato Chiefs, Otago Highlanders, Wellington Hurricanes and Canterbury Crusaders), four South African province teams (Natal Sharks, Northern Transvaal, Transvaal and Western Province) and three representative teams from Australia (Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs).
The period from 1996 to 2005 was characterised by New Zealand dominance in the Super 12 competition with eight of the ten championship titles being won by New Zealand teams (five by the Crusaders and three by the Blues).
In the early 2000s, South Africa and Australia wished to increase the number of teams from their countries that could compete in Super 12 competitions, and by 2006 they were able to add two new teams (the Western Force from Australia and Cheetahs from South Africa) and expand the Super 12 competition to Super 14.
In the five years of the Super 14, the Crusaders continued to prove their class with two wins, but the Bulls from South Africa brought a forward-dominant game to the mix and won the title in 2007, 2009, and 2010.
Another change to the format of the competition came about in 2011. A fifth Australian side was added - the Melbourne Rebels, and three conferences were created - which were country specific. This is when Super Rugby was born and ran from 2011 to 2015, with the Reds, Chiefs, Waratahs, and Highlanders all winning their first titles during that period.
Another expansion was announced in 2013 and implemented in 2026. A sixth South African side - Southern Kings, and Argentina's Jaguares and Japan's Sunwolves were added to the competition - with 18 sides now participating.
Super Rugby Fixtures
Each side plays 16 matches over an 18-week period. Each side plays home and away against the teams within their own conference, and an additional eight matches against sides from the other two conferences – four home and four away. No side plays every team in the competition, meaning that two teams might meet for the first time in the play-offs.
Super Rugby Format
The Super Rugby tournament will feature fifteen rugby teams, which are segregated into three separate conference tables. These will include five teams playing out of each of the three available conferences; Australian Conference, New Zealand Conference and the South African Conference with both the Argentinian Jaguars and the Japanese Sunwolves aligned to the respective South African and Australian Conferences.
All fifteen teams will play a total of sixteen games during the conference competition stage (played both within and across conference boundaries) and will have a total of two bye weeks in touring between and within their respective conferences.
Once the conference competition has been concluded, the winners of each respective conference (in order of their total number of competition points) plus the team that has the fourth best total number of competition points (from each of the three conferences), along with the next four best ranked teams according to their total points (in order of total number of points). The venue for each of the semi-final and final will be determined by the highest team on the overall conference log.
Super Rugby Teams
Fifteen teams from across four continents – Africa, Australasia, Asia, and South America, in five different countries – Argentina, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, take part in the Super Rugby tournament. The participating sides play in three conferences – Australian, New Zealand, and South African.
Super Rugby Live Streaming
Online bookmakers often offer their punters the chance to live stream matches from Super Rugby. bet365 are one such online bookmaker, with their coverage not exclusive to Super Rugby - football, tennis, and cricket also feature. In order to watch the matches on bet365, punters must have placed a bet within 24 hours of the match kicking off.
Super Rugby Bet of the Day
Our Super Rugby Bet of the Day is the top bet from each round of matches in Super Rugby. Our rugby union gurus will give you all the details you need to know in order to maximise your return.
Super Rugby Replays & Highlights
The more Super Rugby you watch, the better placed you will be to find a winning formula with your bets. If you are not able to watch the matches live, many websites and television channels play highlights and match re-runs during the week after matches.
Super Rugby News
Given the length of the Super Rugby tournament, there is a constant stream of important news regarding team selections, injuries, rest periods for the international players, and so much more. It is vital for you to stay one step ahead of the game in order to maximise your return.
In order to keep up to date with the latest Super Rugby news, below is a list of the best sites for you to do just that.
