Super 14

The Super 14 is an international competition of Rugby to XV which opposes teams of Australia, of South Africa and New Zealand. It was created in 2006 when two new teams joined the twelve which disputed since 1996 the Super 12 . One, the Western Forces, is Australian and is based with Perth. She was preferred with the candidature of Melbourne. The other, the Central Cheetahs is based with Bloemfontein in South Africa. In 2007, one of the five South-African franknesses should leave its place to the new frankness from the Southern Spears, but this process is currently suspended. The Pacific Islands, which wished gathering being integrated in a team of the players of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga were not retained, not more than the request of the Argentine to register a team in the competition. To disregard these change of format and denomination, one refers sometimes to this level of competition by the term of Super Rugby , especially in the three implied nations.

Super the 14 are held in the form of championship where each team meets the whole of the 13 others. The calculation of the points is the following: 4 points by a victory, 2 points for no one, and 0 for a defeat. Points of no-claims bonus are also distributed: 1 additional point for 4 tests marked in the same match and 1 additional point for a team which loses of 7 points and less. The 4 best teams of the championship meet then in semi-final. The first meeting the fourth and the second being opposed to the third. The final proceeds then on the ground of the finalist best classified at the time of the phase of championship.

This competition is a great success: the practiced play rests more on the offensive that in other international competitions, often privileging speed rather than the combat. Moreover, thanks to the no-claims bonus, the interest of a meeting is often preserved until the end (this method of distribution of the points was taken again by other competitions like the Championnat of France of Rugby).

History of the competition

The history of the competitions interprovinciales of the Southern hemisphere goes back to 1986. It is this year there that a New Zealand initiative gave rise to the South Pacific Championship (Championship of the Southern Pacific). Six teams took part in this first edition: New Zealand provinces of Canterbury, Auckland and Wellington, Australian selections of the States of New Wales of the South and the Queensland, as well as the national team of the Fiji. This competition dominated by Auckland and disputed each time by same the teams, will perdura until 1990. After one year of stop in 1991, the competition began again under the name of Super Six in 1992, always with same the teams.

With the return of the South Africa on the international scene, Super the 6 becomes the Super 10 in 1993 by integrating South-African provincial teams. The ten teams taking part into 1993 were the national team of the Samoa, the Queensland, Otago, Auckland and the Natal out of hen has, Waikato, North Harbor, the Transvaal, the Northern Transvaal and the Nouvelle Wales of the South out of hen B. Except the Samoa, all these teams were selections provincial, given according to the classification in the national championship as for the New Zealand and South-African provinces. For this first edition, the Transvaal triumphed over Auckland to the Ellis Park. In 1994, the Eastern Province replaced the Northern Transvaal, and it is the Queensland which finally gained the competition while having the Natal. The Native one reached the final thanks to four points obtained on green carpet following the refusal of the team of Nouvelle Wales of the South to move with Durban, pretexting a too great insecurity. Queensland also was essential in 1995.

1996 saw a revolution. The three federations South-African, Australian and New Zealand joined to form SANZAR, charged with the organization of the competition which became the Super 12 , and for the historical side the first professional competition of Rugby to XV. The Super 12 gathered five teams New Zealand, four South-African teams and three Australian teams. The New Zealanders aligned franknesses gathering from the provinces of NPC (national championship of the provinces), Australian the two traditional selections of the Queensland and News-Wales of the transformed South of franknesses, and a new frankness representing the Territoire from the Australian capital and its neighborhoods was created. Finally the South-Africans aligned the first two years of the provinces of Currie Cup before copying the New Zealand model and creating franknesses associating several provinces from Currie Cup to try to counter the New Zealand domination. This new Super 12 particularly comprised a single hen, which caused many and abrasive displacements, for the South-African teams which move during six weeks consecutive in Australia and New Zealand. In 1996 the aligned teams were: Native Sharks, Waikato, Western Province, Canterbury, Otago, Queensland, New ACT, Transvaal, Wellington, Northern Transvaal, Wales of the South and Auckland. The names and colors of these teams changed partially during the years, well far from the traditional conservatism of Rugby.

In 2006, Super the 12 became the Super 14 by integrating two new franknesses: the Western Forces, based with Perth in Australia, and the Central Cheetahs, which play Bloemfontein in South Africa.

In 2007, for the first time, two South-African teams, Sharks and the bulldozers, finish in the first two places of the preliminary phase. They gain their semi-final before clashing finally with Durban in the first South-African finale 100% of the history.

Christian Califano is the first, and up to now only, French to have taken part in this competition (in 2001 with the Blues). It should be imitated in 2008 by Frederic Michalak which signed a one season old contract with the Sharks.

Teams disputing Super the 14

For more details on the geographical areas concerned with each frankness, to see the geographical equivalence of the franknesses from Super the 14.

Australia

New Zealand

South Africa

Prize list

Super 14

2007 (bulldozers 20-19 Sharks)

Super 12

1996 (Blues 45-21 Sharks)
1997 (Blues 23-7 Brumbies)
1998 (Crusaders 20-13 Blues)
1999 (Highlanders 19-24 Crusaders)
2000 (Crusaders 20-19 Brumbies)
2001 (Brumbies 36-6 Sharks)
2002 (Crusaders 31-13 Brumbies)
2003 (Blues 21-17 Crusaders)
2004 (Brumbies 47-38 Crusaders)
2005 (Crusaders 35-25 Waratahs )

Super 10

1993 Transvaal (South Africa)
1994 Queensland
1995 Queensland

Super 6

1992 Queensland

South Pacific Championship

1986 Canterbury
1987 Auckland and Canterbury
1988 Auckland
1989 Auckland
1990 Auckland

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