Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 season with 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, building on competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986. The Super 12 was established by SANZAR after the sport became professional in 1995. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 only included teams from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands.
The Bulls are a South African professional rugby union team based in Pretoria. They play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld. They compete in the United Rugby Championship, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. Prior to 1998, the Bulls competed in the then-Super 12 as Northern Transvaal, as in those years South Africa was represented in the competition by its top four Currie Cup sides from the previous season, instead of the modern Super Rugby teams.
Munster Rugby is one of the professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster Branch, which is responsible for rugby union throughout the Irish province of Munster. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible." This is derived from the motto of the MacCarthy clan – "Forti et Fideli nihil difficile". Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork.
Peter Alexander Stringer is an Irish former rugby union player who played at scrum-half. He played 13 seasons with Irish province Munster from 1998 to 2011; he then played seven seasons from 2011 to 2018 in England with various teams — Saracens, Newcastle Falcons, Bath, Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors. Internationally, Stringer represented Ireland and the Barbarians. He announced his retirement from rugby in June 2018.
Brendon James Botha, better known as BJ Botha is a South African former rugby union player. He played as a prop. He is now a housemaster and rugby coach at Glenstal Abbey School.
William Chambers is an Australian rugby league and union footballer who last played for the LA Giltinis in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. After winning two titles with the Melbourne Storm, he retired from Australia's NRL in 2021.
Christiaan Johan Stander is a South African-born Irish former rugby union player. Stander's career began in his native South Africa, where he played for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup between 2010 and 2012 and for the Bulls in Super Rugby in 2012. He moved to Irish province Munster in 2012 and, after qualifying via residency in 2015, made his debut for Ireland in 2016, going on to earn 51 caps for his adopted country, as well as 1 cap for the British & Irish Lions in 2017, before retiring in 2021.
Arnoldus Francois Botha is a South African rugby union footballer for Lyon in the French Top 14. He can operate either as a flanker or number 8.
Patrick Benjamin Howard is a South African rugby union player who is currently playing for Ealing Trailinfders in the RFU Championship. He previously played for Welsh United Rugby Championship side Dragons, Western Province in the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup, Stormers in Super Rugby and Irish province Munster. His usual position is centre or winger.
Douw Gerbrandt Grobler is a South African rugby union player, who plays for Sharks. His regular position is lock.
Fa'amanu Brown is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the St. George Illawarra Dragons and has represented Samoa and New Zealand at international level. He played as a halfback, five-eighth and lock earlier in his career.
Rudolph Gerhardus Snyman is a South African rugby union player who plays as a lock for United Rugby Championship club Munster and the South Africa national team. Snyman was part of the South Africa team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and 2023, and is widely known as 'The Viking' among fans and teammates in reference to his appearance.
Madosha Michael Tambwe is a South African rugby union player for Bordeaux Bègles. He usually plays as a winger.
The Fijian Drua is a professional rugby union team based in Fiji that competes in the Super Rugby. The team was created by the Fiji Rugby Union and launched in August 2017, shortly before the 2017 National Rugby Championship. The team previously competed in the Australian National Rugby Championship competition between 2017 and 2019, when the tournament was disbanded.
Alex P. Nankivell is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a centre for Irish club Munster in the United Rugby Championship.
Super Rugby Unlocked was a professional rugby union competition played in South Africa from 10 October to 21 November 2020. Sponsored by communications company Vodacom, the tournament replaced the South African component of the incomplete 2020 Super Rugby season that was shut down in March of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Celimpilo "Mpilo" Gumede is a South African rugby union player for the Bulls in Super Rugby. His regular position is flanker.
The 2020–21 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 82nd edition of the top tier of the Currie Cup, the premier domestic rugby union competition in South Africa. It was sponsored by beer brand Carling Black Label and organised by the South African Rugby Union. The competition was won by the Blue Bulls, who beat the Sharks 26–19 after extra time in the final played at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria on 30 January 2021.
The 2022–23 Munster Rugby season was Munster's twenty-second season competing in the United Rugby Championship, alongside which they competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Graham Rowntree's first season as head coach following his promotion.
