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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.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby, the governing body of rugby union for the world. It dropped the word "Football" from its name in 2006. The brand name New Zealand Rugby was adopted in 2013. Officially, it is an incorporated society with the name New Zealand Rugby Union Incorporated.
The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competition in 2017. Following their axing they played in the National Rugby Championship in 2018 and 2019, replacing the Perth Spirit, and Global Rapid Rugby from 2018 to 2020, an Indo-Pacific competition organised by Andrew Forrest.
The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby. The visiting Bulls won the 2007 Super 14 Final, scoring a try in the 83rd minute and narrowly defeating the Sharks 20–19, thereby becoming the first South African side to win the Super Rugby title in the professional era.
Richard Kahui is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for Western Force in Super Rugby AU. He previously played for the Highlanders and Chiefs in Super Rugby, Waikato in the National Provincial Championship, and New Zealand internationally. He played at centre and wing.
The Western Suburbs Rosellas, Western Suburbs, Wests, The Rosellas are a Rugby league club based in the Newcastle, NSW region of Australia. It was a foundation member of the Newcastle Rugby League in 1909 and has been one of the most successful teams in that competition. The club has had a number of players represent Australia including Wally Prigg, a member of the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame. Johnny Raper, another member of the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame played for Wests after he finished playing for the St. George Dragons.
Benjamin Tapuloa Roberts is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a five-eighth, halfback or fullback in the NRL and the Super League in the 2000s and 2010s. He represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level.
The Australian Schoolboys rugby league team is the national rugby league football team for secondary school students in Australia.
Pekahou J. M. Cowan is an Australian rugby union footballer who plays for Wellington in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship. His usual position is prop and he can play on both sides of the scrum.
Owen Thomas Franks is a New Zealand rugby player who currently plays for Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition. His usual position is tighthead prop.
Jeremy Thrush is a rugby union lock who plays for the Western Force. He previously played for Hurricanes in Super Rugby and Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup. He represented the Junior All Blacks, New Zealand Under-19 and New Zealand Secondary Schools teams. He was a part of the victorious 2004 Under-19 World Championship team and was named the 2004 IRB World U19 Player of the Year.
Benjamin Robert Smith is a retired New Zealand rugby union player, currently working for Super Rugby side Highlanders' management team. He formerly played for the Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition, Otago in the ITM Cup, Pau in the Top 14 and Kobelco Steelers in the Japan Rugby League One.
The Super Rugby competition in rugby union, including teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and, in the past, from Argentina, Japan and South Africa, is based on a "franchise" system of teams. The original member countries – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – all have several regional franchises, while the expansion countries – Argentina, Fiji, Japan and the Pacific Islands – have/had one franchise each. The article covers specific detail as to the areas covered by each Super Rugby team. Bold denotes stadiums that are current primary stadiums for the franchises.
Benjamin Camden John Funnell is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a hooker for Canterbury in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition and the Western Force in Super Rugby. He previously played for the Crusaders.
Adam Coleman is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Top 14 club Bordeaux Bègles. Born in Australia, he represents Tonga at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.
Robert Abel is an Australian rugby union coach and former professional rugby union player who as of 2023, coaches forwards for the Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby. He previously played at hooker for NSW, Melbourne Rebels and for the Brumbies in Super Rugby. The Māori All Blacks, and the Canberra Vikings and Perth Spirit, and also played for Northland and Auckland in the ITM Cup.
Sio Tomkinson is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a centre for the Western Force in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. He has previously played for the Dragons RFC in the United Rugby Championship and for the Highlanders.
Ben Matwijow is a retired Australian rugby union lock formerly contracted to Australian franchise, the Western Force in the international Super Rugby competition and the Taranaki Bulls in New Zealand's Mitre 10 Cup. He has since joined the St Aloysius College 1st XV coaching staff as the defensive coach from the 2019 CAS season, St Aloysius are heavily tipped to win CAS this coming season. He is also a proud coach of the 3rd Reich cricket co-captained by Mitchell Starc and Alexander Carey with Nathan Lyon in slips, they too are now tipped to win. Mr. Matwijow loves a schooner on the weekend his beer of choice being Furphy's pale ale. He is currently looking for a pet friendly apartment where he can start a life and have some schooners in peace, he has now found his home in freshie. Ben Matwijow favorite player is finn wake. His favorite soccer team is Sydney FC and his favorite player is Lasith malinga.
The 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season is the 27th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous seasons were replaced with Super Rugby Unlocked, Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU in 2020, and Super Rugby Aotearoa, Super Rugby AU, and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman in 2021. The 2022 edition will revert to a 12-team competition, with a single pool replacing the geographical conference system, as well as introducing a new name for the reformatted competition. The season is expected to run from 18 February, with the final to be played on 18 June - culminating before the start of the mid-year international window.
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