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 Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in the competition's history and have won a total of 14 titles.
Daniel William Carter is a New Zealand retired rugby union player. Carter played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in test match rugby, and is considered by many experts as the greatest ever first five-eighth (fly-half) in the history of the game. He was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year in 2005, 2012 and 2015.
Stirling Austin Mortlock is an Australian former professional rugby union player. He has scored more than 1,000 points in Super Rugby, and nearly 500 test points for the Wallabies. Mortlock is a former Wallaby, Melbourne Rebels and Brumbies captain.
Sonny William Williams is a New Zealand heavyweight boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league, and is one of only 43 players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice.
Radike Samo is an Australian retired rugby union player. He plays lock, flanker, number 8 and can even play on the wing.
Adam Ashley-Cooper is a former Australian rugby union player who last played for the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR). He has played in 121 matches for Australia, the third most of any Australia player at the time of his retirement. His nickname is "Mr. Versatile". He is currently the senior assistant coach for backs with the LA Giltinis.
Adam Freier is a rugby union footballer. In 2011 and 2012 he played for the Rebels in the Super Rugby competition, and retired at the end of 2012 from professional rugby. In 2015 he came out of retirement to play Shute Shield for Randwick until this day. His usual playing position is hooker.
Kerry Cooper Vuna is a professional rugby footballer who plays on the wing for Newcastle Falcons in Premiership Rugby. He played rugby league as a wing for the New Zealand Warriors and Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League competition, before switching to rugby union to play Super Rugby for the Melbourne Rebels.
Danny Cipriani is a retired English professional rugby union player. He most recently played for Premiership Rugby side Bath and previously played for Gloucester, Sale Sharks and Wasps in the Premiership and Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby. He plays fly-half and fullback. He has also played for England. Since starting in the Wasps academy in 2003, Cipriani has been capped for England 16 times.
Quade Santini Cooper is a professional rugby union player and occasional boxer. Although born in New Zealand, he has represented Australia in rugby at international level. He currently plays for Hanazono Liners in Japan, and is a former player for the Queensland Reds and the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby competition in Australia. His preferred position is fly-half.
The Melbourne Rebels were an Australian professional rugby union team based in Melbourne that competed in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. The Rebels made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. The club shared its name with a former Australian Rugby Championship team, but was unrelated. The team played home matches at AAMI Park.
Adam Thomson is a New Zealand rugby union player. He represented the New Zealand All Blacks between 2008 and 2012, playing a total of 29 tests including two during the victorious 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign. He played for the Melbourne Rebels in 2016, having also played Super Rugby with the Queensland Reds (2015) and Highlanders (2006-2012). He has also represented the Canon Eagles in Japan's Top League and New Zealand province Otago.
Ben John Franks is an Australian-born New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. He played as a prop. He is one of only 21 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions.
Nemani Nadolo is a Fijian-Australian rugby union player. He currently plays for New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby, usually as a wing or centre, and the Fiji national team.
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.
Aaron Wiremu Cruden is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for Waikato and formerly Montpellier, Manawatu and New Zealand internationally. Cruden's usual position is fly-half.
Samuel Lawrence Whitelock is a former New Zealand rugby union player.
Dominic Shipperley is a retired professional rugby union footballer who played for the Australian national team in both test rugby and rugby sevens. In Super Rugby, he played four seasons with the Queensland Reds from 2011 to 2014, and a further two seasons for the Melbourne Rebels. His regular playing position was wing.
Ben Volavola is a Fijian Australian international rugby union player who plays for Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. He has previously played for Agen in the French Pro D2 competition; for Bordeaux Bègles, Racing 92 and Perpignan in the Top 14; Super Rugby clubs such as the Waratahs, Crusaders, and the Rebels. Volavola typically plays as either a fly-half or full back.
