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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.
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.
The Blues are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established by the NZRU in 1996. One of the most successful teams in Super Rugby history, the Blues won the competition in its first two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and again in 2003 and 2024. Additionally, the team were finalists in 1998 and 2022, and semi-finalists in 2007, 2011 and 2023. They won a Trans Tasman competition in 2021.
The ACT Brumbies is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the feral horses which inhabit the capital's hinterland. The team represents the ACT, as well as the Far South Coast and Southern Inland regions of New South Wales (NSW).
The New South Wales Waratahs, referred to as the Waratahs, are an Australian professional rugby union team representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super Rugby competition. The Riverina and other southern parts of the state, are represented by the Brumbies, who are based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
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.
Crusaders Rugby League was a professional rugby league club based in Bridgend and later in Wrexham, Wales. They played for six seasons in the Rugby Football League competitions, including three years in the Super League from 2009 to 2011.
Bradley Carnegie Thorn is a New Zealand Australian rugby union coach and former rugby league and rugby union footballer. Born in New Zealand, he represented Australia in rugby league and New Zealand in rugby union in a twenty-two year career as a player, starting at age nineteen and finishing at age forty-one. He was the head coach of the Australian Super Rugby Pacific team, the Queensland Reds. Thorn is their second longest-serving coach in history and their longest serving coach in the professional era.
Scott Maurice Robertson is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the All Blacks, the men's New Zealand national team.
Jamie Thackray is a former Great Britain international rugby league footballer who played as a prop or second-row forward. He played for over a dozen professional clubs throughout his career, most notably appearing for Halifax, Castleford Tigers, Hull FC, Leeds Rhinos and Crusaders in the Super League.
Mark Bryant is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the London Broncos in the Super League. He had previously played for Crusaders and Manly Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. He played as a prop.
Ben Flower is a Welsh professional former rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Leigh Centurions in the Betfred Super League, and has played for Wales at international level.
Jason Chan is a former Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who played for the Celtic Crusaders, the Huddersfield Giants and the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League, primarily as a second-row, but also as a centre or prop.
The 2012 Super Rugby season was the second season of the Super Rugby competition, an annual rugby union competition that involves teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, in its 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as FxPro Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New Zealand and Vodacom Super Rugby in South Africa. Including its past incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14, this was the 17th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier transnational club competition. The conference games took place every weekend from 24 February until 14 July, followed by the finals series, culminating in the grand final on 4 August. While its three main broadcasting partners are Fox Sports (Australia), Sky Sport and SuperSport, Super Rugby can be viewed in many countries throughout the world.
North Wales Crusaders is a professional rugby league club based in Colwyn Bay, Wales. They are the successors to the former Super League club Crusaders Rugby League. Crusaders compete in Betfred League 1, the third tier of English rugby league. Until the end of 2016 they played their home games at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. From 2017 to 2020 they were based at the Queensway Stadium in Wrexham, but also played several games at Hare Lane in Chester. In 2021 the club moved to the Eirias Stadium in Colwyn Bay.
Jeremy Su'a is a Samoan rugby union footballer. Su'a attended Westfields Sports High School in Sydney's South West alongside Tongan International Sitiveni Mafi and the likes of rugby league superstars Jarryd Hayne and Israel Folau. Su'a played his Junior rugby at the Parramatta Two Blues Rugby club and in 2006 played for the Australian Schoolboys. Moving through the age groups Su'a was a member of the Australian U19 team in 2007 and Australian U20 Team in 2008. He currently plays for the Worcester Warriors in the Aviva Premiership and Samoa, and usually plays as a scrum-half. He was part of the Samoan team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup where he played in two matches. He played for Sydney University 1st Grade Colts Under 21’s competition 2008 He made his 1st Grade debut with Penrith Emus 1st Grade in 2009 in the Shute Shield competition, where he played a further 2 seasons for Penrith Emus from 2010-2011 in the Shute Shield competition.
Thomas James Taylor is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played as a second five-eighth or first five-eighth for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. and Canterbury in the ITM Cup. He can also play fullback.
Luke Romano is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays as a lock for the Blues in Super Rugby and Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup. He played for the All Blacks from 2012 - 2017 and was a key member of 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team.
The Bradford Bulls Women are an English professional women's rugby league team based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Formed in 1999 as an autonomous club, Dudley Hill Thunderbirds, the team was also known as Bradford Thunderbirds and Bradford Clayton Thunderbirds. As the Thunderbirds the club played in the Women's Rugby League Conference and later the Women's Rugby League. As of 2024 they compete in the Northern Women's Championship.
References
- ↑ "Crusaders 2012 Investec Super Rugby Squad announced". Crusaders - Canterbury Rugby Football Club. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
