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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 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, as well as a Trans Tasman competition in 2021, additionally, the team were finalists in 1998 and 2022 and semi-finalists in 2007, 2011 and 2023.
Richard Hugh McCaw is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, in 110 out of his 148 test matches, and won two Rugby World Cups. He has won the World Rugby Player of the Year award a joint record three times and was the most capped test rugby player of all time from August 2015 to October 2020. McCaw was awarded World Rugby player of the decade (2011–2020) in 2021. McCaw is also a winner of the New Zealand sportsman of the decade award.
Justin Warren Marshall is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played 81 games for the New Zealand All Blacks between 1995 and 2005.
Daniel William Carter is a New Zealand retired rugby union player.
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.
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.
Patrick Richard Lam is a rugby union coach and former player. He is currently Director of Rugby at Bristol Bears in England's Premiership Rugby.
Andrew Ellis is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays the position of scrum-half for Rugby New York in Major League Rugby (MLR).
Simon Alexander Mannering is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. A New Zealand international second row forward, who could also play as a centre. He was appointed the New Zealand national team's captain in 2013 and was replaced by Jesse Bromwich in 2016 and was part of the 2008 World Cup-winning Kiwis team. Mannering was a one-club player who played his whole NRL career with the Warriors. With 301 appearances for the Warriors, Mannering is the club's most capped player.
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.
Rene Mark Nelson Ranger is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for Northland in the Bunnings NPC. Ranger plays the positions of wing and centre.
Daniel Russell Bowden is a New Zealand rugby union player, currently playing for Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup.
Paul Williams is a New Zealand-born Samoan international rugby union player who plays for Stade Français in the French Top 14. His regular playing positions are Centre, Wing and fullback. He is a son of former All Black Bryan Williams and the brother of Gavin Williams, who plays internationally for Samoa and for French club Clermont.
Kieran James Read is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played as a number 8 and is a former captain of the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks.
Ukuma Ta'ai is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row, loose forward or prop for the York Knights in the Betfred Championship and Tonga at international level.
Kalifa Faifai Loa is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup. A New Zealand and Samoa international representative, he previously played for the North Queensland Cowboys, Gold Coast Titans and the St. George Illawarra Dragons. Switched codes in 2020 playing in the Townsville district rugby union for the Western Suburbs Dragons and scoring 14 tries in 14 games at full back
Billy-John Guyton was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played at halfback for provincial side Tasman. Guyton spent the previous three years playing for North Otago in the Heartland championship, making 29 appearances for the province. He then moved north to sign with the Tasman Mako ahead of 2013 season's ITM Cup.
Jonathan David "Jono" Hickey is a New Zealand sportsman who currently represents in cricket and rugby union, playing wicket-keeper and batsman for the Northern Districts and playing in the scrum-half position for the provincial based ITM Cup side Auckland. Hickey attended Saint Kentigern College and is the older brother of Blues first five-eighths Simon.
Peter Ionatana Jack Umaga-Jensen is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as an center or outside back for Wellington in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
References
- ↑ "Rugby: Super job on horizon for players' coach?". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. 28 October 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ↑ "Rugby: Piutau scores three as Auckland run through Turbos". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.