Super Rugby AU

Last updated

Super Rugby AU
Current season, competition or edition:
Rugby football current event.svg 2021 Super Rugby AU season
Super Rugby AU logo 2021.png
Official Logo
Sport Rugby Union
First season 2020
Ceased 2021
No. of teams5
Country Australia
Last
champion(s)
Reds (1st title)
(2021 Super Rugby AU season)
Most titles Brumbies &
Reds (1 title)
TV partner(s) Digicel
ESPN
ESPN International
Nine Network
Sky Sport
Stan Sport
SuperSport
Telefónica
World Rugby
Wowow
Sponsor(s) Harvey Norman
Related
competitions
Super Rugby
Super Rugby Aotearoa
Super Rugby Unlocked
Official website SuperRugby.com

Super Rugby AU, formerly named the Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU for sponsorship purposes, [1] was a rugby union competition organised by Rugby Australia. The competition was created to supplant the 2020 Super Rugby season, which had been suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to ongoing international travel restrictions relating to the pandemic, the competition was continued with a second season in 2021. [2] The competition features the four Australian Super Rugby teams from the Australian conference, with the addition of the Western Force, in a round-robin tournament over a 12-week period, made up of 10 rounds, a qualifying final and a final.

Contents

The competition was announced on 12 May, [3] with the first round commencing on 3 July, making it the third sport to return in Australia (behind AFL and NRL) and just the second rugby union competition to return. Initially, all games were played behind-closed-doors, with restrictions on crowds being eased over time. [4] [5]

Media coverage

Television

During the 2020 season all matches were televised live by affiliate partners Fox Sports. Following Rugby Australia's broadcast deal with Nine Network, all games will be broadcast on streaming service Stan, with one game a round being simulcast on Nine's flagship free to air channel. [6]

Broadcasters

Super Rugby AU is shown by the following broadcasters:

BroadcasterCountry(ies)
Digicel Flag of the Cook Islands.svg  Cook Islands
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea
Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa
Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands
Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga
Flag of Tuvalu.svg  Tuvalu
Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu
ESPN
ESPN International
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg  Bolivia
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador
Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela
Nine Network
Stan Sport
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Sky Sport Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
SuperSport Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Telefónica Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
World Rugby Flag of the Taliban.svg  Afghanistan
Flag of Albania.svg  Albania
Flag of Alderney.svg  Alderney
Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan
Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina
Flag of Brunei.svg  Brunei
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
Flag of England.svg  England
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg  Federated States of Micronesia
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Flag of France.svg  France
Flag of Palestine.svg  Gaza Strip
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece
Flag of Guam.svg  Guam
Flag of Guernsey.svg  Guernsey
Flag of Herm.svg  Herm
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland
Flag of India.svg  India
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
Flag of the Isle of Man.svg  Isle of Man
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Jersey.svg  Jersey
Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Flag of Kiribati.svg  Kiribati
Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait
Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan
Flag of Laos.svg  Laos
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg
Flag of Macau.svg  Macau
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta
Flag of the Marshall Islands.svg  Marshall Islands
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova
Flag of Monaco.svg  Monaco
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia
Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro
Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands.svg  Northern Marianas
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Flag of Palau.svg  Palau
Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Romandy
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino
Flag of Sark.svg  Sark
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand
Flag of Canton of Ticino.svg  Ticino
Flag of East Timor.svg  Timor-Leste
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
Flag of the Vatican City (2023-present).svg  Vatican City
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
Flag of Palestine.svg  West Bank
Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen
Wowow Flag of Japan.svg  Japan

Corporate relations

Sponsorship

The 2020 tournament was run by Rugby Australia with the sponsorship of Foxtel which provided television coverage on its Fox Sports channels with Vodafone (Australia) being the naming rights sponsor. Gilbert is the official supplier of all rugby balls. Ahead of the 2021 season, Foxtel and Vodafone ended their sponsorship agreements, with Nine Network and Stan Sports providing the television coverage. Ahead of the start of the 2021 season, Rugby Australia announced a naming right sponsorship deal with retail company Harvey Norman. [1]

Merchandising

Official match day attire together with other club merchandise is sold through the team’s stores and websites as well through most retailers.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Rugby League</span> Australasian rugby league football competition

The National Rugby League is a professional rugby league competition in Australasia which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rugby</span> Rugby union club competition

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Force</span> Australian rugby union club, based in Perth, WA

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Cup</span> Australian rugby league competition

The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by fifteen teams, thirteen of which are based in Queensland, with one based in New South Wales and one in Central Province, Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willows Sports Complex</span> Stadium in Townsville, Queensland, Australia

The Willows Sports Complex was a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was used predominantly as a rugby league ground as the home ground of the North Queensland Cowboys National Rugby League club. The ground was also used for rugby union and soccer. From 2009 to 2011, A-League football club North Queensland Fury called it home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine's Wide World of Sports</span> Australian sports anthology series

Nine's Wide World of Sports is a long running sports anthology brand on Australian television that airs on the Nine Network and streaming service Stan. All major sports, events and series covered by the network are broadcast under this brand, the flagship sports being rugby league, rugby union and Grand Slam tennis and spring horse racing. Previous sporting rights include the Australian rules football, Australian Cricket Team home season, autumn horse racing, swimming until 2008, and golf since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Sports (Australia)</span> Australia group of sports channels

Fox Sports Australia Pty Limited is the division of Foxtel that owns and operates the Fox Sports television networks and digital properties in Australia. The group operates nine Fox Sports Channels as well as Fox Sports News, Fox Cricket, Fox League, Fox Footy, Watch AFL and Watch NRL. Fox Sports channels such as Fox Netball are available via Foxtel or Kayo. The group's main competitors are beIN Sports, ESPN, Optus Sport and Stan Sport. Unlike The American Fox Sports, the group is not owned directly by the Fox Corporation. However News Corp which holds a 65% stake in Foxtel is Fox Corporation's sister company.

There are several sports broadcasting contracts in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Rugby Championship</span> Australian national rugby union competition

The National Rugby Championship, known as NRC, was an Australian rugby union competition. It was contested by eight teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji. The tournament ran from 2014 until 2019 before being disbanded in 2020 following the change of the Australian rugby TV broadcasting deal from Fox Sports, who had funded the competition, to Stan Sport. The 2020 competition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stan is an Australian over-the-top streaming service. It was launched on 26 January 2015. Stan originally was founded as StreamCo Media, a 50/50 joint venture between Nine Entertainment Co. and Fairfax Media. In August 2014, each company invested A$50 million in StreamCo. StreamCo was renamed Stan Entertainment in December 2014, prior to the January 2015 launch of the streaming service. Nine Entertainment would ultimately acquire Fairfax Media in 2018, making Stan a wholly owned subsidiary of Nine Digital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox League</span> Australian subscription television channel

Fox League is an Australian subscription television channel dedicated to screening rugby league matches and related programming. It is owned by Fox Sports Pty Limited and is available throughout Australia on Foxtel. The channel was launched on 27 February 2017.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rugby Women's</span> Womens rugby union club competition in Australia

Super Rugby Women's is an annual professional women's rugby union club competition organised by Rugby Australia. It is contested by five clubs from Australia and one club from Fiji, who play a single series of round-robin matches to determine the four participants of a single-elimination tournament. The competition replaced the representative National Women's Championship with five teams owned by the Australian Super Rugby franchises, and began play in the 2018 season as an amateur league known as the Super W. The 2022 season saw the addition of a team from Fiji, and the introduction of salaries for players. The league adopted its current name in the 2024 season. Fijiana Drua are the current champions, while the New South Wales Waratahs have won the most championships (4).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayo Sports</span> Australian sports streaming service

Kayo Sports is an over-the-top video streaming subscription service available in Australia, owned by Hubbl. The service offers sports live and on demand from Fox Sports, ESPN and Racing.com.

The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.

The 2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa season was a domestic club rugby union tournament organised by New Zealand Rugby. It was a 10-week, round robin tournament played between the five New Zealand-based teams of Super Rugby. The competition supplanted the 2020 Super Rugby season, which was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 Super Rugby AU season was a professional club rugby union tournament organised by Rugby Australia. Sponsored by communications company Vodafone, the tournament replaced the Australian component of the incomplete 2020 Super Rugby season that was shut down in March of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It featured the four teams from the 2020 Australian conference, with the addition of former Super Rugby franchise the Western Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rugby Aotearoa</span> Rugby Competition

Super Rugby Aotearoa named the Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa for sponsorship purposes was a professional men's rugby union national club competition in New Zealand. Originally created to supplement the 2020 Super Rugby season, which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament continued in 2021, with a competition being confirmed later that year, including 12 teams in a brand new competition named Super Rugby Pacific.

The 2021 Super Rugby AU season was a professional club rugby union tournament organised by Rugby Australia. Announced on 11 November 2020, the tournament was the second season of Super Rugby AU, featuring the same 5 teams from the inaugural 2020 season, and ran from 19 February to 8 May 2021. The tournament was won by the Reds, who defeated the Brumbies 19–16 in the final at Suncorp Stadium, winning their first Super Rugby AU title, and first Super Rugby competition since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rugby Trans-Tasman</span> Professional mens rugby union club competition in Australia and New Zealand

Super Rugby Trans-Tasman was a professional men's rugby union club competition in Australia and New Zealand. It featured the five Super Rugby AU teams playing the five Super Rugby Aotearoa teams, followed by a final, and ran from 14 May to 19 June 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "Harvey Norman announced as Super Rugby AU naming rights partner for 2021". Rugby.com.au. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. "Revealed: Rugby Australia announce 2021 Super Rugby AU draw". www.rugby.com.au. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. "Suncorp Stadium derby to open Super Rugby AU competition". Rugby Australia. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. "PM opens door for Super Rugby AU crowds". Rugby Australia. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. "Brumbies get crowd boost for Super AU decider". ESPN.com. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  6. Phillips, Sam (9 November 2020). "Nine, Rugby Australia confirm groundbreaking $100m broadcast deal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2020.