2014 Rugby Championship

2014 Rugby Championship

Date	16 August 2014 – 4 October 2014
Countries	Argentina   Australia   New Zealand   South Africa
Final positions
Champions	New Zealand (13th title)
Bledisloe Cup	New Zealand
Freedom Cup	New Zealand
Mandela Challenge Plate	South Africa
Puma Trophy	Australia
Tournament statistics
Matches played	12
Tries scored	50 (4.17 per match)
Attendance	430,582 (35,882 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Nicolás Sánchez (52)
Most tries	Julian Savea (4)
← 2013 2015 →

The 2014 Rugby Championship was the third edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The tournament was won by New Zealand, with South Africa second, Australia third, and Argentina last.

The Championship began on 16 August with Australia hosting the defending champions, New Zealand, at the Stadium Australia in Sydney and South Africa hosting Argentina at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. The tournament continued for seven weeks, which included two byes, and concluded on 5 October with South Africa versus New Zealand at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg and Argentina versus Australia at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.

On 27 September, New Zealand clinched their third consecutive Championship after a bonus-point 34–13 win against Argentina in La Plata. ^{[1] [2]} The 2014 Rugby Championship was the first in which New Zealand failed to win all their matches –they drew with Australia in Week 1 and lost to South Africa in Week 6. It also saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17 in the last match of the tournament. ^[3]

Format and standings

The format for the 2014 tournament was the same as that for the 2012 and 2013 editions. ^[4] Each side played the other once at home, and once away; giving a total of six matches each, and twelve in total. ^[4] A win earns a team four points, a draw two points, and a loss no points. A bonus point can be earned one of two ways: by scoring four tries or more in a match, or by losing within seven points. ^[5] The competition winner is the side with the most points at the end of the tournament, however if two sides finish equal on points the side with the most wins is placed higher. ^[5]

Tournament standings ^[6]

Place	Nation	Games				Points			Try Bonus	Losing Bonus	Table points
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Diff
1	New Zealand	6	4	1	1	164	91	+73	3	1	22
2	South Africa	6	4	0	2	134	110	+24	1	2	19
3	Australia	6	2	1	3	115	160	−45	0	1	11
4	Argentina	6	1	0	5	105	157	−52	0	3	7

Summary

Richie McCaw made a record 134th appearance for New Zealand when he faced South Africa on 4 October 2014, overtaking the New Zealand record held by Colin Meads.

The first match of the championship was between New Zealand (also known as the All Blacks) and Australia (the Wallabies) in Sydney, Australia. The fixture doubled as a Bledisloe Cup match, and ended as a 12–12 draw. The All Blacks started stronger, and led 9–3 at half time, but Australia were much better in the second half. New Zealand had two players temporarily sent-off after being awarded yellow cards, but Australia were unable to capitalize on that advantage during their late dominance. All points were scored from penalties –four from each side. The draw ended a 17-match winning streak by the All Blacks. ^{[7] [8]} The following week both side met in their second Bledisloe Cup match of the Championship (the third is played following the tournament), but this time at Eden Park in New Zealand. ^{[9] [10]} The match was comfortably won by New Zealand 51–20, whose scored six tries to Australia's two. The All Blacks were regarded as the more physical of the two teams, ^{[9] [10]} and scored two tries from mauls. ^[9] The win meant that New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup (Australia needed to win the three-match series to regain the cup). ^[10]

The second match of the tournament was between South Africa (the Springboks) and Argentina (the Pumas) and played at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. South Africa won 13–6 and scored the only try of the match, which was played in wet and raining conditions. ^[11] The following week the two teams met again, this time at Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in Salta, Argentina. The Springboks won again, but were considered lucky to get the 31–33 victory. At one stage Argentina were winning by 12 points, and were leading with five minutes remaining, but Springbok Morné Steyn kicked a penalty in the 76th minute to give South Africa the lead and the win. ^[12]

In weeks three and four, Argentina and South Africa both travelled to Australasia for two away matches. Argentina played the All Blacks in Napier where they lost 28–9, before facing Australia on the Gold Coast where they lost 32–25. The Pumas loss to the All Blacks was played in wet conditions, with New Zealand scoring four tries, and Argentina three penalties. ^[13] Argentina's loss to Australia was much closer than their defeat in New Zealand. Despite leading by 16 points after 60 minutes, Australia conceded twelve points in the final quarter. Argentina trailed by seven points, the value of a converted try, when they had a scrum deep within Wallabies' territory, but Australia were awarded a free-kick after the Pumas' scrum-half fed the ball too early and the game ended. ^[14] In the third week the Springboks played Australia in Perth, where the Wallabies won 24–23. The Wallbies had trailed 23–14, but scored ten unanswered points after Springbok wing Bryan Habana, who was playing in his 100th test match, was yellow carded for a high tackle. ^[15] The following week South Africa played the All Blacks in Wellington. The match was won 14–10 by New Zealand, but only after they resisted repeated South African attacks on their try-line late in the game. ^[16] The win was the 36th consecutive victory for the All Blacks in New Zealand –a record stretching back to 2009. ^[17]

The last two weekends of matches were played in South Africa and Argentina. First up the Wallabies faced the Springboks in Cape Town, where South Africa won 28–10. The victory came after a ten-minute period at the end of the match where the Springboks scored three-tries. ^[18] The same weekend Argentina faced the All Blacks in La Plata. For the New Zealanders the match was overshadowed by the omission of Aaron Cruden, who had missed the flight to Argentina, and was subsequently dropped from the squad for the last two weeks of the Championship. ^[19] The All Blacks won 34–13, and with the bonus-point win took an unassailable lead in the Championship ^[20]  –giving them their third Rugby Championship, and 13th overall since the inception of the Tri-Nations Championship in 1996.

Despite New Zealand having secured the Championship title a week earlier, the final week of matches proved historic. The first match was the Springboks hosting the All Blacks at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. All Blacks' captain Richie McCaw played his 134th match for the side, surpassing the national record held by Colin Meads. ^[21] However the New Zealanders 22-match unbeaten run (going back to December 2012) was ended after a 55 metres (180 ft) penalty kicked by South African Patrick Lambie in the 78th minute gave his side a 27–25 win. ^[22] The last match of the tournament was between Argentina and Australia at Mendoza. The test was won 21–17 by the Pumas –their first win in the Rugby Championship since joining the competition in 2012. Australia led 14–0 within the first 15 minutes after scoring two early tries, however Argentina slowly accumulated points to overhaul their opponents. ^[23]

Sponsorship

The 2014 Rugby Championship was also known, for sponsorship reasons, as The Castle Lager Rugby Championship in South Africa, The Investec Rugby Championship in New Zealand, The Castrol Edge Rugby Championship in Australia and The Personal Rugby Championship in Argentina.

Fixtures

Week 1

16 August 2014 20:05 AEST (UTC+10)

Australia	12–12	New Zealand
Pen: Beale (4/5) 11', 44', 55', 69'	Report [24]	Pen: Cruden (4/5) 3', 6', 21', 59'

Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 68,627 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

FB 15 Israel Folau RW 14 Pat McCabe OC 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper IC 12 Matt To'omua LW 11 Rob Horne FH 10 Kurtley Beale  70' SH 9 Nic White  66' N8 8 Wycliff Palu  70' OF 7 Michael Hooper (c) BF 6 Scott Fardy  66' RL 5 Rob Simmons LL 4 Sam Carter TP 3 Sekope Kepu  78' HK 2 Nathan Charles LP 1 James Slipper  70' Replacements: HK 16 James Hanson PR 17 Pekahou Cowan  70' PR 18 Ben Alexander  78' LK 19 Will Skelton  70' N8 20 Scott Higginbotham  66' SH 21 Nick Phipps  66' FH 22 Bernard Foley  70' CE 23 Tevita Kuridrani Coach: Ewen McKenzie

FB 15 Ben Smith RW 14 Cory Jane OC 13 Malakai Fekitoa IC 12 Ma'a Nonu  57' LW 11 Julian Savea FH 10 Aaron Cruden  63' SH 9 Aaron Smith N8 8 Kieran Read OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) BF 6 Jerome Kaino  38'  48'  69' RL 5 Sam Whitelock LL 4 Brodie Retallick TP 3 Owen Franks  70' HK 2 Dane Coles  52' LP 1 Wyatt Crockett 38' to 48'  48' Replacements: HK 16 Keven Mealamu  52' PR 17 Ben Franks  38' PR 18 Joe Moody  70' FL 19 Steve Luatua FL 20 Sam Cane  69' SH 21 TJ Perenara FH 22 Beauden Barrett 69' to 79'  63' CE 23 Ryan Crotty  57' Coach: Steve Hansen

Man of the Match: James Slipper (Australia) Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) Stuart Berry (South Africa) Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Notes:

• Conrad Smith was named in the starting XV, but was withdrawn from the team on 15 August to attend the birth of his first child.
• Joe Moody made his international debut for New Zealand.
• The draw ended New Zealand's 17-match winning streak, preventing them from taking sole charge of the record for longest winning streak by a Tier 1 nation.

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16 August 2014 17:05 SAST (UTC+02)

South Africa	13–6	Argentina (1 BP)
Try: Pienaar 1' c Con: Pollard (1/1) 2' Pen: Pollard (1/1) 16' Steyn (1/1) 50'	Report [25]	Pen: Sánchez (2/2) 7', 42'

Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria Attendance: 30,453 Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 Cornal Hendricks OC 13 Damian de Allende IC 12 Jean de Villiers (c) LW 11 Bryan Habana FH 10 Handré Pollard  45' SH 9 Ruan Pienaar N8 8 Duane Vermeulen OF 7 Marcell Coetzee BF 6 Francois Louw RL 5 Lood de Jager LL 4 Bakkies Botha  40' TP 3 Jannie du Plessis  66' HK 2 Bismarck du Plessis  55' LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira Replacements: HK 16 Adriaan Strauss  55' PR 17 Trevor Nyakane PR 18 Frans Malherbe  66' LK 19 Eben Etzebeth  40' FL 20 Oupa Mohojé SH 21 Francois Hougaard FH 22 Morné Steyn  45' CE 23 Jan Serfontein Coach: Heyneke Meyer

FB 15 Joaquín Tuculet RW 14 Horacio Agulla  60' OC 13 Marcelo Bosch IC 12 Santiago González Iglesias LW 11 Manuel Montero FH 10 Nicolás Sánchez  64' SH 9 Martín Landajo  40' N8 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón OF 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe BF 6 Pablo Matera  57' RL 5 Tomás Lavanini  75' LL 4 Mariano Galarza TP 3 Ramiro Herrera  60' HK 2 Agustín Creevy (c) LP 1 Marcos Ayerza Replacements: HK 16 Matías Cortese PR 17 Lucas Noguera Paz PR 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro  60' LK 19 Matías Alemanno  75' N8 20 Leonardo Senatore  57' SH 21 Tomás Cubelli  40' CE 22 Jerónimo de la Fuente  64' WG 23 Lucas González Amorosino  60' Coach: Daniel Hourcade

Man of the Match: Francois Louw (South Africa) Touch judges: Steve Walsh (Australia) Marius Mitrea (Italy) Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Notes:

• Willem Alberts and Juan Martín Hernández were both named in their respective starting XV, but were withdrawn from their teams hours before kick off due injuries.
• Damian de Allende made his international debut for South Africa.

Week 2

23 August 2014 19:35 NZST (UTC+12)

(1 BP) New Zealand	51–20	Australia
Try: Penalty try 27' c Savea 30' c Read 49' c McCaw (2) 53' c, 59' c Luatua 80' c Con: Cruden (5/5) 28', 31', 50', 55', 59' A. Smith (1/1) 81' Pen: Cruden (3/4) 5', 7', 17'	Report [26]	Try: Folau 61' c Hooper 64' c Con: Beale (2/2) 62', 65' Pen: Beale (2/2) 1', 13'

Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 48,211 Referee: Romain Poite (France)

FB 15 Ben Smith RW 14 Cory Jane  45' OC 13 Conrad Smith IC 12 Ryan Crotty  40' LW 11 Julian Savea FH 10 Aaron Cruden  75' SH 9 Aaron Smith N8 8 Kieran Read OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) 12' to 22' BF 6 Liam Messam  62' RL 5 Sam Whitelock LL 4 Brodie Retallick  71' TP 3 Owen Franks  60' HK 2 Dane Coles  65' LP 1 Wyatt Crockett  60' Replacements: HK 16 Keven Mealamu  65' PR 17 Ben Franks 76' to 80'  60' PR 18 Charlie Faumuina  60' FL 19 Steve Luatua  62' FL 20 Sam Cane  71' SH 21 TJ Perenara  75' FH 22 Beauden Barrett  45' CE 23 Malakai Fekitoa  40' Coach: Steve Hansen

FB 15 Israel Folau RW 14 Pat McCabe  62' OC 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper IC 12 Matt To'omua  55' LW 11 Rob Horne FH 10 Kurtley Beale SH 9 Nic White  51' N8 8 Wycliff Palu  55' OF 7 Michael Hooper (c) BF 6 Scott Fardy  64' RL 5 Rob Simmons 22' to 32' LL 4 Sam Carter TP 3 Sekope Kepu  64' HK 2 Nathan Charles  31' LP 1 James Slipper Replacements: HK 16 James Hanson  31' PR 17 Pekahou Cowan PR 18 Ben Alexander  64' LK 19 Will Skelton  64' N8 20 Scott Higginbotham  55' SH 21 Nick Phipps  51' FH 22 Bernard Foley  55' CE 23 Tevita Kuridrani  62' Coach: Ewen McKenzie

Man of the Match: Brodie Retallick (New Zealand) Touch judges: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) Stuart Berry (South Africa) Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Notes:

• Cory Jane earned his 50th test cap for New Zealand.
• New Zealand retain the Bledisloe Cup.

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23 August 2014 16:40 AST (UTC-03)

(1 BP) Argentina	31–33	South Africa
Try: Montero 25' c Cubelli 46' c Tuculet 50' m Con: Sánchez (2/3) 26', 46' Pen: Sánchez (2/4) 3', 55 Bosch (1/1) 73' Drop: Hernández (1/1) 12'	Report [27]	Try: Habana 31' c Hendricks 59' c Coetzee 68' c Con: Pollard (1/1) 32' Steyn (2/2) 59', 69' Pen: Pollard (3/3) 10', 22', 29' Steyn (1/1) 76'

Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta Attendance: 17,000 Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)

FB 15 Joaquín Tuculet RW 14 Lucas González Amorosino OC 13 Marcelo Bosch IC 12 Juan Martín Hernández LW 11 Manuel Montero  77' FH 10 Nicolás Sánchez  77' SH 9 Martín Landajo  33' N8 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón OF 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe BF 6 Pablo Matera  35' RL 5 Tomás Lavanini  69' LL 4 Mariano Galarza TP 3 Ramiro Herrera  67' HK 2 Agustín Creevy (c)  80' LP 1 Marcos Ayerza  77' Replacements: HK 16 Matías Cortese  80' PR 17 Bruno Postiglioni  77' PR 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro  67' LK 19 Matías Alemanno  69' N8 20 Leonardo Senatore  35' SH 21 Tomás Cubelli  33' CE 22 Jerónimo de la Fuente  77' WG 23 Horacio Agulla  77' Coach: Daniel Hourcade

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 Cornal Hendricks OC 13 Damian de Allende IC 12 Jean de Villiers (c) LW 11 Bryan Habana FH 10 Handré Pollard  55' SH 9 Ruan Pienaar  59' N8 8 Duane Vermeulen OF 7 Juan Smith  51' BF 6 Francois Louw RL 5 Lood de Jager LL 4 Eben Etzebeth  69' TP 3 Jannie du Plessis  45'  78' HK 2 Bismarck du Plessis  51' LP 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp  45' Replacements: HK 16 Adriaan Strauss  51' PR 17 Tendai Mtawarira  45' PR 18 Frans Malherbe  45'  78' LK 19 Bakkies Botha  69' FL 20 Marcell Coetzee  51' SH 21 Francois Hougaard  59' FH 22 Morné Steyn  55' WG 23 Lwazi Mvovo Coach: Heyneke Meyer

Man of the Match: Nicolás Sánchez (Argentina) Touch judges: John Lacey (Ireland) Marius Mitrea (Italy) Television match official: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)

Notes:

• Marcos Ayerza earned his 50th test cap for Argentina.
• This loss was Argentina's seventh consecutive loss at home, the most consecutive losses at home.

Week 3

6 September 2014 19:35 NZST (UTC+12)

(1 BP) New Zealand	28–9	Argentina
Try: Savea (2) 26' m, 43' m Messam 40' m A. Smith 72' c Con: Slade (1/1) 73' Pen: Barrett (1/2) 15' Slade (1/2) 64'	Report [28]	Pen: Sánchez (3/3) 18', 32', 62'

McLean Park, Napier Attendance: 21,329 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)

FB 15 Israel Dagg RW 14 Ben Smith OC 13 Conrad Smith IC 12 Ma'a Nonu LW 11 Julian Savea FH 10 Beauden Barrett  55' SH 9 Aaron Smith  73' N8 8 Kieran Read OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) BF 6 Liam Messam  43' RL 5 Sam Whitelock  27' LL 4 Brodie Retallick TP 3 Owen Franks  65' HK 2 Dane Coles  65' LP 1 Wyatt Crockett  58' Replacements: HK 16 Keven Mealamu  65' PR 17 Joe Moody  58' PR 18 Ben Franks  65' LK 19 Jeremy Thrush  27' FL 20 Sam Cane  43' SH 21 TJ Perenara  73' FH 22 Colin Slade  55' CE 23 Malakai Fekitoa Coach: Steve Hansen

FB 15 Joaquín Tuculet RW 14 Horacio Agulla  65' OC 13 Marcelo Bosch IC 12 Juan Martín Hernández LW 11 Lucas González Amorosino FH 10 Nicolás Sánchez  73' SH 9 Martín Landajo  54' N8 8 Leonardo Senatore  65' OF 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe BF 6 Juan Manuel Leguizamón RL 5 Tomás Lavanini LL 4 Mariano Galarza  73' TP 3 Ramiro Herrera  66' HK 2 Agustín Creevy (c)  73' LP 1 Marcos Ayerza  65' Replacements: HK 16 Matías Cortese  73' PR 17 Lucas Noguera Paz  65' PR 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro  66' LK 19 Matías Alemanno  73' FL 20 Rodrigo Baez  65' SH 21 Tomás Cubelli  54' FH 22 Santiago González Iglesias  73' WG 23 Juan Imhoff  65' Coach: Daniel Hourcade

Man of the Match: Brodie Retallick (New Zealand) Touch judges: Jérôme Garcès (France) Rohan Hoffmann (Australia) Television match official: Peter Marshall (Australia)

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6 September 2014 18:05 AWST (UTC+08)

Australia	24–23	South Africa (1 BP)
Try: Folau 1' m Horne 77' c Con: Foley (1/2) 78' Pen: Foley (4/4) 16', 27', 41', 68'	Report [29]	Try: Hendricks 12' m Pen: Steyn (6/6) 6', 18', 24', 44', 48', 62'

Subiaco Oval, Perth Attendance: 25,718 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)

FB 15 Israel Folau RW 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper OC 13 Tevita Kuridrani IC 12 Matt To'omua  72' LW 11 Rob Horne FH 10 Bernard Foley SH 9 Nick Phipps N8 8 Wycliff Palu  59' OF 7 Michael Hooper (c) BF 6 Scott Fardy  70' RL 5 Rob Simmons LL 4 Sam Carter  59' TP 3 Sekope Kepu  66' HK 2 James Hanson LP 1 James Slipper  52' Replacements: HK 16 Joshua Mann-Rea PR 17 Pekahou Cowan  52' PR 18 Ben Alexander  66' LK 19 James Horwill  59' N8 20 Scott Higginbotham  59' FL 21 Matt Hodgson  70' SH 22 Nic White FH 23 Kurtley Beale  72' Coach: Ewen McKenzie

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 Cornal Hendricks OC 13 Jan Serfontein IC 12 Jean de Villiers (c) LW 11 Bryan Habana 65' to 75' FH 10 Morné Steyn SH 9 Ruan Pienaar N8 8 Duane Vermeulen OF 7 Marcell Coetzee BF 6 Francois Louw  69' RL 5 Victor Matfield LL 4 Eben Etzebeth  72' TP 3 Jannie du Plessis  66' HK 2 Adriaan Strauss  60' LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira  69' Replacements: HK 16 Bismarck du Plessis  60' PR 17 Trevor Nyakane  69' PR 18 Marcel van der Merwe  66' LK 19 Lood de Jager  72' N8 20 Warren Whiteley  79' SH 21 Francois Hougaard FH 22 Pat Lambie  69'  79' CE 23 Damian de Allende Coach: Heyneke Meyer

Man of the Match: Tevita Kuridrani (Australia) Touch judges: Glen Jackson (New Zealand) Mike Fraser (New Zealand) Television match official: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Notes:

• Saia Fainga'a was named on the bench, but was withdrawn from the squad to attend the birth of his child.
• Bryan Habana became the fourth South Africa player to earn 100 test caps.
• Warren Whiteley made his international debut for South Africa.

Week 4

13 September 2014 19:35 NZST (UTC+12)

New Zealand	14–10	South Africa (1 BP)
Try: McCaw 46' m Pen: Cruden (2/3) 10', 23' Barrett (1/1) 66'	Report [30]	Try: Hendricks 15' Con: Pollard (1/1) 16' Drop: Pollard (1/1) 55'

Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 35,747 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)

FB 15 Israel Dagg RW 14 Ben Smith OC 13 Conrad Smith IC 12 Ma'a Nonu  40' LW 11 Julian Savea FH 10 Aaron Cruden  58' SH 9 Aaron Smith N8 8 Kieran Read OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) BF 6 Steve Luatua  50' RL 5 Jeremy Thrush  77' LL 4 Brodie Retallick TP 3 Owen Franks  58' HK 2 Dane Coles  70' LP 1 Wyatt Crockett  58' Replacements: HK 16 Keven Mealamu  70' PR 17 Joe Moody  58' PR 18 Ben Franks  58' LK 19 Patrick Tuipulotu  77' FL 20 Sam Cane  50' SH 21 TJ Perenara FH 22 Beauden Barrett  58' WG 23 Cory Jane  40' Coach: Steve Hansen

FB 15 Willie le Roux  70' RW 14 Cornal Hendricks OC 13 Jan Serfontein IC 12 Jean de Villiers (c) LW 11 Bryan Habana FH 10 Handré Pollard SH 9 Ruan Pienaar  35' N8 8 Duane Vermeulen OF 7 Marcell Coetzee BF 6 Francois Louw  47' RL 5 Victor Matfield LL 4 Eben Etzebeth  70' TP 3 Jannie du Plessis  77' HK 2 Adriaan Strauss  54' LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira  66' Replacements: HK 16 Bismarck du Plessis  54' PR 17 Trevor Nyakane  66' PR 18 Marcel van der Merwe  77' LK 19 Lood de Jager  70' N8 20 Warren Whiteley  47' SH 21 Francois Hougaard  35' FH 22 Pat Lambie  70' CE 23 Damian de Allende Coach: Heyneke Meyer

Man of the Match: Duane Vermeulen (South Africa) Touch judges: Pascal Gaüzère (France) Rohan Hoffmann (Australia) Television match official: Peter Marshall (Australia)

Notes:

• Jean de Villiers became the fifth South Africa player to earn 100 test caps.
• New Zealand retained the Freedom Cup.

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13 September 2014 20:05 AEST (UTC+10)

Australia	32–25	Argentina (1 BP)
Try: Hooper (2) 2' m, 43' c Betham 59' m Con: Foley (1/3) 44' Pen: Foley (5/5) 15', 38', 40', 54', 73'	Report [31]	Try: Montero 6' c Bosch 63' c Tuculet 70' m Con: Sánchez (2/3) 7', 65' Pen: Sánchez (2/3) 49', 57'

Robina Stadium, Gold Coast Attendance: 14,281 Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

FB 15 Israel Folau RW 14 Peter Betham  70' OC 13 Tevita Kuridrani IC 12 Matt To'omua  52' LW 11 Rob Horne FH 10 Bernard Foley SH 9 Nick Phipps N8 8 Ben McCalman  69' OF 7 Michael Hooper (c) BF 6 Scott Fardy  49' RL 5 Rob Simmons LL 4 Sam Carter  61' TP 3 Sekope Kepu  58' HK 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau  40' LP 1 James Slipper  49' Replacements: HK 16 James Hanson  40' PR 17 Pekahou Cowan  49' PR 18 Ben Alexander  58' LK 19 James Horwill  61' N8 20 Scott Higginbotham  49' FL 21 Matt Hodgson  69' SH 22 Nic White  70' FH 23 Kurtley Beale  52' Coach: Ewen McKenzie

FB 15 Joaquín Tuculet RW 14 Juan Imhoff OC 13 Marcelo Bosch IC 12 Juan Martín Hernández  50' LW 11 Manuel Montero  79' FH 10 Nicolás Sánchez SH 9 Martín Landajo  55' N8 8 Leonardo Senatore  35'  40' OF 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe BF 6 Juan Manuel Leguizamón  50' RL 5 Matías Alemanno LL 4 Mariano Galarza  67' TP 3 Ramiro Herrera  58' HK 2 Agustín Creevy (c)  72' LP 1 Marcos Ayerza  50'  66'  67' Replacements: HK 16 Matías Cortese  72' PR 17 Bruno Postiglioni  50'  66'  67' PR 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro  58' N8 19 Benjamín Macome  35'  40'  67' FL 20 Rodrigo Baez  50' SH 21 Tomás Cubelli  55' CE 22 Jerónimo de la Fuente  50' WG 23 Lucas González Amorosino  79' Coach: Daniel Hourcade

Man of the Match: Bernard Foley (Australia) Touch judges: George Clancy (Ireland) Mike Fraser (New Zealand) Television match official: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Notes:

• The attendance of 14,281 was the lowest attendance for an Australia home test match this century. ^[32]
• Tatafu Polota-Nau earned his 50th test cap for Australia.
• Australia retained the Puma Trophy.

Week 5

27 September 2014 17:05 SAST (UTC+02)

(1 BP) South Africa	28–10	Australia
Try: Coetzee 12' m De Villiers (2) 71', 80' Lambie 78' m Con: Lambie (1/3) 80+2' Pen: Pollard (1/1) 43' Drop: Lambie (1/1) 69'	Report [33]	Try: Ashley-Cooper 25' c Con: Foley (1/1) 27' Pen: Foley (1/2) 24'

Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 44,955 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 Cornal Hendricks OC 13 Jan Serfontein IC 12 Jean de Villiers (c) LW 11 Bryan Habana 26' to 37'  40' FH 10 Handré Pollard  58' SH 9 Francois Hougaard  77' N8 8 Duane Vermeulen  61' OF 7 Oupa Mohojé  54' BF 6 Marcell Coetzee RL 5 Victor Matfield LL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Jannie du Plessis  65' HK 2 Adriaan Strauss  58' LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira  69' Replacements: HK 16 Bismarck du Plessis  58' PR 17 Trevor Nyakane  69' PR 18 Marcel van der Merwe  65' LK 19 Bakkies Botha  61' FL 20 Schalk Burger  54' SH 21 Cobus Reinach  77' FH 22 Pat Lambie  58' CE 23 JP Pietersen  26'  37'  40' Coach: Heyneke Meyer

FB 15 Israel Folau RW 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper OC 13 Tevita Kuridrani IC 12 Matt To'omua  54' LW 11 Joe Tomane  66' FH 10 Bernard Foley SH 9 Nick Phipps N8 8 Ben McCalman  58' OF 7 Michael Hooper (c) BF 6 Scott Fardy RL 5 Rob Simmons  40' LL 4 Sam Carter TP 3 Sekope Kepu  69' HK 2 Saia Fainga'a  61' LP 1 James Slipper  65' Replacements: HK 16 James Hanson  61' PR 17 Benn Robinson  65' PR 18 Ben Alexander  69' LK 19 James Horwill  40' N8 20 Scott Higginbotham  58' SH 21 Nic White FH 22 Kurtley Beale  54' WG 23 Rob Horne  66' Coach: Ewen McKenzie

Man of the Match: Francois Hougaard (South Africa) Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) Mathieu Raynal (France) Television match official: Graham Hughes (England)

Notes:

• Cobus Reinach made his international debut for South Africa.
• South Africa retain the Mandela Challenge Plate.

---

27 September 2014 19:10 AST (UTC-03)

Argentina	13–34	New Zealand (1 BP)
Try: Agulla 78' c Con: González Iglesias (1/1) 79' Pen: Sánchez (2/3) 16', 35'	Report [34]	Try: B. Smith 11' c Dagg 24' c Savea 56' c Perenara 67' c Con: Barrett (4/4) 12', 25', 57', 68' Pen: Barrett (2/2) 3', 8'

Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata Attendance: 37,000 [35] Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

FB 15 Joaquín Tuculet RW 14 Juan Imhoff OC 13 Marcelo Bosch  65' IC 12 Juan Martín Hernández  58' LW 11 Manuel Montero FH 10 Nicolás Sánchez SH 9 Tomás Cubelli  53' N8 8 Leonardo Senatore  58' OF 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe BF 6 Benjamín Macome RL 5 Tomás Lavanini LL 4 Mariano Galarza  62' TP 3 Ramiro Herrera  52' HK 2 Agustín Creevy (c)  69' LP 1 Marcos Ayerza  64' Replacements: HK 16 Matías Cortese  69' PR 17 Lucas Noguera Paz  64' PR 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro  52' LK 19 Matías Alemanno  62' FL 20 Rodrigo Baez  58' SH 21 Martín Landajo  53' FH 22 Santiago González Iglesias  58' WG 23 Horacio Agulla  65' Coach: Daniel Hourcade

FB 15 Israel Dagg RW 14 Ben Smith OC 13 Conrad Smith  71' IC 12 Malakai Fekitoa LW 11 Julian Savea FH 10 Beauden Barrett SH 9 Aaron Smith  64' N8 8 Kieran Read OF 7 Richie McCaw (c)  64' BF 6 Jerome Kaino RL 5 Sam Whitelock LL 4 Brodie Retallick  53' TP 3 Owen Franks  71' HK 2 Keven Mealamu  71' LP 1 Wyatt Crockett 1' to 12'  53' Replacements: HK 16 Nathan Harris  71' PR 17 Joe Moody  1'  12'  53' PR 18 Ben Franks  71' LK 19 Jeremy Thrush  53' FL 20 Sam Cane  64' SH 21 TJ Perenara  64' FH 22 Colin Slade  71' WG 23 Cory Jane Coach: Steve Hansen

Man of the Match: Jerome Kaino (New Zealand) Touch judges: Jérôme Garcès (France) Leighton Hodges (Wales) Television match official: Deon van Blommestein (South Africa)

Notes:

• Nathan Harris made his international debut for New Zealand.

Week 6

4 October 2014 17:05 SAST (UTC+02)

South Africa	27–25	New Zealand (1 BP)
Try: Hougaard 11' c Pollard (2) 26' c , 39' c Con: Pollard (3/3) 12', 27', 39' Pen: Pollard (1/2) 46' Lambie (1/1) 78'	Report [36]	Try: Fekitoa 32' c B. Smith 65' c Coles 69' m Con: Barrett (2/3) 33', 66' Pen: Barrett (2/2) 8', 23'

Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Attendance: 61,261 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 Cornal Hendricks  57' OC 13 Jan Serfontein IC 12 Jean de Villiers (c) LW 11 Bryan Habana FH 10 Handré Pollard  62' SH 9 Francois Hougaard  67' N8 8 Duane Vermeulen OF 7 Oupa Mohojé  49' BF 6 Marcell Coetzee RL 5 Victor Matfield LL 4 Eben Etzebeth  62' TP 3 Jannie du Plessis  62' HK 2 Bismarck du Plessis  52' LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira  72' Replacements: HK 16 Adriaan Strauss  52' PR 17 Trevor Nyakane  72' PR 18 Marcel van der Merwe  62' LK 19 Bakkies Botha  62' FL 20 Schalk Burger  49' SH 21 Cobus Reinach  67' FH 22 Pat Lambie  62' CE 23 JP Pietersen  57' Coach: Heyneke Meyer

FB 15 Israel Dagg RW 14 Ben Smith OC 13 Conrad Smith  73' IC 12 Malakai Fekitoa LW 11 Julian Savea FH 10 Beauden Barrett SH 9 Aaron Smith  65' N8 8 Kieran Read OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) BF 6 Jerome Kaino  60' RL 5 Sam Whitelock LL 4 Jeremy Thrush  48' TP 3 Owen Franks  57' HK 2 Keven Mealamu  48' LP 1 Joe Moody  40' Replacements: HK 16 Dane Coles  48' PR 17 Ben Franks  40' PR 18 Charlie Faumuina  57' FL 19 Steve Luatua  60' FL 20 Liam Messam  48' SH 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow  65'  74' FH 22 Colin Slade  74' CE 23 Ryan Crotty  73' Coach: Steve Hansen

Man of the Match: Duane Vermeulen (South Africa) Touch judges: Pascal Gauzère (France) JP Doyle (RFU) Television match official: Graham Hughes (RFU)

Notes:

• This loss, was New Zealand's first loss in The Rugby Championship since its formation in 2012.
• South Africa becomes the first team to beat New Zealand, since the All Black's 38–21 loss to England in 2012.
• This was South Africa's first win over New Zealand since their 18–5 win during the 2011 Tri Nations Series.

---

4 October 2014 19:40 AST (UTC-03)

Argentina	21–17	Australia (1 BP)
Try: Senatore 34' m Imhoff 52' c Con: Sánchez (1/2) 53' Pen: Sánchez (3/5) 40', 43', 74'	Report [37]	Try: Kuridrani 2' c Higginbotham 12' c Con: Foley (2/2) 4', 13' Pen: Foley (1/3) 47'

Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

FB 15 Joaquín Tuculet  74' RW 14 Juan Imhoff OC 13 Horacio Agulla  69' IC 12 Juan Martín Hernández LW 11 Lucas González Amorosino FH 10 Nicolás Sánchez SH 9 Martín Landajo  58' N8 8 Leonardo Senatore OF 7 Benjamín Macome  13' BF 6 Rodrigo Báez RL 5 Tomás Lavanini LL 4 Mariano Galarza  73' TP 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro  63' HK 2 Agustín Creevy (c) LP 1 Marcos Ayerza  66' Replacements: HK 16 Matías Cortese PR 17 Bruno Postiglioni  66' PR 18 Ramiro Herrera  63' LK 19 Matías Alemanno  73' FL 20 Javier Ortega Desio  13' SH 21 Tomás Cubelli  58' CE 22 Marcelo Bosch  69' CE 23 Jerónimo de la Fuente  74' Coach: Daniel Hourcade

FB 15 Israel Folau RW 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper OC 13 Tevita Kuridrani IC 12 Matt To'omua  30' LW 11 Joe Tomane FH 10 Bernard Foley SH 9 Nick Phipps 42' to 52'  63' N8 8 Scott Higginbotham  58' OF 7 Michael Hooper (c) 73' to 80' BF 6 Scott Fardy RL 5 James Horwill  67' LL 4 Sam Carter TP 3 Sekope Kepu  58' HK 2 Saia Fainga'a  71' LP 1 James Slipper  58' Replacements: HK 16 Joshua Mann-Rea  71' PR 17 Benn Robinson  58' PR 18 Ben Alexander  58' LK 19 Will Skelton  67' N8 20 Jake Schatz  58' FL 21 Matt Hodgson SH 22 Nic White  63' WG 23 Rob Horne  30' Coach: Ewen McKenzie

Touch judges: Craig Joubert (South Africa) Leighton Hodges (Wales) Television match official: Deon van Blommestein (South Africa)

Notes:

• This was Argentina's first ever win in The Rugby Championship since its formation in 2012.
• This was Argentina's first win over Australia since their 18–16 win in 1997.
• Jake Schatz and Joshua Mann-Rea made their international debuts for Australia.

Warm-up matches

On 25 July and 2 August, Argentina played two uncapped matches against French Top 14 side Grenoble in preparation for the tournament. ^[38] This was the third year in which Argentina had played two warm-up matches pre Rugby Championship; New South Wales Waratahs Barbarians in 2013 and Stade Français in 2012.

	25 July 2014	Argentina	44–21	Grenoble	C.A.S.I., San Isidro
	20:10 AST (UTC-03)	Try: Imhoff 21' c Leguizamón 24' m Montero 34' m Penalty try 60' c Moroni 66' c González Amorosino 78' c Con: Sánchez (2/4) 21', 61' González Iglesias (2/2) 67', 78' Pen: Sánchez (2/3) 6', 51'	Report [39] (In Spanish)	Try: Caminati 27' Héguy 80' m Con: Wisniewski (1/2) 28' Pen: Wisniewski (3/3) 32', 37', 41'	Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)

	2 August 2014	Argentina	56–22	Grenoble	Estadio Bicentenario Ciudad de Catamarca, Catamarca
	16:10 AST (UTC-03)	Try: Imhoff (2) 13' c, 65' c De la Fuente 16' c Fernández Lobbe 56' c Senatore 67' c Tuculet 70' c Agulla 75' m Con: Sánchez (4/4) 14', 17', 57', 65' González Iglesias (2/3) 68', 71' Pen: Sánchez (3/4) 26', 59', 63'	Report [40] (In Spanish)	Try: Thiéry 7' c Roodt 32' c Hayes 46' m Con: Wisniewski (2/3) 7', 33' Pen: Wisniewski (1/1) 36'	Referee: Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)

Squads

Summary

Nation	Match venues			Head coach	Captain
	Name	City	Capacity
Argentina	Estadio Ciudad de La Plata	La Plata	53,000	Daniel Hourcade	Agustín Creevy
	Estadio Malvinas Argentinas	Mendoza	40,268
	Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena	Salta	20,408
Australia	Stadium Australia	Sydney	84,000	Ewen McKenzie	Michael Hooper
	Subiaco Oval	Perth	43,500
	Robina Stadium	Gold Coast	27,400
New Zealand	Eden Park	Auckland	50,000	Steve Hansen	Richie McCaw
	Wellington Regional Stadium	Wellington	34,500
	McLean Park	Napier	22,000
South Africa	Ellis Park Stadium	Johannesburg	62,567	Heyneke Meyer	Jean de Villiers
	Newlands Stadium	Cape Town	51,900
	Loftus Versfeld Stadium	Pretoria	51,762

Note: Ages, caps and domestic side are of 16 August 2014 – the starting date of the tournament.

Argentina

Argentina 30-man squad for the Championship was announced on 23 June. ^[41] In addition to the 30-man squad, a further nine players were invited to train with the squad and acted as stand-by players should a call-up have been necessary. ^[42] Those players are: hookers Julián Montoya (Newman) and Santiago Iglesias (Uni. Tucumán), lock Guido Petti (San Isidro), number 8 Benjamín Macome, scrum-half Felipe Ezcurra (Hindú), fly-half Patricio Fernández (Jockey Club), centres Matías Moroni (CUBA) and Javier Rojas (Uni. Tucumán) and winger Ramiro Moyano (Lince R.C.)

On 15 July, Marcos Ayerza was added to the squad to provide further options in the front row. ^[43]

On 10 September, Benjamín Macome was promoted to the main squad as cover for Tomás Lavanini, who was unable to play in the fourth round. ^[44]

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Matías Cortese	Hooker	(1985-10-01)1 October 1985 (aged 28)	7	Liceo
Agustín Creevy (c)	Hooker	(1985-03-15)15 March 1985 (aged 29)	28	Worcester Warriors
Marcos Ayerza	Prop	(1983-01-12)12 January 1983 (aged 31)	48	Leicester Tigers
Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro	Prop	(1989-11-06)6 November 1989 (aged 24)	7	La Plata
Ramiro Herrera	Prop	(1989-02-14)14 February 1989 (aged 25)	2	Castres
Lucas Noguera Paz	Prop	(1993-05-10)10 May 1993 (aged 21)	5	Lince R.C.
Bruno Postiglioni	Prop	(1987-04-08)8 April 1987 (aged 27)	13	La Plata
Matías Alemanno	Lock	(1991-12-05)5 December 1991 (aged 22)	5	Tablada
Mariano Galarza	Lock	(1986-12-11)11 December 1986 (aged 27)	18	Gloucester
Tomás Lavanini	Lock	(1993-01-22)22 January 1993 (aged 21)	10	Hindú
Rodrigo Báez	Flanker	(1989-02-08)8 February 1989 (aged 25)	11	Liceo
Juan Manuel Leguizamón	Flanker	(1983-06-06)6 June 1983 (aged 31)	55	Lyon
Pablo Matera	Flanker	(1993-07-18)18 July 1993 (aged 21)	11	Leicester Tigers
Javier Ortega Desio	Flanker	(1990-06-14)14 June 1990 (aged 24)	8	Paraná
Tomás de la Vega	Flanker	(1990-09-28)28 September 1990 (aged 23)	12	CUBA
Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe	Number 8	(1981-11-19)19 November 1981 (aged 32)	56	Toulon
Benjamín Macome	Number 8	(1986-10-01)1 October 1986 (aged 27)	18	Unattached
Leonardo Senatore	Number 8	(1984-05-13)13 May 1984 (aged 30)	20	Worcester Warriors
Tomás Cubelli	Scrum-half	(1989-06-12)12 June 1989 (aged 25)	25	Belgrano
Martín Landajo	Scrum-half	(1988-06-14)14 June 1988 (aged 26)	31	C.A.S.I.
Santiago González Iglesias	Fly-half	(1988-06-16)16 June 1988 (aged 26)	7	Alumni
Nicolás Sánchez	Fly-half	(1988-10-26)26 October 1988 (aged 25)	21	Unattached
Marcelo Bosch	Centre	(1984-01-07)7 January 1984 (aged 30)	25	Saracens
Jerónimo de la Fuente	Centre	(1991-02-24)24 February 1991 (aged 23)	4	Duendes
Matías Orlando	Centre	(1991-11-14)14 November 1991 (aged 22)	9	Huirapuca
Horacio Agulla	Wing	(1984-10-22)22 October 1984 (aged 29)	51	Bath
Lucas González Amorosino	Wing	(1985-11-02)2 November 1985 (aged 28)	33	Unattached
Juan Imhoff	Wing	(1988-05-11)11 May 1988 (aged 26)	20	Racing Métro
Manuel Montero	Wing	(1991-11-20)20 November 1991 (aged 22)	13	Pucará
Santiago Cordero	Fullback	(1993-12-06)6 December 1993 (aged 20)	7	Regatas
Juan Martín Hernández	Fullback	(1982-08-07)7 August 1982 (aged 32)	44	Unattached
Joaquín Tuculet	Fullback	(1989-08-08)8 August 1989 (aged 25)	11	Unattached

Australia

Australia 32-man squad for the Championship was announced on 23 July. ^[45]

Although Henry Speight has been named in the squad, he is not eligible to play for the Wallabies until September 11, after round three of the Championship.

On 30 July, Peter Betham was called up to the squad as cover for Henry Speight, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury. ^[46]

On 5 August, Tolu Latu and Laurie Weeks were called up to the squad as cover for Tatafu Polota-Nau, who was ruled out of the opening match with a ligament injury, and Scott Sio who was ruled out with an ankle injury. ^[47]

On 10 August, Tom English and Paddy Ryan were called up to the squad to cover Joe Tomane and Laurie Weeks who both suffered hamstring injuries in training, thus being ruled out of the start of the Championship. ^[48]

On 11 August, Saia Fainga'a was called up to the squad to replace Tolu Latu who was withdrawn from the squad due to a broken arm. ^[49]

On 27 August, Kyle Godwin was called up to the squad to replace Pat McCabe who was withdrawn from the squad due to a retirement enforced injury. ^[50]

On 4 September, Josh Mann-Rea was called up to the squad as cover for Saia Fainga'a, who potentially would have to leave the squad for the birth of his child during the week leading up to Round 3. ^[51] Although Mann-Rea remained in the squad for Round's 5 and 6 with Polota-Nau withdrawing from the squad due to injury. ^[52]

On 7 September, Will Genia and Benn Robinson was added to the squad as training cover for their respective positions. ^[53] Although they remained in the squad for Round's 5 and 6 as a full squad member.

On 8 September, Jake Schatz was added to the squad as cover for Wycliff Palu who was ruled out of Round 4. ^[54]

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Nathan Charles	Hooker	(1989-01-09)9 January 1989 (aged 25)	2	Force
Saia Fainga'a	Hooker	(1987-02-02)2 February 1987 (aged 27)	29	Reds
James Hanson	Hooker	(1988-09-15)15 September 1988 (aged 25)	1	Reds
Tolu Latu	Hooker	(1993-02-23)23 February 1993 (aged 21)	0	Waratahs
Joshua Mann-Rea	Hooker	(1981-02-19)19 February 1981 (aged 33)	0	Brumbies
Tatafu Polota-Nau	Hooker	(1985-07-26)26 July 1985 (aged 29)	49	Waratahs
Ben Alexander	Prop	(1984-11-13)13 November 1984 (aged 29)	62	Brumbies
Pekahou Cowan	Prop	(1986-06-02)2 June 1986 (aged 28)	7	Force
Sekope Kepu	Prop	(1986-02-05)5 February 1986 (aged 28)	41	Waratahs
Benn Robinson	Prop	(1984-07-19)19 July 1984 (aged 30)	66	Waratahs
Paddy Ryan	Prop	(1988-08-09)9 August 1988 (aged 26)	3	Waratahs
Scott Sio	Prop	(1991-10-16)16 October 1991 (aged 22)	5	Brumbies
James Slipper (vc)	Prop	(1989-06-06)6 June 1989 (aged 25)	52	Reds
Laurie Weeks	Prop	(1986-04-05)5 April 1986 (aged 28)	2	Rebels
Sam Carter	Lock	(1989-09-10)10 September 1989 (aged 24)	1	Brumbies
James Horwill	Lock	(1985-05-29)29 May 1985 (aged 29)	51	Reds
Rob Simmons	Lock	(1989-04-19)19 April 1989 (aged 25)	40	Reds
Will Skelton	Lock	(1992-05-03)3 May 1992 (aged 22)	1	Waratahs
Scott Fardy	Flanker	(1984-07-05)5 July 1984 (aged 30)	13	Brumbies
Matt Hodgson	Flanker	(1981-06-25)25 June 1981 (aged 33)	6	Force
Michael Hooper (c)	Flanker	(1991-10-29)29 October 1991 (aged 22)	31	Waratahs
Scott Higginbotham	Number 8	(1986-09-05)5 September 1986 (aged 27)	24	Rebels
Ben McCalman	Number 8	(1988-03-18)18 March 1988 (aged 26)	32	Force
Wycliff Palu	Number 8	(1982-07-27)27 July 1982 (aged 32)	51	Waratahs
Jake Schatz	Number 8	(1990-07-25)25 July 1990 (aged 24)	0	Reds
Luke Burgess	Scrum-half	(1983-08-20)20 August 1983 (aged 30)	37	Rebels
Will Genia	Scrum-half	(1988-01-17)17 January 1988 (aged 26)	55	Reds
Nick Phipps	Scrum-half	(1989-01-09)9 January 1989 (aged 25)	17	Waratahs
Nic White	Scrum-half	(1990-06-13)13 June 1990 (aged 24)	13	Brumbies
Kurtley Beale	Fly-half	(1989-01-06)6 January 1989 (aged 25)	42	Waratahs
Bernard Foley	Fly-half	(1989-09-08)8 September 1989 (aged 24)	7	Waratahs
Kyle Godwin	Centre	(1992-07-30)30 July 1992 (aged 22)	0	Force
Tevita Kuridrani	Centre	(1991-03-31)31 March 1991 (aged 23)	11	Brumbies
Christian Lealiifano	Centre	(1987-09-24)24 September 1987 (aged 26)	13	Brumbies
Pat McCabe	Centre	(1988-03-21)21 March 1988 (aged 26)	22	Brumbies
Matt To'omua	Centre	(1990-01-02)2 January 1990 (aged 24)	13	Brumbies
Adam Ashley-Cooper (vc)	Wing	(1984-03-27)27 March 1984 (aged 30)	94	Waratahs
Peter Betham	Wing	(1989-01-06)6 January 1989 (aged 25)	1	Waratahs
Tom English	Wing	(1991-03-08)8 March 1991 (aged 23)	0	Rebels
Rob Horne	Wing	(1989-09-04)4 September 1989 (aged 24)	16	Waratahs
Henry Speight	Wing	(1988-03-24)24 March 1988 (aged 26)	0	Brumbies
Joe Tomane	Wing	(1990-02-02)2 February 1990 (aged 24)	9	Brumbies
Israel Folau	Fullback	(1989-04-03)3 April 1989 (aged 25)	18	Waratahs

New Zealand

New Zealand 31-man squad for the Championship was announced on 28 July. ^[55]

On 6 August, Colin Slade was added to the squad as cover for Dan Carter, who will miss the opening two matches of the Championship. ^[56]

Joe Moody was also named in the squad as an injury replacement for Tony Woodcock who was initially meant to miss the start of the Championship. However, on 8 August he was ruled out of the whole Championship with Moody replacing Woodcock fully in the squad. Jeremy Thrush was also added to the squad on 8 August, to cover Dominic Bird who will miss the opening two matches due to injury. ^[57]

On 15 August, Ryan Crotty was added to the squad to cover Conrad Smith who returned to New Zealand pre-round 1 due to the birth of his child. ^[58]

On 16 September, Nathan Harris was added to the squad for Round's 5 and 6 as cover in his position. ^[59]

On 22 September, Tom Taylor was added to the squad to replace Aaron Cruden who was withdrawn from the squad as a disciplinary action. ^[60]

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Dane Coles	Hooker	(1986-12-10)10 December 1986 (aged 27)	18	Wellington / Hurricanes
Nathan Harris	Hooker	(1990-03-08)8 March 1990 (aged 24)	0	Bay of Plenty / Chiefs
Keven Mealamu	Hooker	(1979-03-20)20 March 1979 (aged 35)	113	Auckland / Blues
Wyatt Crockett	Prop	(1983-01-24)24 January 1983 (aged 31)	27	Canterbury / Crusaders
Charlie Faumuina	Prop	(1986-12-24)24 December 1986 (aged 27)	20	Auckland / Blues
Ben Franks	Prop	(1984-03-27)27 March 1984 (aged 30)	31	Hawke's Bay / Hurricanes
Owen Franks	Prop	(1987-12-23)23 December 1987 (aged 26)	57	Canterbury / Crusaders
Joe Moody	Prop	(1988-09-18)18 September 1988 (aged 25)	0	Canterbury / Crusaders
Tony Woodcock	Prop	(1981-01-27)27 January 1981 (aged 33)	110	North Harbour / Blues
Dominic Bird	Lock	(1991-04-09)9 April 1991 (aged 23)	1	Canterbury / Crusaders
Brodie Retallick	Lock	(1991-05-31)31 May 1991 (aged 23)	27	Bay of Plenty / Chiefs
Jeremy Thrush	Lock	(1985-04-19)19 April 1985 (aged 29)	5	Wellington / Hurricanes
Patrick Tuipulotu	Lock	(1993-01-23)23 January 1993 (aged 21)	2	Auckland / Blues
Sam Whitelock	Lock	(1988-10-12)12 October 1988 (aged 25)	54	Canterbury / Crusaders
Sam Cane	Flanker	(1992-01-13)13 January 1992 (aged 22)	14	Bay of Plenty / Chiefs
Steve Luatua	Flanker	(1991-04-29)29 April 1991 (aged 23)	11	Auckland / Blues
Richie McCaw (c)	Flanker	(1980-12-31)31 December 1980 (aged 33)	127	Canterbury / Crusaders
Liam Messam	Flanker	(1984-03-25)25 March 1984 (aged 30)	32	Waikato / Chiefs
Jerome Kaino	Number 8	(1983-04-06)6 April 1983 (aged 31)	51	Auckland / Blues
Kieran Read	Number 8	(1985-10-26)26 October 1985 (aged 28)	62	Canterbury / Crusaders
Tawera Kerr-Barlow	Half-back	(1990-08-15)15 August 1990 (aged 24)	14	Waikato / Chiefs
TJ Perenara	Half-back	(1992-01-23)23 January 1992 (aged 22)	3	Wellington / Hurricanes
Aaron Smith	Half-back	(1988-11-21)21 November 1988 (aged 25)	29	Manawatu / Highlanders
Beauden Barrett	First five-eighth	(1991-05-27)27 May 1991 (aged 23)	19	Taranaki / Hurricanes
Dan Carter	First five-eighth	(1982-03-05)5 March 1982 (aged 32)	100	Canterbury / Crusaders
Aaron Cruden	First five-eighth	(1989-01-08)8 January 1989 (aged 25)	32	Manawatu / Chiefs
Colin Slade	First five-eighth	(1987-10-10)10 October 1987 (aged 26)	11	Canterbury / Crusaders
Tom Taylor	First five-eighth	(1989-03-11)11 March 1989 (aged 25)	3	Canterbury / Crusaders
Ryan Crotty	Centre	(1988-09-23)23 September 1988 (aged 25)	6	Canterbury / Crusaders
Malakai Fekitoa	Centre	(1992-05-10)10 May 1992 (aged 22)	2	Auckland / Highlanders
Ma'a Nonu	Centre	(1982-05-21)21 May 1982 (aged 32)	91	Wellington / Blues
Conrad Smith	Centre	(1981-10-12)12 October 1981 (aged 32)	77	Wellington / Hurricanes
Cory Jane	Wing	(1983-02-08)8 February 1983 (aged 31)	48	Wellington / Hurricanes
Julian Savea	Wing	(1990-08-07)7 August 1990 (aged 24)	22	Wellington / Hurricanes
Ben Smith	Wing	(1986-06-01)1 June 1986 (aged 28)	29	Otago / Highlanders
Israel Dagg	Fullback	(1988-06-06)6 June 1988 (aged 26)	39	Hawke's Bay / Crusaders
Charles Piutau	Fullback	(1991-10-31)31 October 1991 (aged 22)	10	Auckland / Blues

South Africa

South Africa 30-man squad for the Championship was announced on 2 August. ^[61]

On 6 August, Juan Smith was called up to the squad to cover Victor Matfield who has been ruled out of the opening match of the championship. ^[62]

On 16 August, Warren Whiteley was added to the squad as cover for Willem Alberts, who was ruled out of Round 2 with a hamstring injury. ^[63]

On 25 August, Marcel van der Merwe was added to the squad to replace Frans Malherbe who was withdrawn from the squad prior to Round 3 due to an injury. ^[64]

On 14 September, JP Pietersen was added to the squad for the final two matches of the Championship. ^[65]

On 17 September, Schalk Burger was added to the squad to replace Francois Louw who withdrew from the squad for Round's 5 and 6 due to injury. ^[66]

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Schalk Brits	Hooker	(1981-05-16)16 May 1981 (aged 33)	7	Saracens
Bismarck du Plessis ‡	Hooker	(1984-05-22)22 May 1984 (aged 30)	60	Sharks
Adriaan Strauss	Hooker	(1985-11-18)18 November 1985 (aged 28)	34	Free State Cheetahs
Jannie du Plessis ‡	Prop	(1982-11-16)16 November 1982 (aged 31)	54	Sharks
Frans Malherbe	Prop	(1991-03-14)14 March 1991 (aged 23)	2	Western Province
Tendai Mtawarira ‡	Prop	(1985-08-01)1 August 1985 (aged 29)	55	Sharks
Trevor Nyakane	Prop	(1989-05-04)4 May 1989 (aged 25)	4	Free State Cheetahs
Gurthrö Steenkamp	Prop	(1981-06-12)12 June 1981 (aged 33)	51	Toulouse
Marcel van der Merwe	Prop	(1990-10-24)24 October 1990 (aged 23)	1	Blue Bulls
Bakkies Botha	Lock	(1979-09-22)22 September 1979 (aged 34)	79	Toulon
Lood de Jager	Lock	(1992-12-17)17 December 1992 (aged 21)	3	Free State Cheetahs
Eben Etzebeth ‡	Lock	(1991-10-29)29 October 1991 (aged 22)	23	Western Province
Victor Matfield	Lock	(1977-05-11)11 May 1977 (aged 37)	113	Blue Bulls
Juan Smith	Lock	(1981-07-30)30 July 1981 (aged 33)	69	Toulon
Willem Alberts ‡	Flanker	(1984-05-11)11 May 1984 (aged 30)	32	Sharks
Schalk Burger	Flanker	(1983-04-13)13 April 1983 (aged 31)	71	Suntory Sungoliath
Marcell Coetzee ‡	Flanker	(1991-05-08)8 May 1991 (aged 23)	16	Sharks
Francois Louw	Flanker	(1985-06-15)15 June 1985 (aged 29)	30	Bath
Oupa Mohojé	Flanker	(1990-08-03)3 August 1990 (aged 24)	1	Free State Cheetahs
Duane Vermeulen ‡	Number 8	(1986-07-03)3 July 1986 (aged 28)	19	Western Province
Warren Whiteley ‡	Number 8	(1987-09-18)18 September 1987 (aged 26)	0	Golden Lions
Francois Hougaard ‡	Scrum-half	(1988-04-06)6 April 1988 (aged 26)	28	Blue Bulls
Ruan Pienaar	Scrum-half	(1984-03-10)10 March 1984 (aged 30)	76	Ulster
Cobus Reinach	Scrum-half	(1990-02-07)7 February 1990 (aged 24)	0	Sharks
Pat Lambie ‡	Fly-half	(1990-10-17)17 October 1990 (aged 23)	32	Sharks
Handré Pollard	Fly-half	(1994-03-11)11 March 1994 (aged 20)	1	Blue Bulls
Morné Steyn	Fly-half	(1984-07-11)11 July 1984 (aged 30)	56	Stade Français
Damian de Allende	Centre	(1991-11-25)25 November 1991 (aged 22)	0	Western Province
Jean de Villiers (c) ‡	Centre	(1981-02-24)24 February 1981 (aged 33)	96	Western Province
JP Pietersen	Centre	(1989-07-12)12 July 1989 (aged 25)	54	Panasonic Wild Knights
Jan Serfontein	Centre	(1993-04-15)15 April 1993 (aged 21)	12	Blue Bulls
Bryan Habana	Wing	(1983-06-12)12 June 1983 (aged 31)	97	Toulon
Cornal Hendricks	Wing	(1988-04-18)18 April 1988 (aged 26)	3	Free State Cheetahs
Lwazi Mvovo	Wing	(1986-06-03)3 June 1986 (aged 28)	9	Sharks
Willie le Roux ‡	Fullback	(1989-08-18)18 August 1989 (aged 24)	15	Free State Cheetahs

‡ denotes players who are contracted to the South African Rugby Union.

Statistics

Points scorers Pos Name Team Pts 1 Nicolás Sánchez   Argentina 52 2 Bernard Foley   Australia 43 Handré Pollard   South Africa 4 Aaron Cruden   New Zealand 37 5 Beauden Barrett   New Zealand 30 6 Morné Steyn   South Africa 28 7 Kurtley Beale   Australia 22 8 Julian Savea   New Zealand 20 9 Cornal Hendricks   South Africa 15 Michael Hooper   Australia Richie McCaw   New Zealand 12 Pat Lambie   South Africa 13 13 Marcell Coetzee   South Africa 10 Israel Folau   Australia Manuel Montero   Argentina Ben Smith   New Zealand Joaquín Tuculet   Argentina Jean de Villiers   South Africa 19 Marcelo Bosch   Argentina 8 20 Aaron Smith   New Zealand 7 21 Horacio Agulla   Argentina 5 Adam Ashley-Cooper   Australia Peter Betham   Australia Dane Coles   New Zealand Tomás Cubelli   Argentina Israel Dagg   New Zealand Malakai Fekitoa   New Zealand Bryan Habana   South Africa Scott Higginbotham   Australia Rob Horne   Australia Francois Hougaard   South Africa Juan Imhoff   Argentina Tevita Kuridrani   Australia Steve Luatua   New Zealand Liam Messam   New Zealand TJ Perenara   New Zealand Ruan Pienaar   South Africa Kieran Read   New Zealand Leonardo Senatore   Argentina Colin Slade   New Zealand 42 Juan Martín Hernández   Argentina 3 43 Santiago González Iglesias   Argentina 2

Try scorers Pos Name Team Tries 1 Julian Savea   New Zealand 4 2 Cornal Hendricks   South Africa 3 Michael Hooper   Australia Richie McCaw   New Zealand 5 Marcell Coetzee   South Africa 2 Israel Folau   Australia Manuel Montero   Argentina Handré Pollard   South Africa Ben Smith   New Zealand Joaquín Tuculet   Argentina Jean de Villiers   South Africa 12 Horacio Agulla   Argentina 1 Adam Ashley-Cooper   Australia Peter Betham   Australia Marcelo Bosch   Argentina Dane Coles   New Zealand Tomás Cubelli   Argentina Israel Dagg   New Zealand Malakai Fekitoa   New Zealand Bryan Habana   South Africa Scott Higginbotham   Australia Rob Horne   Australia Francois Hougaard   South Africa Juan Imhoff   Argentina Tevita Kuridrani   Australia Pat Lambie   South Africa Steve Luatua   New Zealand Liam Messam   New Zealand TJ Perenara   New Zealand Ruan Pienaar   South Africa Kieran Read   New Zealand Leonardo Senatore   Argentina Aaron Smith   New Zealand

See also

• History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Australia
• History of rugby union matches between Argentina and New Zealand
• History of rugby union matches between Argentina and South Africa
• History of rugby union matches between Australia and South Africa
• History of rugby union matches between Australia and New Zealand
• History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and South Africa

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