Super Rugby AU

Not to be confused with Super Rugby AUS, a competition inaugurated by Rugby Australia in 2025.
Super Rugby AU
Most recent season or competition:
2021 Super Rugby AU season
SportRugby union
First season2020
Ceased2021
No. of teams5
CountryAustralia
Last
champions		Reds (2021; 1st title)
Most titles
Broadcasters
Sponsors
Related
competitions
  • Super Rugby Trans-Tasman
  • Super Rugby Aotearoa
  • Super Rugby Unlocked
Official websiteSuperRugby.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 (RA). 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.

Background and history

Further information: 2020 Super Rugby season and Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports § Rugby union

In March 2020, after seven rounds had concluded in the 2020 Super Rugby season, SANZAAR, the body which oversees the Super Rugby, announced the cancellation of the competition for the "foreseeable future".[3][4] The decision to suspend the competition was prompted by the New Zealand government's announcement that people entering the country from trips overseas would have to self-isolate for 14 days, making the inter-continental competition untenable to continue.[4] By May, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) had announced the launch of a domestic competition consisting of its five Super Rugby teams to run for ten weeks.[5] Shortly thereafter, Rugby Australia (RA) announced the launch of its own domestic competition consisting of all four of their Super Rugby teams with the addition of former Perth-based Super Rugby team the Western Force.[6] The Japan-based Sunwolves team, whom had been in the Super Rugby since the 2016 season and were to be axed from the competition at the end of the 2020 season,[7] were also touted as potential participants.[6] RA had stated that it hoped the competition would begin in July at the earliest,[6] although no dates were confirmed. In late May 2020, the Western Force were confirmed to be apart of the new interim Super Rugby AU competition.[8] After working with the Sunwolves on potential inclusion, RA announced that the team would not be taking part as COVID-19 rules made it too difficult.[9][10]

The first season of the Super Rugby AU was confirmed in June 2020.[11] Scheduled for kick-off on 3 July 2020,[11] the inaugural season saw each team play each other twice in a home-and-away format across ten-weeks (notably the shortest professional rugby season in Australian history),[12] with a finals series to decide the season champions.[11] The competition was given the greenlight after Rugby Australia confirmed a new broadcast deal with Fox Sports Australia.[13][14]

Alongside the revamped Australian domestic Super Rugby competition, Rugby Australia announced seven law variations that would be trialed throughout the 2020 season,[15] including a 20 minute red card (rather than the permanent sin bin), Super Time: an analogous law to football's golden goal rule, and the 50/22, a line-out throw given to the defending team if they kick it into the opposition's 22 metre line from behind the half-way point (50 metre).[16] The latter rule was later adopted by World Rugby in 2021.[17]

The inaugural champions were the Brumbies.[18] Starting the season with four consecutive wins, the Brumbies established a seven-point buffer between themselves and the team in second position (Reds) by the halfway point.[19] They finished the regular season in first position and went on to win the Grand Final at home against the Reds, 28–23.[18] It was their first Super Rugby-related title since 2004.[18] In 2021 the Reds, whom almost pulled off a perfect season by winning seven-straight matches,[20] including a double against their Grand Final opponents from the previous season,[20][21] and a record win over arch-rivals the Waratahs in the first round,[22] booked themselves into a home Grand Final after just nine rounds.[20] The Reds lost by three points against the Western Force in the final round before hosting a Grand Final rematch from the previous season.[23] The Reds won 19–16 at Lang Park in front of 41,000 spectators,[24] the biggest crowd for an Australian derby since the Templeton Cup clash between the Reds and Waratahs in 2004.[25]

In August 2021, Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby co-launched the Super Rugby Pacific, a reconfigured 12-team competition, which inlcuded all of Australia and New Zealand's Super Rugby franchises as well as a Fijian team and a New Zealand-based Pacific Islands team.[26][27]

Teams

Further information: Super Rugby franchise areas § Australia
Team Union Established Location Region
Brumbies ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union 1995 (1995) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory and Southern New South Wales
Force Western Australia Rugby Union 2005 (2005) Perth, Western Australia Western Australia
Rebels Victorian Rugby Union 2009 (2009) Melbourne, Victoria Victoria
Reds Queensland Rugby Union 1882 (1882) Brisbane, Queensland Queensland
Waratahs New South Wales Rugby Union 1882 (1882) Sydney, New South Wales Central and Northern New South Wales

Champions

Grand Finals

List of Super Rugby AU Grand Finals
Season Winners Score Runners-up Venue Attendance
2020 Brumbies 28–23 Reds Canberra Stadium, Bruce 6,000
2021 Reds 19–16 Brumbies Lang Park, Milton 41,637

Broadcasting and sponsorship

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]

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.[28]

See also

  • Super Rugby Trans-Tasman
  • Super Rugby Aotearoa
  • Super Rugby Unlocked

References

  1. ^ a b "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. ^ Decent, Tom (14 March 2020). "All Super Rugby matches to be cancelled after Sunday's fixtures". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment.
  4. ^ a b "Coronavirus pandemic prompts NRL to continue for now but review all options including suspension". ABC News. 15 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Super Rugby Aotearoa: New Zealand's Super Rugby teams launch domestic competition". Sky Sports. 11 May 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Rugby Australia set to launch domestic competition following Super Rugby's coronavirus shutdown". ABC News. 11 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Super Rugby to axe Japan's Sunwolves after 2020 season, Australian teams to be affected". ABC News. 22 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Western Force signs on as one of five Australian Super Rugby teams for planned 2020 season, but owner Andrew Forrest sounds warning note". ABC News. 27 May 2020.
  9. ^ Smith, Wayne (1 June 2020). "Rugby: Japan's Sunwolves won't compete in Super Rugby AU". The Australian. News Corp Australia.
  10. ^ Mitchell, Brittany (1 June 2020). "Sunwolves Super Rugby journey over, won't compete in Super Rugby AU". ESPN.
  11. ^ a b c Coles, Ben (10 June 2020). "Super Rugby AU to launch in Australia on July 3". The Daily Telegraph.
  12. ^ Harris, Bret (2 July 2020). "Super Rugby will be short and sharp but critical to the future of the game in Australia". Guardian Australia. Guardian Media Group.
  13. ^ "Rugby's back! Fox Sports locks in new broadcast deal for Super Rugby return". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia. 10 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Broadcast deal allows Super Rugby AU to kick off on July 3". Associated Press. 10 June 2020.
  15. ^ Mason, Wally (12 July 2020). "Rugby union: Forget winning your coronavirus survival competition, let's bring back the excitement". The Australian. News Corp Australia.
  16. ^ "Super Rugby AU to introduce a host of law trials". Rugby Australia. 12 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Rugby explainers: what is a 50:22?". world.rugby. World Rugby. 18 June 2025. Archived from the original on 27 October 2025.
  18. ^ a b c Decent, Tom (19 September 2020). "Brumbies crowned Super Rugby AU champions". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment.
  19. ^ "Brumbies vs Queensland Reds: Monster penalty at the death rubs out eight-minute blitz in all-time Super Rugby classic". Fox Sports Australia. 1 August 2020.
  20. ^ a b c "Queensland Reds pip Brumbies 24–22 to claim home Super Rugby AU final". ABC News. 10 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Super Rugby AU: Reds gain revenge over Brumbies in grand final 're-match'". The Australian. 14 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Reds kick off Super Rugby AU with record win over Waratahs". Super Rugby. 19 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Brumbies beat Force to secure place in Super Rugby AU final". Super Rugby. 1 May 2021.
  24. ^ Decent, Tom (8 May 2021). "O'Connor try after the siren seals Reds win in thrilling final". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  25. ^ "Record breaking Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU Final". Rugby.com.au. 9 May 2021.
  26. ^ "New Zealand Rugby confirms Fiji Rugby & Moana Pasifika as preferred partners". allblacks.com. 13 November 2020. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020.
  27. ^ Williamson, Nathan (30 August 2021). "RA, NZR launch new era with formation of Super Rugby Pacific". Rugby.com.au.
  28. ^ Phillips, Sam (9 November 2020). "Nine, Rugby Australia confirm groundbreaking $100m broadcast deal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
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