2021 Super Rugby season

The 2021 Super Rugby season is the 26th season of Super Rugby, an annual men's international rugby union tournament organised by SANZAAR, involving teams from Australia and New Zealand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the tournament this year will be wholly regionalised, with the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season and the 2021 Super Rugby AU season replacing the previous 15 side format used from 2018 till 2020. Super Rugby Trans-Tasman will follow these tournaments, a crossover competition featuring the five Australian sides playing the five New Zealand sides.

2021 Super Rugby season
Countries Australia (5 teams)
 New Zealand (5 teams)
Tournament format(s)Two regionalised round-robin tournaments followed by a
crossover competition
Official websiteOfficial site
← 2020 (Previous) (Next) 2022 →

Competition format
For the New Zealand regional tournament, see 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season.
For the Australian regional tournament, see 2021 Super Rugby AU season.
For the combined Australian and New Zealand tournament, see Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.

The five New Zealand sides will compete in the 2nd Super Rugby Aotearoa season,[1] while the four Australian sides, plus the addition again of the Western Force, will compete in the 2nd Super Rugby AU season.[2] The competition will not feature any South African sides who announced their withdrawal from Super Rugby in September 2020,[3] while the Japanese side, the Sunwolves, was confirmed as leaving the league in March 2019.[4] The future of the Argentinian side, the Jaguares, were also not named in any competition and won't compete in 2021. Following the draw for the 2021 Super Rugby AU season, Rugby Australia confirmed they were working with New Zealand Rugby on a trans-Tasman competition to follow the Super Rugby Aotearoa and Super Rugby AU seasons.[2] On 13 November, this tournament was confirmed as Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, which will feature the Australian and New Zealand sides playing each other in 25 crossover matches before a final. All sides will play two home matches, and two away matches as well as a 'Super Round' where all matches will be played in one location over the course of one weekend. The final will then be between the top two teams in the combined competition table.[5][6]

Future developments

In the longer term, a new 12-team tournament from 2022 onwards has been muted, with the current four Australian and five New Zealand sides, plus the full time return of the Australian side the Western Force to Super Rugby, following their departure from the competition at the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season. They will potentially be joined in the competition by teams from Pasifika Moana and Fiji, with South African sides having confirmed their departure from Super Rugby to join an expanded Pro14 competition, and no place for the Argentinian Jaguares either.[7] On 13 November, New Zealand Rugby confirmed Fiji Rugby and Moana Pasifika as it's preferred partners for Super Rugby going forward.[8] A Hawaiian side had been muted to join the competition, with Kanaloa Pasifika having gone through the process to try and join the competition, however they were not selected by New Zealand Rugby. Kanaloa Pasifika has now launched legal action over this decision, stating that Moana Pasifika had not gone through the correct process to join the competition.[9]

Players

Squads

The following 2021 Super Rugby squads have been named:

See also

References
  1. "Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa draw announced". Super Rugby NZ. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  2. "Revealed: Rugby Australia announce 2021 Super Rugby AU draw". Rugby.com.au. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  3. "SARU members vote to seek northern hemisphere future". SA Rugby. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  4. "Sunwolves axed from Super Rugby after 2020 season". Rugby World. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. "2021 set for thrilling Trans-Tasman crossover". Rugby.com.au. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  6. "2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman schedule confirmed". SANZAAR. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  7. "Reports: Super Rugby set for 12 from 2022". SA Rugby Magazine. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  8. "New Zealand Rugby confirms Fiji Rugby & Moana Pasifika as preferred partners". New Zealand Rugby. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  9. "Kanaloa Pasifika start legal action against New Zealand Rugby over Super snub". Stuff.co.nz. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  10. "2021 Squad Named" (Press release). Blues. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  11. "Plus500 Brumbies Finalise 2020 Super Rugby Squad" (Press release). Brumbies. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  12. "2021 Gallagher Chiefs Squad Announced" (Press release). Chiefs. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  13. "Four players promoted from Crusaders Academy as Scott Robertson names 2021 Crusaders squad" (Press release). Crusaders. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  14. "Highlanders name squad for 2021" (Press release). Highlanders. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  15. "Hurricanes 2021 squad announced" (Press release). Hurricanes. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  16. "2021 Queensland Reds Squad announced" (Press release). Queensland Reds. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  17. "NSW Waratahs confirm full roster ahead of Super Rugby AU" (Press release). NSW Waratahs. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
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