2017 Super Rugby season

The 2017 Super Rugby season was the 22nd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. It was the second season featuring an expanded 18-team format, following the competition's expansion from 15 teams prior to the 2016 season.

2017 Super Rugby season
CountriesArgentina (1 team)
Australia (5 teams)
Japan (1 team)
New Zealand (5 teams)
South Africa (6 teams)
Tournament format(s)Conference and knockout
ChampionsCrusaders (8th title)
Matches played142
Tries scored978 (6.89 per match)
Top point scorer(s)Elton Jantjies, Lions (197)
Top try scorer(s)Ngani Laumape, Hurricanes (15)
Official websiteOfficial site
← 2016 (Previous) (Next) 2018 →

After 17 rounds of matches between 23 February and 15 July – with Rounds 15 and 16 split due to the 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals and British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand – four conference winners and four wildcard teams progressed to the finals series, which will consist of quarterfinals, semifinals and a final on 5 August.

Competition format

The 18 participating teams were divided into two geographical groups, each consisting of two conferences: the Australasian Group, with five teams in the Australian Conference and five teams in the New Zealand Conference, and the South African Group, with six South African teams, one Argentine team and one Japanese team split into two four-team conferences – an Africa 1 Conference and an Africa 2 Conference.[1]

In the group stages, there were 17 rounds of matches, where each team played 15 matches and had two rounds of byes for a total of 135 matches. Due to the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in June and July, Rounds 15 and 16 were split; Round 15 of the Australian and New Zealand Conferences were played on the weekend of 3 June, with Round 16 of the New Zealand Conference scheduled for the following week. The South African Conference Round 15 matches were played on the weekend of 1 July, with the Round 16 matches for the Australian and South African conferences scheduled for a week later.

Teams played six intra-conference matches; in the four-team African Conferences, each team played the other three teams in their conference at home and away, while in the five-team Australasian Conferences, each team played two teams home and away and once against the other two teams (one at home and one away). The other nine matches were a single round of matches against each team in the other conference in their group, as well as against each team from one of the conferences in the other group. For 2017, the teams in Africa 1 played the teams in the New Zealand Conference, while the teams in Africa 2 played the teams in the Australian Conference.

The top team in each of the four conferences qualified for the quarterfinals. The next three highest-ranked teams in the Australasian Group and the next highest-ranked team in the South African group also qualified to the quarterfinals as wildcards. The conference winners were seeded #1 to #4 for the quarterfinals, in order of log points gained during the group stages, while the wildcards were seeded as #5 to #8 in order of log points gained during the group stages.

In the quarterfinals, the conference winners hosted the first round of the finals, with the highest-seeded conference winner hosting the fourth-seeded wildcard entry, the second-seeded conference winner hosting the third-seeded wildcard entry, the third-seeded conference winner hosting the second-seeded wildcard entry and the fourth-seeded conference winner hosting the top-seed wildcard entry.

The quarterfinal winners progressed to the semifinals. Instead of the following the Shaughnessy playoff format used from 1996 to 2016, the semi-finals were drawn according to a predetermined bracket.[2] Under the new format, the winner of Quarter-final 1 (which featured the highest-seeded conference winner and the lowest-seeded wildcard) will play the winner of Quarter-final 4 (which featured the fourth-seeded conference winner and the highest-seeded wildcard) and likewise with the winners of Quarter-finals 2 and 3. The two semi-final hosts were the highest-seeded winners of their respective quarter-finals.

The winners of the semifinals advanced to the final, at the venue of the highest-seeded team.

Changes for 2018

On 9 April 2017, SANZAAR announced that the competition would return to a 15-team format for 2018, with two teams from South Africa and one team from Australia being dropped. To ensure five-team conferences, Japanese side the Sunwolves would move from the South African Conference to the Australian Conference.[3]

On 7 July 2017, the South African Rugby Union confirmed that the Cheetahs and Southern Kings were the South African teams that would not participate in the competition going forward,[4] and both those teams joined the Pro14 competition from the 2017–18 season onwards.[5]

Standings

The final standings for the 2017 Super Rugby season were:[6]

2017 Super Rugby standings: Australasian Group
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 New Zealand Crusaders 15 14 0 1 544 303 +241 77 37 7 0 63 Conference leaders
Qualify to finals
2 Australia Brumbies 15 6 0 9 315 279 +36 41 32 3 7 34
3 New Zealand Hurricanes 15 12 0 3 596 272 +324 89 31 9 1 58 Wildcard teams
Qualify to finals
4 New Zealand Chiefs 15 12 1 2 433 292 +141 55 30 6 1 57
5 New Zealand Highlanders 15 11 0 4 488 308 +180 62 40 5 2 51
6 New Zealand Blues 15 7 1 7 425 391 +34 55 50 4 3 37
7 Australia Force 15 6 0 9 313 404 −91 36 55 1 1 26 Dropped from Super Rugby
for the 2018 season
8 Australia Reds 15 4 0 11 321 479 −158 46 61 1 4 21
9 Australia Waratahs 15 4 0 11 396 522 −126 52 68 1 2 19
10 Australia Rebels 15 1 1 13 236 569 −333 23 79 0 3 9
2016 Super Rugby standings: South African Group
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 South Africa Lions 15 14 0 1 590 268 +322 81 27 9 0 65 Conference leaders
Qualify to finals
2 South Africa Stormers 15 10 0 5 490 436 +54 64 61 3 0 43
3 South Africa Sharks 15 9 1 5 392 323 +69 38 37 1 3 42 Wildcard teams
Qualify to finals
4 Argentina Jaguares 15 7 0 8 404 386 +18 49 45 1 4 33
5 South Africa Southern Kings 15 6 0 9 391 470 −79 49 60 1 3 28 Dropped from Super Rugby
for the 2018 season
6 South Africa Cheetahs 15 4 0 11 395 551 −156 46 75 1 4 21
7 South Africa Bulls 15 4 0 11 339 459 −120 39 59 0 4 20
8 Japan Sunwolves 15 2 0 13 315 671 −356 41 96 1 3 12
Competition rules
Qualification:

The top eight teams will qualify to the finals, with their final positions in the overall log determining their seedings in the quarter-finals. The conference winners will be seeded #1 to #4 for the quarter-finals, in order of log points gained during the group stages, while the wildcards will be seeded as #5 to #8 in order of log points gained during the group stages. In the quarter-finals, the conference winners will host the first round of the finals, with the highest-seeded conference winner hosting the fourth-seeded wildcard entry, the second-seeded conference winner hosting the third-seeded wildcard entry, the third-seeded conference winner hosting the second-seeded wildcard entry and the fourth-seeded conference winner hosting the top-seed wildcard entry. The Quarter Final winners will progress to the semi-finals, where the winners of quarter-finals 1 and 4 will play each other, as well as the winners of quarter-finals 2 and 3, each tie hosted by the higher-seeded team. The winner of the semi-finals will progress to the Final, again to be held at the venue of the highest-seeded team.

Points breakdown:
* 4 points for a win
* 2 points for a draw
* 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less
* 1 bonus point for scoring at least three tries more than the opponent in a match
Classification:
Teams standings are calculated as follows:[7]
* Conference Leaders (i.e. conference leaders will always be ranked at the top)
* Log points
* Number of games won
* Overall points difference
* Number of tries scored
* Overall try difference

Round-by-round

The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:

Team Progression – Australasian Group
Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 QF SF Final
Crusaders 4
(5th)		 8
(4th)		 12
(3rd)		 16
(3rd)		 21
(1st)		 26
(1st)		 26
(1st)		 31
(1st)		 36
(1st)		 41
(1st)		 46
(1st)		 50
(1st)		 54
(1st)		 59
(1st)		 63
(1st)		 63
(1st)		 63
(1st)		 Won Won Won
Brumbies 1
(7th)		 2
(8th)		 6
(2nd)		 10
(2nd)		 11
(2nd)		 11
(2nd)		 16
(2nd)		 17
(2nd)		 17
(2nd)		 18
(2nd)		 18
(2nd)		 19
(2nd)		 23
(2nd)		 28
(2nd)		 33
(2nd)		 34
(2nd)		 34
(2nd)		 Lost — —
Hurricanes 5
(1st)		 10
(1st)		 10
(4th)		 15
(4th)		 15
(4th)		 20
(4th)		 24
(3rd)		 28
(4th)		 33
(3rd)		 33
(4th)		 38
(4th)		 38
(4th)		 43
(3rd)		 48
(3rd)		 53
(3rd)		 54
(3rd)		 58
(3rd)		 Won Lost —
Chiefs 5
(4th)		 10
(3rd)		 14
(1st)		 19
(1st)		 19
(3rd)		 24
(3rd)		 24
(4th)		 29
(3rd)		 33
(4th)		 37
(3rd)		 42
(3rd)		 42
(3rd)		 43
(4th)		 45
(5th)		 49
(4th)		 53
(4th)		 57
(4th)		 Won Lost —
Highlanders 0
(9th)		 1
(9th)		 5
(8th)		 5
(8th)		 9
(6th)		 14
(6th)		 18
(5th)		 18
(5th)		 23
(5th)		 28
(5th)		 32
(5th)		 36
(5th)		 41
(5th)		 45
(4th)		 46
(5th)		 46
(5th)		 51
(5th)		 Lost — —
Blues 5
(3rd)		 5
(5th)		 6
(5th)		 6
(5th)		 11
(5th)		 15
(5th)		 16
(6th)		 17
(6th)		 17
(6th)		 22
(6th)		 26
(6th)		 31
(6th)		 31
(6th)		 33
(6th)		 37
(6th)		 37
(6th)		 37
(6th)		 — — —
Force 1
(8th)		 5
(2nd)		 5
(7th)		 5
(7th)		 5
(9th)		 5
(9th)		 9
(7th)		 9
(8th)		 9
(8th)		 9
(9th)		 9
(9th)		 13
(9th)		 13
(9th)		 17
(8th)		 17
(8th)		 21
(7th)		 26
(7th)		 — — —
Reds 4
(6th)		 5
(6th)		 6
(6th)		 6
(6th)		 6
(8th)		 6
(8th)		 6
(9th)		 10
(7th)		 10
(7th)		 11
(8th)		 11
(8th)		 16
(7th)		 16
(8th)		 16
(9th)		 17
(9th)		 21
(8th)		 21
(8th)		 — — —
Waratahs 4
(2nd)		 4
(7th)		 4
(9th)		 4
(9th)		 8
(7th)		 8
(7th)		 8
(8th)		 8
(9th)		 9
(9th)		 13
(7th)		 14
(7th)		 14
(8th)		 19
(7th)		 19
(7th)		 19
(7th)		 19
(9th)		 19
(9th)		 — — —
Rebels 0
(10th)		 0
(10th)		 0
(10th)		 0
(10th)		 1
(10th)		 1
(10th)		 1
(10th)		 5
(10th)		 7
(10th)		 7
(10th)		 7
(10th)		 8
(10th)		 8
(10th)		 8
(10th)		 8
(10th)		 8
(10th)		 9
(10th)		 — — —
Team Progression – South African Group
Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 QF SF Final
Lions 4
(3rd)		 9
(1st)		 9
(4th)		 14
(3rd)		 19
(1st)		 23
(1st)		 23
(2nd)		 28
(1st)		 32
(1st)		 37
(1st)		 42
(1st)		 46
(1st)		 51
(1st)		 56
(1st)		 61
(1st)		 61
(1st)		 65
(1st)		 Won Won Lost
Stormers 4
(1st)		 8
(2nd)		 13
(1st)		 13
(2nd)		 17
(2nd)		 22
(2nd)		 26
(1st)		 26
(2nd)		 26
(2nd)		 26
(2nd)		 26
(2nd)		 26
(2nd)		 30
(2nd)		 30
(2nd)		 34
(2nd)		 39
(2nd)		 43
(2nd)		 Lost — —
Sharks 1
(4th)		 5
(5th)		 9
(2nd)		 13
(4th)		 17
(4th)		 18
(4th)		 22
(3rd)		 22
(3rd)		 24
(3rd)		 28
(3rd)		 32
(3rd)		 33
(3rd)		 38
(3rd)		 42
(3rd)		 42
(3rd)		 42
(3rd)		 42
(3rd)		 Lost — —
Jaguares 4
(2nd)		 5
(3rd)		 9
(3rd)		 14
(1st)		 18
(3rd)		 18
(3rd)		 19
(4th)		 19
(4th)		 20
(4th)		 20
(4th)		 24
(4th)		 24
(4th)		 24
(4th)		 24
(4th)		 25
(4th)		 29
(4th)		 33
(4th)		 — — —
Kings 0
(7th)		 4
(6th)		 4
(6th)		 5
(7th)		 5
(7th)		 5
(7th)		 6
(7th)		 6
(7th)		 10
(6th)		 15
(5th)		 15
(5th)		 19
(5th)		 19
(5th)		 19
(5th)		 23
(5th)		 27
(5th)		 28
(5th)		 — — —
Cheetahs 1
(5th)		 5
(4th)		 9
(5th)		 9
(5th)		 9
(5th)		 9
(5th)		 9
(5th)		 9
(6th)		 10
(7th)		 10
(7th)		 11
(7th)		 11
(7th)		 11
(7th)		 16
(6th)		 17
(7th)		 17
(7th)		 21
(6th)		 — — —
Bulls 0
(6th)		 1
(7th)		 1
(7th)		 5
(6th)		 5
(6th)		 5
(6th)		 6
(6th)		 10
(5th)		 14
(5th)		 14
(6th)		 14
(6th)		 15
(6th)		 15
(6th)		 15
(7th)		 19
(6th)		 20
(6th)		 20
(7th)		 — — —
Sunwolves 0
(8th)		 0
(8th)		 1
(8th)		 1
(8th)		 1
(8th)		 1
(8th)		 5
(8th)		 5
(8th)		 5
(8th)		 6
(8th)		 7
(8th)		 7
(8th)		 7
(8th)		 7
(8th)		 7
(8th)		 7
(8th)		 12
(8th)		 — — —
Key: win draw loss bye

Matches

The fixtures for the 2017 Super Rugby competition were released on 20 September 2016.[8] The following matches were played during the regular season:

Home \ Away BLU BRU BUL CHE CHI CRU FOR HIG HUR JAG LIO REB RED SHA KIN STO SUN WAR
Blues — — 38–14 50–32 16–16 — 24–15 12–16 24–28 — — — 34–29 — — — — —
Brumbies 12–18 — — — — — 25–17 13–18 — — 6–13 32–3 43–10 22–27 — — — —
Bulls — — — 20–14 — 24–62 — 10–17 20–34 26–13 — — — — 30–31 33–41 34–21 —
Cheetahs — — 34–28 — 27–41 21–48 — 41–45 — — 25–28 — — 30–38 — 34–40 38–31 —
Chiefs 41–26 28–10 28–12 — — 24–31 — — 26–18 — — — 46–17 — — — 27–20 46–31
Crusaders 33–24 17–13 — — — — 45–17 25–22 20–12 — — — — — — 57–24 50–3 —
Force — — — — 7–16 — — 6–55 12–34 — 15–24 31–22 26–19 — 46–41 — — 40–11
Highlanders 26–20 — — — 15–24 27–30 — — — — — 51–12 40–17 — — 57–14 40–15 44–28
Hurricanes — 56–21 — 61–7 14–17 31–22 — 41–15 — — — 71–6 — — — 41–22 — 38–28
Jaguares — 15–39 — 41–14 — — 6–16 — — — 36–24 — 22–8 25–33 30–31 — 46–39 —
Lions — — 51–14 — — — — — — 24–21 — — 44–14 34–29 54–10 — 94–7 55–36
Rebels 18–56 19–17 — — 14–27 19–41 — — — 29–32 10–47 — 24–29 — — — — 25–32
Reds — 16–15 — — — 20–22 26–40 — 15–34 — — — — 28–26 47–34 — — 26–29
Sharks — — 17–30 — — — 37–12 — — 18–13 10–27 9–9 — — 19–17 22–10 — 37–14
Southern Kings — 10–19 — 20–21 — — — — — 26–39 19–42 44–3 — 35–32 — 10–41 — —
Stormers 30–22 — 37–24 53–10 34–26 — — — — 32–25 16–29 — — — — — 52–15 —
Sunwolves 48–21 — 21–20 7–47 — — — — 17–83 — — — — 17–38 23–37 31–44 — —
Waratahs 33–40 12–28 — — — 22–41 19–13 — — 27–40 — 50–23 — — 24–26 — — —
Source: http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/fixtures/2017-super-rugby#fixtures
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Finals

The four conference winners advanced to the Quarter Finals, where they had home advantage against four wildcard teams, which consisted of the third to fifth-ranked teams in the Australasian Group and the third-ranked team in the South African Group.

The final seedings of these teams were:[9]

Conference leaders
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts
1South Africa Lions151401590268+32281279065
2New Zealand Crusaders151401544303+24177377063
3South Africa Stormers151005490436+5464613043
4Australia Brumbies15609315279+3641323734
Wildcard teams
5New Zealand Hurricanes151203596272+32489319158
6New Zealand Chiefs151212433292+14155306157
7New Zealand Highlanders151104488308+18062405251
8South Africa Sharks15915392323+6938371342

The play-off fixtures were as follows:

 
QuarterfinalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 22 July – Johannesburg
 
 
 Lions 23
 
 29 July – Johannesburg
 
 Sharks 21
 
 Lions 44
 
 21 July – Canberra
 
 Hurricanes 29
 
 Brumbies 16
 
 5 August – Johannesburg
 
 Hurricanes 35
 
 Lions 17
 
 22 July – Christchurch
 
 Crusaders 25
 
 Crusaders 17
 
 29 July – Christchurch
 
 Highlanders 0
 
 Crusaders 27
 
 22 July – Cape Town
 
 Chiefs 13
 
 Stormers 11
 
 
 Chiefs 17
 

Quarterfinals
21 July 2017 Brumbies 16–35 Hurricanes GIO Stadium, Canberra  
19:35 Try: James Dargaville rugby ball 3'
Joshua Mann-Rea rugby ball 15'
Pen: Wharenui Hawera rugby goalposts icon 11', 28' (2/2)		 Report[10]
Scoreboard[11]		 Try: Wes Goosen rugby ball 7', 75'
Jordie Barrett rugby ball 25'
TJ Perenara rugby ball 68'
Con: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 25', 69', 76' (3/4)
Pen: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 38', 48', 65' (3/3)
Cards: Jeffery Toomaga-Allen yellow card 40' to 50'		 Attendance: 9,971
Referee: Glen Jackson
22 July 2017 Crusaders 17–0 Highlanders AMI Stadium, Christchurch  
19:35 Try: Joe Moody rugby ball 32'
Codie Taylor rugby ball 39'
Con: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 33', 40' (2/2)
Pen: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 5' (1/4)		 Report[12]
Scoreboard[13]		 Cards: Liam Squire yellow card 4' to 14' Attendance: 11,000[14]
Referee: Angus Gardner
22 July 2017 Lions 23–21 Sharks Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
14:30 Try: Franco Mostert rugby ball 47'
Jaco Kriel rugby ball 51'
Lionel Mapoe rugby ball 60'
Con: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 61'
Pen: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 9'
Ruan Combrinck rugby goalposts icon 77'
Cards: Franco Mostert yellow card 64' to 74'		 Report[15]
Scoreboard[16]		 Try: Kobus van Wyk rugby ball 10'
Dan du Preez rugby ball 65'
Con: Curwin Bosch rugby goalposts icon 66'
Pen: Curwin Bosch rugby goalposts icon 34', 39'
Drop: Curwin Bosch rugby goalposts icon 16'
Cards: Stephan Lewies yellow card 45' to 55'		 Attendance: 26,000[17]
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
22 July 2017 Stormers 11–17 Chiefs Newlands Stadium, Cape Town  
17:00 Try: Siya Kolisi rugby ball 44'
Pen: SP Marais rugby goalposts icon 23', 62' (2/3)		 Report[18]
Scoreboard[19]		 Try: Shaun Stevenson rugby ball 75'
Pen: Damian McKenzie rugby goalposts icon 29', 31', 38', 51' (4/4)
Cards: Sam Cane yellow card 59' to 69'		 Attendance: 27,500[20]
Referee: Jaco Peyper

Semifinals
29 July 2017 Crusaders 27–13 Chiefs AMI Stadium, Christchurch  
19:35 Try: Bryn Hall rugby ball 16'
Israel Dagg rugby ball 48'
Seta Tamanivalu rugby ball 57', 72'
Con: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 17', 58' (2/4)
Pen: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 13' (1/1)		 Report[21]
Scoreboard[22]		 Try: Brodie Retallick rugby ball 77'
Con: Damian McKenzie rugby goalposts icon 77' (1/1)
Pen: Damian McKenzie rugby goalposts icon 26', 37' (2/2)		 Attendance: 13,000[23]
Referee: Glen Jackson
29 July 2017 Lions 44–29 Hurricanes Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
14:30 Try: Jacques van Rooyen rugby ball 38'
Ross Cronjé rugby ball 43'
Malcolm Marx rugby ball 52'
Harold Vorster rugby ball 61'
Elton Jantjies rugby ball 68'
Kwagga Smith rugby ball 73'
Con: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 39', 45', 62', 69' (4/6)
Pen: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 4', 58' (2/2)		 Report[24]
Scoreboard[25]		 Try: TJ Perenara rugby ball 6'
Wes Goosen rugby ball 10'
Ardie Savea rugby ball 29'
Ngani Laumape rugby ball 55'
Con: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 11', 56' (2/3)
Beauden Barrett rugby goalposts icon 30' (1/1)
Pen: Jordie Barrett rugby goalposts icon 19' (1/2)
Cards: Beauden Barrett yellow card 57' to 67'		 Attendance: 27,908[26]
Referee: Jaco Peyper

Final
5 August 2017 Lions 17–25 Crusaders Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg  
16:00 Try: Malcolm Marx rugby ball 63'
Corné Fourie rugby ball 72'
Con: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 64', 72' (2/2)
Pen: Elton Jantjies rugby goalposts icon 26' (1/1)
Cards: Kwagga Smith Red card 38'		 Report[27]
Scoreboard[28]		 Try: Seta Tamanivalu rugby ball 7'
Jack Goodhue rugby ball 11'
Kieran Read rugby ball 42'
Con: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 8', 43' (2/3)
Pen: Richie Mo'unga rugby goalposts icon 40', 52' (2/2)		 Referee: Jaco Peyper

Players

Squads

The following squads were named for the 2017 Super Rugby season:

Blues squad
Forwards Gerard Cowley-Tuioti • Epalahame Faiva • Charlie Faumuina • Blake Gibson • Josh Goodhue • Alex Hodgman • Akira Ioane • Jerome Kaino • Steve Luatua • Sione Mafileo • Pauliasi Manu • Matt Moulds • James Parsons • Sam Prattley • Leighton Price • Kara Pryor • Scott Scrafton • Murphy Taramai • Patrick Tuipulotu • Jimmy Tupou • Ofa Tu'ungafasi • Did not play: • Brandon Nansen
Backs Michael Collins • Matt Duffie • TJ Faiane • Piers Francis • Bryn Gatland • Billy Guyton • Rieko Ioane • George Moala • Melani Nanai • Sam Nock • Declan O'Donnell • Stephen Perofeta • Augustine Pulu • Rene Ranger • Jordan Trainor • Ihaia West • Sonny Bill Williams • Did not play: • Matt Vaega
Coach Tana Umaga
Brumbies squad
Forwards Robbie Abel • Allan Alaalatoa • Chris Alcock • Ben Alexander • Rory Arnold • Jarrad Butler • Sam Carter • Tom Cusack • Blake Enever • Saia Fainga'a • Lolo Fakaosilea • Scott Fardy • Ben Hyne • Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin • Joshua Mann-Rea • Nic Mayhew • Jordan Smiler • Scott Sio • Faalelei Sione • Tom Staniforth • Did not play: • Rob Valetini
Backs Nigel Ah Wong • Tom Banks • Tomás Cubelli • James Dargaville • Kyle Godwin • Wharenui Hawera • Jordan Jackson-Hope • Tevita Kuridrani • Christian Lealiifano • Ryan Lonergan • Andy Muirhead • Joe Powell • De Wet Roos • Andrew Smith • Henry Speight • Isaac Thompson • Aidan Toua • Did not play: • Anthony Fainga'a • Nick Jooste • Lausii Taliauli
Coach Stephen Larkham
Bulls squad
Forwards Jacobie Adriaanse • Shaun Adendorff • Arno Botha • Renaldo Bothma • Lood de Jager • Nick de Jager • Martin Dreyer • Lizo Gqoboka • Jason Jenkins • John-Roy Jenkinson • Jannes Kirsten • Hanro Liebenberg • Edgar Marutlulle • Abongile Nonkontwana • Trevor Nyakane • Jacques Potgieter • Marnus Schoeman • Pierre Schoeman • RG Snyman • Ruan Steenkamp • Adriaan Strauss • Ruben van Heerden • Conraad van Vuuren • Jaco Visagie • Did not play: • Corniel Els • Roelof Smit • Hendré Stassen
Backs Ulrich Beyers • Francois Brummer • Warrick Gelant • Travis Ismaiel • Tony Jantjies • Jesse Kriel • Kefentse Mahlo • Duncan Matthews • Rabz Maxwane • Franco Naudé • Burger Odendaal • Rudy Paige • Handré Pollard • Tian Schoeman • Jan Serfontein • Jade Stighling • Dries Swanepoel • Jamba Ulengo • Ivan van Zyl • Piet van Zyl • André Warner • Did not play: • JT Jackson • Johnny Kôtze • Luther Obi
Coach Nollis Marais
Cheetahs squad
Forwards Justin Basson • Tom Botha • Uzair Cassiem • Aranos Coetzee • Chris Dry • Joseph Dweba • Elandré Huggett • Reniel Hugo • Niell Jordaan • Armandt Koster • Charles Marais • Danie Mienie • Oupa Mohojé • Ox Nché • Junior Pokomela • Boom Prinsloo • Paul Schoeman • Francois Uys • Torsten van Jaarsveld • Henco Venter • Reinach Venter • Carl Wegner • Did not play: • Jacques du Toit • Hilton Lobberts • Dennis Visser
Backs Rayno Benjamin • Clayton Blommetjies • Nico Lee • JW Jonker • Niel Marais • Tian Meyer • Ali Mgijima • Zee Mkhabela • Luther Obi • Sergeal Petersen • Raymond Rhule • William Small-Smith • Clinton Swart • Michael van der Spuy • Ruan van Rensburg • Francois Venter • Shaun Venter • Fred Zeilinga • Did not play: • Ryno Eksteen
Coach Franco Smith
Chiefs squad
Forwards Michael Allardice • Dominic Bird • Lachlan Boshier • Mitchell Brown • Sam Cane • Hika Elliot • Siegfried Fisiihoi • Kane Hames • Nathan Harris • Mitchell Karpik • Sefo Kautai • Nepo Laulala • Michael Leitch • Liam Messam • Brayden Mitchell • Atunaisa Moli • Liam Polwart • Brodie Retallick • Aidan Ross • Tom Sanders • Taleni Seu • Sebastian Siataga • Samisoni Taukei'aho • James Tucker • Did not play: • Mitchell Graham • Matiaha Martin
Backs Solomon Alaimalo • Finlay Christie • Aaron Cruden • Stephen Donald • Johnny Fa'auli • Tawera Kerr-Barlow • Anton Lienert-Brown • James Lowe • Damian McKenzie • Sam McNicol • Tim Nanai-Williams • Alex Nankivell • Charlie Ngatai • Toni Pulu • Shaun Stevenson • Jonathan Taumateine • Did not play: • Glen Fisiiahi • Chase Tiatia • Brad Weber
Coach Dave Rennie
Crusaders squad
Forwards Michael Ala'alatoa • Scott Barrett • Heiden Bedwell-Curtis • Jed Brown • Wyatt Crockett • Whetu Douglas • Mitchell Dunshea • Owen Franks • Vernon Fredericks • Ben Funnell • Oliver Jager • Andrew Makalio • Joe Moody • Tim Perry • Kieran Read • Luke Romano • Pete Samu • Quinten Strange • Jordan Taufua • Codie Taylor • Matt Todd • Sam Whitelock
Backs Tim Bateman • George Bridge • Ryan Crotty • Israel Dagg • Mitchell Drummond • Ereatara Enari • Leon Fukofuka • Jack Goodhue • Bryn Hall • David Havili • Mitchell Hunt • Digby Ioane • Manasa Mataele • Marty McKenzie • Richie Mo'unga • Seta Tamanivalu • Sean Wainui • Did not play: • Sione Fifita • Jone Macilai-Tori
Coach Scott Robertson
Force squad
Forwards Jermaine Ainsley • Richie Arnold • Lewis Carmichael • Adam Coleman • Pekahou Cowan • Ben Daley • Tetera Faulkner • Richard Hardwick • Onehunga Havili • Ross Haylett-Petty • Matt Hodgson • Kane Koteka • Ben McCalman • Isi Naisarani • Matt Philip • Tatafu Polota-Nau • Anaru Rangi • Brynard Stander • Heath Tessmann • Francois van Wyk • Shambeckler Vui • Did not play: • Angus Cottrell • Ben Matwijow • Harry Scoble
Backs Marcel Brache • Luke Burton • Robbie Coleman • Peter Grant • Dane Haylett-Petty • Jono Lance • Ryan Louwrens • Semisi Masirewa • Bill Meakes • Luke Morahan • Alex Newsome • Chance Peni • Ian Prior • Curtis Rona • Michael Ruru • Mitch Short • James Verity-Amm
Coach David Wessels
Highlanders squad
Forwards Alex Ainley • Liam Coltman • Ash Dixon • Elliot Dixon • Gareth Evans • Tom Franklin • Siua Halanukonuka • Jackson Hemopo • Dillon Hunt • James Lentjes • Daniel Lienert-Brown • Craig Millar • Guy Millar • Greg Pleasants-Tate • Sekonaia Pole • Dan Pryor • Aki Seiuli • Adrian Smith • Tupou Sopoaga • Liam Squire • Siate Tokolahi • Joe Wheeler • Luke Whitelock • Did not play: • Shane Christie • Josh Dickson
Backs Marty Banks • Richard Buckman • Matt Faddes • Malakai Fekitoa • Kayne Hammington • Tevita Li • Waisake Naholo • Patrick Osborne • Josh Renton • Aaron Smith • Ben Smith • Fletcher Smith • Lima Sopoaga • Rob Thompson • Sio Tomkinson • Teihorangi Walden • Did not play: • Jason Emery • Hayden Parker
Coach Tony Brown
Hurricanes squad
Forwards Mark Abbott • Leni Apisai • James Blackwell • Dane Coles • Chris Eves • Michael Fatialofa • Vaea Fifita • Callum Gibbins • Toa Halafihi • Mike Kainga • Sam Lousi • Ben May • James O'Reilly • Reed Prinsep • Hugh Renton • Ricky Riccitelli • Ardie Savea • Brad Shields • Blade Thomson • Jeffery Toomaga-Allen • Loni Uhila • Did not play: • James Broadhurst • Geoffrey Cridge • Reggie Goodes
Backs Pita Ahki • Vince Aso • Beauden Barrett • Jordie Barrett • Otere Black • Wes Goosen • Cory Jane • Ben Lam • Ngani Laumape • Nehe Milner-Skudder • TJ Perenara • Matt Proctor • Julian Savea • Chris Smylie • Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi • Did not play: • Kylem O'Donnell • Peter Umaga-Jensen
Coach Chris Boyd
Jaguares squad
Forwards Matías Alemanno • Felipe Arregui • Rodrigo Báez • Cristian Bartoloni • Agustín Creevy • Santiago García Botta • Ramiro Herrera • Marcos Kremer • Ignacio Larrague • Tomás Lavanini • Juan Manuel Leguizamón • Tomás Lezana • Benjamín Macome • Pablo Matera • Julián Montoya • Lucas Noguera Paz • Javier Ortega Desio • Guido Petti • Enrique Pieretto • Leonardo Senatore • Roberto Tejerizo • Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro • Did not play: • Facundo Gigena • Juan Cruz Guillemaín • Santiago Portillo
Backs Gonzalo Bertranou • Emiliano Boffelli • Santiago Cordero • Jerónimo de la Fuente • Joaquín Díaz Bonilla • Bautista Ezcurra • Felipe Ezcurra • Santiago González Iglesias • Juan Martín Hernández • Martín Landajo • Manuel Montero • Matías Moroni • Ramiro Moyano • Matías Orlando • Nicolás Sánchez • Joaquín Tuculet • Did not play: • Santiago Álvarez • Gabriel Ascárate • Nicolás Freitas
Coach Raúl Pérez
Lions squad
Forwards Ruan Ackermann • Cyle Brink • Robbie Coetzee • Ruan Dreyer • Lourens Erasmus • Andries Ferreira • Corné Fourie • Johannes Jonker • Jaco Kriel • Robert Kruger • Malcolm Marx • Franco Mostert • Marvin Orie • Sti Sithole • Dylan Smith • Kwagga Smith • Akker van der Merwe • Jacques van Rooyen • Hencus van Wyk • Warren Whiteley • Did not play: • Justin Ackerman • Fabian Booysen • Hacjivah Dayimani
Backs Andries Coetzee • Ruan Combrinck • Ross Cronjé • Faf de Klerk • Rohan Janse van Rensburg • Elton Jantjies • Sylvian Mahuza • Lionel Mapoe • Howard Mnisi • Jacques Nel • Shaun Reynolds • Courtnall Skosan • Dillon Smit • Madosh Tambwe • Jaco van der Walt • Anthony Volmink • Harold Vorster
Coach Johan Ackermann
Rebels squad
Forwards Cruze Ah-Nau • Steve Cummins • Dominic Day • Murray Douglas • Colby Fainga'a • James Hanson • Esei Ha'angana • Patrick Leafa • Tyrel Lomax • Amanaki Mafi • Sean McMahon • Will Miller • Tom Moloney • Jordy Reid • Culum Retallick • Fereti Sa'aga • Jake Schatz • Siliva Siliva • Hugh Sinclair • Toby Smith • Lopeti Timani • Jordan Uelese • Laurie Weeks • Did not play: • Harley Fox • Sam Jeffries • Rob Leota • Tim Metcher • Alex Toolis
Backs Jack Debreczeni • Tom English • Jackson Garden-Bachop • Harrison Goddard • Reece Hodge • Mitch Inman • Marika Koroibete • Jack Maddocks • Ben Meehan • Sefa Naivalu • Jonah Placid • Michael Snowden • Nic Stirzaker • Sione Tuipulotu • Semisi Tupou • Ben Volavola • Did not play: • Pama Fou • Kentaro Kodama • Jack McGregor • Dennis Pili-Gaitau • Dom Shipperley
Coach Tony McGahan
Reds squad
Forwards Kane Douglas • Sef Fa'agase • Reece Hewat • Scott Higginbotham • Leroy Houston • Phil Kite • Adam Korczyk • Alex Mafi • Stephen Moore • Cadeyrn Neville • Andrew Ready • Izack Rodda • Kirwan Sanday • Rob Simmons • James Slipper • George Smith • Sam Talakai • Caleb Timu • Hendrik Tui • Lukhan Tui • Taniela Tupou • Markus Vanzati • Did not play: • Michael Gunn
Backs Quade Cooper • Nick Frisby • Karmichael Hunt • Samu Kerevi • Chris Kuridrani • Campbell Magnay • Lachlan Maranta • Jake McIntyre • Eto Nabuli • Jayden Ngamanu • Duncan Paia'aua • Izaia Perese • Moses Sorovi • Hamish Stewart • James Tuttle • Did not play: • Chris Feauai-Sautia • Henry Taefu
Coach Nick Stiles
Sharks squad
Forwards Lourens Adriaanse • Hyron Andrews • Ruan Botha • Stephan Coetzee • Jean Droste • Dan du Preez • Jean-Luc du Preez • Thomas du Toit • Stephan Lewies • Franco Marais • John-Hubert Meyer • Tendai Mtawarira • Tera Mtembu • Coenie Oosthuizen • Etienne Oosthuizen • Chiliboy Ralepelle • Juan Schoeman • Philip van der Walt • Jacques Vermeulen • Did not play: • Keegan Daniel • Jean Deysel • Francois Kleinhans • Khaya Majola
Backs Lukhanyo Am • Garth April • Curwin Bosch • Michael Claassens • Johan Deysel • André Esterhuizen • Benhard Janse van Rensburg • Patrick Lambie • Marius Louw • Lwazi Mvovo • Odwa Ndungane • S'busiso Nkosi • Clément Poitrenaud • Inny Radebe • Cobus Reinach • S'bura Sithole • Rhyno Smith • Kobus van Wyk • Jeremy Ward • Did not play: • Tristan Blewett • Rowan Gouws • Hanco Venter
Coach Robert du Preez
Southern Kings squad
Forwards Martin Bezuidenhout • Thembelani Bholi • Chris Cloete • Schalk Ferreira • Justin Forwood • Ross Geldenhuys • Kurt Haupt • Chris Heiberg • Irné Herbst • Ruaan Lerm • Mzamo Majola • Giant Mtyanda • Andisa Ntsila • Tyler Paul • Schalk van der Merwe • Wilhelm van der Sluys • Dayan van der Westhuizen • Mike Willemse • Stefan Willemse • Mzwanele Zito • Did not play: • Tango Balekile • Christiaan de Bruin • Cameron Lindsay • Sintu Manjezi • Wandile Putuma • CJ Velleman
Backs Masixole Banda • Alshaun Bock • Chrysander Botha • Lionel Cronjé • Pieter-Steyn de Wet • Ntabeni Dukisa • Stokkies Hanekom • Malcolm Jaer • Berton Klaasen • Makazole Mapimpi • Wandile Mjekevu • Waylon Murray • Yaw Penxe • Louis Schreuder • Ricky Schroeder • Johan Steyn • Johann Tromp • Stefan Ungerer • Rudi van Rooyen • Luzuko Vulindlu • Did not play: • Siyanda Grey • Neil Maritz • Garrick Mattheus
Coach Deon Davids
Stormers squad
Forwards Juarno Augustus • Nizaam Carr • Jaco Coetzee • Jan de Klerk • Stephan de Wit • Pieter-Steph du Toit • Rynhardt Elstadt • Eben Etzebeth • JC Janse van Rensburg • Oli Kebble • Steven Kitshoff • Siya Kolisi • Wilco Louw • Frans Malherbe • Bongi Mbonambi • Sikhumbuzo Notshe • Caylib Oosthuizen • Ramone Samuels • JD Schickerling • Kobus van Dyk • Frans van Wyk • Chris van Zyl • Alistair Vermaak • Cobus Wiese • Did not play: • Johan du Toit • Dean Muir • Marnus Schoeman • Chad Solomon • Eduard Zandberg
Backs Bjorn Basson • Kurt Coleman • Damian de Allende • Juan de Jongh • Daniël du Plessis • Jean-Luc du Plessis • Robert du Preez • Dewaldt Duvenage • Cheslin Kolbe • Dan Kriel • Dillyn Leyds • SP Marais • Godlen Masimla • Justin Phillips • Seabelo Senatla • Brandon Thomson • Shaun Treeby • Jano Vermaak • EW Viljoen • Damian Willemse • Did not play: • Huw Jones • Khanyo Ngcukana
Coach Robbie Fleck
Sunwolves squad
Forwards Takuma Asahara • Willie Britz • Uwe Helu • Takeshi Hino • Shota Horie • Malgene Ilaua • Keita Inagaki • Heiichiro Ito • Shokei Kin • Takeshi Kizu • Koo Ji-won • Naohiro Kotaki • Shinya Makabe • Shuhei Matsuhashi • Masataka Mikami • Yuhimaru Mimura • Liaki Moli • Yusuke Niwai • Shunsuke Nunomaki • Yuya Odo • Hitoshi Ono • Ed Quirk • Atsushi Sakate • Yoshitaka Tokunaga • Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco • Sam Wykes • Yasuo Yamaji • Koki Yamamoto • Kotaro Yatabe • Did not play: • Kohei Asahori • Kyosuke Kajikawa • Kazuhiko Usami
Backs Derek Carpenter • Hayden Cripps • Shota Emi • Kenki Fukuoka • Teruya Goto • Timothy Lafaele • Rikiya Matsuda • Kotaro Matsushima • Takaaki Nakazuru • Jumpei Ogura • Yasutaka Sasakura • Kaito Shigeno • Hikaru Tamura • Yu Tamura • Fumiaki Tanaka • Harumichi Tatekawa • Jamie-Jerry Taulagi • Will Tupou • Keisuke Uchida • Riaan Viljoen • Ryohei Yamanaka • Yuki Yatomi • Did not play: • Michael Bond • Kazushi Hano • Ataata Moeakiola • Yutaka Nagare • Takahiro Ogawa
Coach Filo Tiatia
Waratahs squad
Forwards Jack Dempsey • Damien Fitzpatrick • Ned Hanigan • Jed Holloway • Michael Hooper • Maclean Jones • Sekope Kepu • Tolu Latu • Dave Lolohea • Ryan McCauley • David McDuling • Dean Mumm • Hugh Roach • Tom Robertson • Paddy Ryan • Will Skelton • Angus Ta'avao • Senio Toleafoa • Michael Wells • Did not play: • Sam Needs • Matt Sandell • Brad Wilkin
Backs Cameron Clark • Israel Folau • Bernard Foley • Jake Gordon • Bryce Hegarty • Rob Horne • David Horwitz • Andrew Kellaway • Matt Lucas • Mack Mason • Taqele Naiyaravoro • Nick Phipps • Reece Robinson • Irae Simone • Did not play: • Andrew Deegan • Harry Jones
Coach Daryl Gibson

Referees

The following refereeing panel was appointed by SANZAAR for the 2017 Super Rugby season:[29]

2017 Super Rugby referees
Argentina Federico Anselmi
Australia Nic Berry • Angus Gardner • Rohan Hoffmann • Will Houston
Japan Shuhei Kubo
New Zealand Nick Briant • Mike Fraser • Glen Jackson • Jamie Nutbrown • Ben O'Keeffe • Brendon Pickerill • Paul Williams
South Africa Quinton Immelman • Jaco Peyper • Rasta Rasivhenge • Egon Seconds • Marius van der Westhuizen • Jaco van Heerden

Attendances
TeamMain StadiumCapacityTotal AttendanceAverage Attendance % Capacity
New Zealand BluesEden Park50,000
New Zealand ChiefsWaikato Stadium25,800
New Zealand HurricanesWestpac Stadium34,500132,66716,58350%
New Zealand CrusadersRugby League Park18,000
New Zealand HighlandersForsyth Barr Stadium30,728
Australia RedsSuncorp Stadium52,500105,80615,11528%
Australia BrumbiesCanberra Stadium25,01179,0939,88639%
Australia WaratahsSydney Football Stadium44,000101,49914,49932%
Australia Melbourne RebelsAAMI Park29,500
Australia Forcenib Stadium20,500
South Africa SharksABSA Stadium52,000
South Africa BullsLoftus Versfeld51,792
South Africa LionsEllis Park62,567
South Africa Southern KingsNelson Mandela Bay Stadium48,00068,9659,85220%
South Africa CheetahsFree State Stadium46,000
South Africa StormersNewlands Stadium51,900
Argentina JaguaresJosé Amalfitani Stadium49,64071,9168,98918%
Japan SunwolvesPrince Chichibu Memorial Stadium27,188

References
  1. "Outline of the Super Rugby competition structure" (PDF). All Blacks. 1 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  2. "SANZAAR Confirms Super Rugby Fixtures & Finals Format". SANZAAR. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  3. "New Zealand Rugby welcomes Investec Super Rugby revamp" (Press release). New Zealand Rugby Union. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  4. "Future SA Vodacom Super Rugby franchises confirmed". South African Rugby Union. 7 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  5. "Statement: Expansion to Guinness PRO14 Championship" (Press release). Celtic Rugby Limited. 1 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  6. "SA Rugby Log – 2017 Vodacom Super Rugby". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  7. "Team with "Most Wins" will finish higher in Super Rugby". SANZAAR. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  8. "2017 Super Rugby Schedule Announced" (Press release). SANZAAR. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  9. "Super Rugby – Official SANZAAR Site". SANZAAR. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  10. "Hurricanes book semi-final spot". SANZAAR. 21 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  11. "Match Centre: Brumbies 16-35 Hurricanes". SANZAAR. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  12. "Crusaders blank Highlanders". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  13. "Match Centre: Crusaders 17-0 Highlanders". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  14. "Rugby: It's time to talk about the Super Rugby crowds".
  15. "Combrinck the hero for Lions". SANZAAR. 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  16. "Match Centre: Lions 23-21 Sharks". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  17. "Rugby: It's time to talk about the Super Rugby crowds".
  18. "Chiefs squeeze past Stormers in Cape Town". SANZAAR. 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  19. "Match Centre: Stormers 11-17 Chiefs". SANZAAR. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  20. "Rugby: It's time to talk about the Super Rugby crowds".
  21. "Ruthless Crusaders book final spot". SANZAAR. 29 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  22. "Match Centre: Crusaders 27-13 Chiefs". SANZAAR. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  23. "Tony Smith: Stadium state not only reason for Crusaders' crowd figures dip". August 2017.
  24. "Lions fightback floors Hurricanes". SANZAAR. 30 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  25. "Match Centre: Lions 44-29 Hurricanes". SANZAAR. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  26. "Super Rugby crowd conundrum with NZ not alone with empty seats telling at Ellis Park". 30 July 2017.
  27. "Crusaders reclaim Super Rugby crown". SANZAAR. 6 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  28. "Match Centre: Lions 17-25 Crusaders". SANZAAR. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  29. "2017 Super Rugby Referee Team" (Press release). SANZAAR. 6 February 2017. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
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