Asteron Life Super Rugby embarks on bold new chapter

Feb 17 • General News • 1296 Views • Comments Off on Asteron Life Super Rugby embarks on bold new chapter

Following today’s official launch of the 2016 Asteron Life Super Rugby season, players, coaches and fans are eagerly anticipating kick off as the competition tackles an exciting new frontier.

The twenty-first season of the world’s premier provincial rugby competition will see two new international teams – the Sunwolves from Japan and Argentina’s Jaguares – join the race for Super Rugby supremacy, while another, South Africa’s Southern Kings return to the fold.

With all five of Australia’s teams wrapping up their pre-season preparations ahead of another tilt at the title, and new broadcast arrangements delivering unprecedented amounts of Super Rugby to fans, the 2016 Asteron Life Super Rugby season will ignite Australia’s passion for the global game.

Australian rugby’s pathways were also strengthened with the announcement of the first-ever Super Under 20s competition, which will provide a crucial stepping stone for emerging Australian rugby talent to showcase and hone their skills.

Some of Australia’s Super Rugby stars including Wycliff Palu (Waratahs), James Slipper (Reds), Christian Lealiifano (Brumbies), Matt Hodgson (Force) and Nic Stirzaker (Rebels) shared their anticipation for the upcoming campaign and indulged in some pre-season fun with special guests at the official media launch at Wet’n’Wild water park in Sydney’s west.

Australian Rugby Union’s Chief Operating Officer, Rob Clarke, believes the 2016 Asteron Life Super Rugby season will captivate the global rugby community.

“The Asteron Life Super Rugby competition is without peer as an international provincial rugby competition. It pits the best of the best against each other on a weekly basis, featuring teams from the four best Rugby nations in the world – as evidenced by the recent Rugby World Cup in England.

“The inclusion of the Jaguares from Argentina and the Sunwolves from Japan in 2016 only enhances the ‘world best’ claim and the impact that both will have on the competition will be significant, in particular with the new fans that they will bring to Super Rugby.

“On behalf of everyone at Australian Rugby Union, I wish all our Australian teams the very best for the coming season. I also thank Asteron Life, Hahn Super Dry 3.5, TNT and Gilbert, and our broadcasters FOX SPORTS and Network Ten – all are valued partners who contribute to the success of Super Rugby in this country.”

The Australian conference will kick off on Friday 26 February when last year’s semi-finalists, the Brumbies, take on the 2015 runners up, the Hurricanes, at GIO Stadium in Canberra (7.40pm local time) with co-captains Stephen Moore and Christian Lealiifano leading the charge.

Then on Saturday 27 February, two highly-anticipated Australian derbies will delight fans across the country.

Matt Hodgson will lead the Western Force at home against the big improvers of 2015, the Melbourne Rebels at Perth’s nib Stadium (6.50pm local time).

Hours later, a new-look Waratahs outfit under new coach Daryl Gibson will run out at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium to take on the Reds whose new recruits, including Japanese cult hero Ayumu Goromaru, will be itching to make their mark for the Queenslanders (7.40pm local time).

FOX SPORTS will deliver LIVE, High Definition coverage of every match in the 2016 Asteron Life Super Rugby season, and for the first time in the competition’s history, Network Ten will broadcast a full replay of one Australian Super Rugby match per round, nationally on ONE

2016 ASTERON LIFE SUPER RUGBY SEASON AT-A-GLANCE:

Expanded 18-team format with 3 new teams: Southern Kings from South Africa, Sunwolves from Japan, and Jaguares from Argentina.
135 Regular Season and 7 Finals matches (up from 120 and 5 in 2015), which will be played on weekends from 26 February to 6 August 2016 (with a break for international matches during June)
2 Regional Groups (the Australasian Group & South African Group) divided into 4 conferences:
Australasian Group:
– Australian Conference (Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Reds, Waratahs); and
– New Zealand Conference (Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders, Hurricanes)
South African Group:
– Africa Conference #1 (Bulls, Cheetahs, Stormers, Sunwolves); and
– Africa Conference #2 (Kings, Lions, Sharks, Jaguares)
Two byes per team
Eight-team knockout Super Rugby Finals Series to be staged over three weeks (5 qualifiers from the Australasian Group and 3 from the South African Group)
The four Conference winners automatically qualify for the Finals Series, along with the next three highest-ranked Australasian Group teams and the next highest-ranked South African Group team
Every game from the 2016 Asteron Life Super Rugby season will be broadcast live in High Definition on FOX SPORTS
Network Ten will show a full replay of one Super Rugby match per round each Sunday morning, with a start time of 8am, and a one-hour Super Rugby highlights show each Monday night at 11.30pm