SUPER RUGBY DRAW ANNOUNCED FOR 2017

Sep 20 • General News, International, Super Rugby • 1823 Views • Comments Off on SUPER RUGBY DRAW ANNOUNCED FOR 2017

After a global audience of more than 50 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2016 Super Rugby season and over 2 million fans attended the matches, the 2017 Super Rugby competition will kick off on Thursday 23 February 2017 when the Melbourne Rebels host the Auckland-based Blues at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

During the 17-round season, the five Australian Super Rugby teams – the Brumbies, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, Melbourne Rebels and Western Force – will each play six matches in the Australian conference and nine matches against teams in other conferences.

In the four-conference tournament structure, which follows the same 2016 format, each team will play 15 matches and have two byes.

The season starts with home games for the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium, Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park and the NSW Waratahs who play the Western Force at Allianz Stadium. The 2016 Australian conference winners the ACT-based Brumbies will kickstart their year with their match against the Canterbury-based Crusaders in Christchurch.

During the season, seven Australian home games played at family-friendly afternoon time slots will give fans young and old the chance to cheer on their favourite Super Rugby teams. Two Thursday night matches, which will take place in Round 1 (Melbourne Rebels v Blues) and Round 2 when the Western Force host the Queensland Reds in Perth at nib Stadium, will also extend the ‘Super Rugby weekend’ for fans.

Fifteen Australian derbies will be played on home soil next year, with the contest between 2016 conference champions the Brumbies and NSW Waratahs set to light up Allianz Stadium when they do battle in Round 4. In Round 10, Australia’s most historic rivalry will write another chapter when the Queensland Reds take on the NSW Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium.

Trans-Tasman rivalries will again pervade the competition, with the New Zealand teams looming once again as mighty challengers. 2016’s big improvers the Melbourne Rebels will be the first Australian team to take on 2016 champions the Hurricanes in their Round 2 contest.

A rugby-filled Easter Saturday will see the Queensland Reds kick off at 3.05pm against the Kings at Suncorp Stadium, followed by the Melbourne Rebels v Brumbies derby at 7.45pm at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

ARU CEO Bill Pulver said: “Super Rugby is an unrivalled competition in the excitement and quality rugby it provides for fans. This year the average number of points scored per match increased from 45.3 in 2015 to 52.0 while tries were up from 5.1 to 6.4 per match.

“The 2017 season will be momentous for many of our Australian teams. The Queensland Reds will welcome home Quade Cooper, Stephen Moore and veteran George Smith, while the Western Force have a new Head Coach in Dave Wessels and some key players which have gained significant experience with the Wallabies through the 2016 international season.

“The Melbourne Rebels pushed the Brumbies and Waratahs all season in 2016, and the meteoric rise of players such as Sean McMahon and Reece Hodge shows their program is building quality players and a team that can push for finals in 2017.

“Last year’s conference champions, the Brumbies will have a new-look team in 2017 as they aim for a fifth consecutive finals appearance, while the Waratahs blooded some terrific young talent in 2016 and will be hungry to get back to the post-season after narrowly missing out this year.

“Nine new Wallabies have already been capped this winter following their standout performances in the Super Rugby season, and I’m sure plenty more stars will be unearthed next year too.”

Continuing Super Rugby’s foray into Asia, the competition will travel to Singapore for the first time in Round 2, when Japan’s Sunwolves take on the Southern Kings, and will return another two times in Round 5 and Round 13.

The 2017 Super Rugby finals series will start on 21 July with the final set for 5 August. A June Test window remains in the draw, to accommodate for international Tests, particularly the British & Irish Lions series in New Zealand.

View the full 2017 Asteron Life Super Rugby Draw here.

Key notes for editors
Super Rugby’s first Thursday night game will kick off the season at AAMI Park, with Melbourne Rebels playing Sonny Bill William’s team, the Blues, while the Western Force will host the Reds for the second Thursday-night clash in Round 2 at nib Stadium, Perth.

The opening round features three matches on Aussie soil with the NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels starting their seasons at home.

2016 Australian Conference winners, the Brumbies kickstart their 2017 campaign against the Crusaders in Christchurch.

Seven Australian home games played at family-friendly afternoon time slots will give fans young and old the chance to cheer on their favourite Super Rugby teams.

The competition travels to Singapore three times in 2017, continuing Super Rugby’s foray into Asia following the inclusion of Japan’s Sunwolves in 2016.