The Super Rugby competition in rugby union, including teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and, in the past, from Argentina, Japan and South Africa, is based on a "franchise" system of teams. The original member countries – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (until 2020) – all have several regional franchises, while the expansion countries – Argentina, Fiji, Japan and the Pacific Islands – have/had one franchise each. The article covers specific detail as to the areas covered by each Super Rugby team. Bold denotes stadiums that are current primary stadiums for the franchises.
Current franchise areas Australia
Waratahs Brumbies Reds Force
The Australian Super Rugby franchises have evolved from traditional state and territory representative sides. For most of the history of rugby in Australia, the domestic game has been structured around regional club competitions. The strongest of these are based in the state and territory capitals of Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. During the amateur era prior to 1996, these competitions fed into the representative teams of New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory, respectively, and those teams became Australia's three original Super Rugby franchises.
Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia had similar representative teams and club structures but the game was generally not as strong in those states due to Australian rules football being the dominant code. Western Australia obtained the country's fourth franchise with the Western Force joining in 2006 and Victoria's Melbourne Rebels joined in 2011 as the fifth franchise. At the end of 2017, however, the Western Force lost its licence and was removed from the competition because the ARU decided to reduce the number of Australian teams in Super Rugby from five to four.
Since 1968, several Australian provincial competitions were created that did not continue, including the Wallaby Trophy in the 1960s and 1970s and, more recently, the Ricoh National Championship, APC and ARC. The last continent-wide competition was the NRC, which was launched as a national competition (like the Currie Cup and the ITM Cup) from 2014 to 2020, however in 2025 Super Rugby AUS was launched.
As well as Australian teams signing players from regional club competitions many players are signed straight from schoolboy rugby with strong competitions such as Queensland's GPS and New South Wales' AAGPS providing a large number of professional players.
While Australian Super Rugby teams do have general feeder areas, players from such areas can play for any side that offers them a contract. Examples include James O'Connor playing for the Western Force having played school rugby in Queensland and Matt Toomua playing for the ACT Brumbies having also played school rugby in Queensland.
Conference Club Location Feeder Area(s)Regional club competitions Home Ground(s) First season Championships Australia ACT Brumbies Canberra Principal Regional club Competition: ACTRU Premier Division (ACT and Southern NSW)GIO Stadium Corroboree Group Oval 1996 2 (2001, 2004)4 Australian Conference (2013, 2016, 2017, 2019) 1 Super Rugby AU (2020) New South Wales Waratahs Sydney Principal Regional club Competition: Shute Shield (Central and Northern New South Wales)Allianz Stadium (1996–2019) Allianz Stadium (2023–) ANZ Stadium, Sydney CommBank Stadium Brookvale Oval Leichhardt Oval
WIN Stadium 1996 1 (2014)3 Australian Conference (2014, 2015, 2018) Queensland Reds Brisbane Principal Regional club Competition: Queensland Premier Rugby (Queensland)Ballymore
Suncorp Stadium Willows Sports Complex 1996 1 Super 6 (1992) 2 Super 10 (1994,1995)1 (2011)2 Australian Conference (2011, 2012) 1 Super Rugby AU (2021) Western Force Perth Principal Regional club Competition: Premier Grade (1st Grade) (Western Australia)AAMI Park, Melbourne Cbus Super Stadium, Queensland HBF Park HIF Health Insurance Oval Leichhardt Oval, New South Wales Subiaco Oval 2006 0
Notes:
Former franchises Club Location Feeder Area(s)Regional club competitions Home Ground(s) Seasons Championships Melbourne Rebels Melbourne Principal Regional club Competition: Dewar Shield (Victoria)AAMI Park Brookvale Oval Leichhardt Oval Mars Stadium 2011–2024 0
There are four regions that do not have a Super Rugby franchise. All regions have provincial club competitions with a representative teams in the Australian Rugby Shield, from 2000 to 2008, and in NRC Division 2, from 2018 to 2020. South Australia — a substantial market with Australian rules football as the main sport. Rugby Union South Australia had an arrangement with the Melbourne Rebels for its players to be eligible for that franchise's academy team. Tasmania — a small market and not geographically concentrated. Australian rules football is the main football code. Northern Territory — Australia's least populous state or territory, with no major league sporting teams based in it. Victoria — formerly represented by the Melbourne Rebels.
Super Rugby AU Due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the shortened 2020 Super Rugby season, the Western Force returned to Super Rugby to participate in Super Rugby AU. Since departing Super Rugby the team had been participating in Global Rapid Rugby. The team was again confirmed in the 2021 Super Rugby AU season.
Fiji
Drua Fiji has a single franchise. It was included in Super Rugby for the 2022 Super Rugby season and represents all of Fiji Rugby Union (FRU); the team consists of players from various teams that participate in the Skipper Cup, represents the Fiji national side or Fiji Sevens national side. Many of the players who represent the side have returned from stints internationally in Europe or elsewhere. In the past, Fiji has also a team in Australia's National Rugby Championship (NRC) and Global Rapid Rugby. For the 2022 season, the Drua were confirmed as being based in Lennox Head, New South Wales, Australia due to travel restrictions as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Team Location Feeder area and provincial teams Home ground First Season Fijian Drua Suva, Rewa Province Skipper Cup Four R Stadium, Ba Churchill Park, Lautoka HFC Bank Stadium, Laucala Bay, Suva 2022
New Zealand
Blues Chiefs Hurricanes Crusaders Highlanders
In New Zealand, each of the country's five Super Rugby teams are linked with several unions in the country's two domestic competitions, the professional National Provincial Championship and amateur Heartland Championship. For all practical purposes, all Super Rugby players will be drawn from the National Provincial Championship sides. The specific unions linked to each franchise are:
Conference Club Location Feeder Area(s)(National Provincial Championship and Heartland Championship Provinces) Home Ground(s) First season Championships New Zealand Blues Auckland National Provincial Championship Provinces: Auckland North Harbour Northland AAMI Park, Australia Apia Park, Samoa ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe Eden Park Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin North Harbour Stadium One Stadium NZ, Christchurch Semenoff Stadium 1996 4 (1996, 1997, 2003, 2024) 1 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman (2021) Chiefs Hamilton National Provincial Championship Provinces: Bay of Plenty Counties Manukau Waikato Taranaki Heartland Championship Provinces: East Coast King Country Thames Valley AAMI Park, Australia
Bay Oval Baypark Stadium ECOLight Stadium FMG Stadium Waikato Leichhardt Oval, Australia One Stadium NZ, Christchurch Owen Delany Park QBE Stadium, Auckland Rotorua International Stadium Tauranga Domain Toll Stadium, Whangārei Wakatipu Rugby Club, Wakatipu Stadium Taranaki 1996 2 (2012, 2013)2 New Zealand Conference (2012, 2013) Crusaders Christchurch National Provincial Championship Provinces: Canterbury Tasman (formed by merger of Marlborough and Nelson Bays) Heartland Championship Provinces: Buller Mid Canterbury South Canterbury West Coast AAMI Park, Australia Alpine Energy Stadium AMI Stadium Apollo Projects Stadium Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin McLean Park, Napier One Stadium NZ Trafalgar Park 1996 13 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025)5 New Zealand Conference (2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019) 1 Australasian Group (2017) 2 Super Rugby Aotearoa (2020, 2021) Highlanders Dunedin National Provincial Championship Provinces: Otago Southland Heartland Championship Provinces: North Otago AAMI Park, Australia ANZ Stadium, Suva, Fiji Carisbrook Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North Forsyth Barr Stadium Leichhardt Oval, Australia One Stadium NZ, Christchurch Queenstown Events Centre Rugby Park 1996 1 (2015) Hurricanes Wellington National Provincial Championship Provinces: Hawke's Bay Manawatu Wellington Heartland Championship Provinces: Horowhenua-Kapiti Poverty Bay Wairarapa Bush Wanganui AAMI Park, Australia Athletic Park Central Energy Trust Arena McLean Park One Stadium NZ, Christchurch Hnry Stadium Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth 1996 1 (2016)2 New Zealand Conference (2015, 2016)1 Australasian Group (2016)
Super Rugby Aotearoa Due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the shortened 2020 Super Rugby season, the New Zealand Rugby Union organized Super Rugby Aotearoa with its 5 Super Rugby Franchises.
Former franchise areas Argentina (2016–2020)
Jaguares
Argentina had a single franchise, which participated in the South African Conference. It was included in Super Rugby for the 2016 Super Rugby season and represents all of Argentine Rugby Union; the team consists of players from various teams that participate in the Nacional de Clubes, which involves clubs from URBA and from the Torneo del Interior. Argentina has also a team in South African's Currie Cup and Súper Liga Americana de Rugby. The Jaguares weren't named in a Super Rugby tournament for the 2021 season and won't compete in 2021.
Team Location Feeder area and provincial teams Home ground Seasons Conference Conference wins Jaguares Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province José Amalfitani Stadium, Liniers, Buenos Aires 2016–2020 South African Conference (2018, 2019, 2020) Africa 2 Conference (2016, 2017) South African Conference (2019)
Japan (2016–2020)
Sunwolves
Japan had a single franchise called the , which participates in the Australian Conference. It was included in Super Rugby for the 2016 Super Rugby season and represented all of Japan and its major rugby club competition, the Top League from 2016 to 2020. In March 2019, it was announced that 2020 would be the final season for the Sunwolves after failing to negotiate a contract due to financial considerations.
Team Location Feeder area and provincial teams Home ground Seasons Conference Conference wins Sunwolves Tokyo, Kantō Top League Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore
Mong Kok Stadium, Kowloon, Hong Kong (2018) Level5 Stadium, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan (2020) WIN Stadium, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (2020) Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (2020) 2016–2020 Australian Conference (2018, 2019, 2020) Africa 1 Conference (2016, 2017)
Pacific Islands