Trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition set for 2021

It has been announced that a Trans-Tasman Super Rugby crossover competition will take place in 2021, following respective Australian and New Zealand domestic Super Rugby tournaments.

The Trans-Tasman competition will feature all ten Super Rugby teams in the region, with each Aussie team to play each Kiwi team, in 25 crossover matches before the Final. The competition will kick off on Friday 14 May in 2021, with the grand final set for Saturday 19 June the same year.

Each side will play two home games and two away games as well as playing in a ‘Super Round’ – in the third round of games, every team will converge on one location and play their matches over one weekend. However, that location has not been selected yet.

The final will be played between the top two sides, with the team who finished first set to host the decider. Kick-off times, venues and dates will be revealed in due course.

All Blacks captain Sam Cane said of the new competition: “I think it’s awesome that we get to open up and play against each other.

“I can’t imagine playing three rounds of bashing each other in New Zealand. It’s pretty exciting to have an opportunity to come over here (to Australia, where New Zealand are set to face Argentina) and play, and vice-versa with them coming over to New Zealand.

“We (the players) worked pretty closely with Rob Nichol and the Players’ Association, and they do a good job working with New Zealand Rugby as well. They knew as players we want to be playing against the Australia teams, so it’s a pretty good result.”

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