Sharks (rugby Union)
The Sharks (known as the Hollywoodbets Sharks as they are their title sponsor) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and are eligible to compete in either the Investec Champions Cup or EPCR Challenge Cup depending on qualification. They previously competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. The team also competes in the Currie Cup as the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV The Sharks reached the Super Rugby final on four occasions—once as Natal in 1996, and three times as the Sharks in 2001, 2007, and 2012—though they never won the title. To date, their best performance in the United Rugby Championship is reaching the semi-finals in the 2024-25 URC Season and winning the South African conference shield in the same season. In May 2024, they won their first major competition by winning the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup, becoming the first South African team to win a European trophy. Th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board and the non-racial South African Rugby Union (SACOS), and took up its current name in 2005. SARU organises several national teams, most notably the senior national side, the ''South Africa national rugby union team, Springboks''. SARU consists of 14 regional associations, each of which sends its own team to the Currie Cup, the oldest and most important league title in South Africa. In addition, the SuperSport Rugby Challenge takes place annually. In addition to the actual national team, the SARU also puts together other teams. The Junior Springboks are the U-20 national team and take part in the Rugby Championship and the World Championships. There are also the Blitzboks, the national team for sevens rugby. Children and young people a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 Super 12 season, 1996 season with 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, building on competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986. The Super 12 was established by SANZAAR, SANZAR after the sport became professional in 1995. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 only included teams from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands. The name was changed to Super 14 with the addition of two teams for the 2006 Super 14 season, 2006 season, and with expansion to 15 teams for the 2011 Super Rugby season, 2011 season, the competition was rebranded as Super Rugby (with no number). In 2016 two new teams, the Jaguares (Sup ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bulls (rugby Union)
The Bulls (known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Bulls) are a South African people, South African professional rugby union team based in Pretoria. They play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Loftus Versfeld. They compete in the United Rugby Championship, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. Prior to 1998 Super 12 season, 1998, the Bulls competed in the then-Super 12 as Blue Bulls, Northern Transvaal, as in those years South Africa was represented in the competition by its top four Currie Cup sides from the previous season, instead of the modern Super Rugby teams. The side won the Super 14 in 2007, 2009 and 2010, placing them among the most successful teams in Super Rugby history with three titles. They were the most successful team of the Super 14 era (2006–10), winning three out of the five titles. They are the most successful South African team, and the only South African team to win a Super Rugby title. The Currie Cup team has be ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dick Muir
Dick John Muir (born 20 March 1965) is a South African former rugby union player, and now the interim head coach of Netherlands national rugby union team. Muir played for Natal for most of his career before moving to Western Province helping him to make his international debut for the Springboks in 1997. He won back-to-back Currie Cup titles with Natal in 1996 and a year later with Western Province in 1997. In 1998 he made his Stormers debut, where in late April 1999, Muir suffered a serious neck injury against the Auckland Blues which led to the centre retiring in mid May of that year. Playing career Muir made his test debut for the Springboks at the age of 32, against at Dall'Ara Stadium in Bologna, during the 1997 Springbok tour of Europe and scoring a try on debut. He then played in all test matches on the 1997 tour. Prior to 1997, Muir also toured with the Springboks to Argentina and Europe in 1996, playing five tour matches, scoring two tries. Test history ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2007 Super 14 Season
The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby. The visiting Bulls won the 2007 Super 14 Final, scoring a try in the 83rd minute and narrowly defeating the Sharks 20–19, thereby becoming the first South African side to win the Super Rugby title in the professional era. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season is the second of the expansion, which led to the name change to the Super 14. The 2007 season saw an old team emerge with a new name, as the Cats changed their name to the Lions effective 8 September 2006. There was also some confusion over the inclusion of the Southern Spears franchise, who were in the end not included. The season is also notable of the New Zealand sides resting several All ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rudolph Straeuli
Rudolf August Wilkens Straeuli (born 20 August 1963) is a South African rugby union administrator, and a former player and coach. He is currently the CEO of the Lions Rugby Company. He played in the positions of flanker and Number 8, making 10 test appearances for South Africa in 1994 and 1995. He was the coach of the Springboks rugby team in 2002 and 2003. He also played for the provincial team in the Currie Cup and Super 12 competitions. Playing career Straeuli played his first in provincial rugby in 1990 for and from 1993 he played for . During 1993 he also toured with the South African Barbarians to the United Kingdom. Straeuli made his debut for South Africa on 9 July 1994 against the All Blacks, in which he also scored a try. In all he played 10 tests, including representing South Africa in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, before his career ended on 18 November 1995 against England at Twickenham Stadium. In 1997 he joined the Bedford Blues rugby club in England. Coachi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hugh Reece-Edwards
Hugh Meredith Reece-Edwards (born 5 January 1961) is a former South African rugby union player. His regular playing position was Full-Back. Playing career Reece-Edwards represented Natal and made his debut for the province in 1982. He played for Natal until 1995 in 165 matches and scored a record of 1114 points. He was a member of the Natal team that won the Currie Cup in 1990 and 1992. Reece-Edwards toured with the Springboks to France and England in 1992 and to Australia in 1993. He made his test debut against France on 17 October 1992 at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon. He played in the following test against France and then in one test on the Australian tour. He also played in nine tour matches scoring 103 points (3 tries, 23 conversions and 14 penalties). Test history Coaching career Reece-Edwards acted as the assistant coach to Ian McIntosh at the Sharks from 1996 to 1999. In 2000 he was appointed as head coach, but his tenure only lasted for one year and was he rep ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ian McIntosh
Ian McIntosh (24 September 1938 – 5 April 2023) was a Zimbabwean–South African rugby union coach. He served as head coach for the Springboks during 1993 and 1994. McIntosh grew up near Bulawayo in Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). McIntosh never played for his country ( Rhodesian national rugby union team) as a player, but became acquainted with coaching in the 1970s under the tutelage of the then Welsh Rugby Union coaching director Ray Williams. When his coaching career ended, McIntosh was a Springbok selector for 13 years and he also served as a mentor for numerous South African national coaches in the senior and junior ranks. He also stayed in touch with the game through his involvement with the South African Rugby Legends Association (SARLA). In 2013 Ian McIntosh became the first South African and the first Durban North resident to win the IRB’s Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service, recognising his achievement in changing the face of rugby in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brumbies
The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005 to 2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the feral horses which inhabit the capital's hinterland. The team represents the ACT, as well as the Far South Coast and Southern Inland regions of New South Wales (NSW). The Brumbies were formed in 1996 to provide a third Australian franchise for the newly formed Super 12 (now Super Rugby) competition. It was predicted that the Brumbies, made up of so-called 'rejects' – players not wanted by the other two teams – would perform poorly. Since then, they have enjoyed more success than all the other Australian teams combined, reaching seven finals and winning three. The Brumbies are traditionally known for their strong tactical kicking, set piece play, ball retention, and pressuring of opponents in their own half. The Brumbies are one of only two Super R ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Blues (Super Rugby)
The Blues (; known as the Auckland Blues from 1996 to 1999) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established by the NZRU in 1996. One of the most successful teams in Super Rugby history, the Blues won the competition in its first two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and again in 2003 and 2024. Additionally, the team were finalists in 1998 and 2022, and semi-finalists in 2007, 2011 and 2023. They won a Trans Tasman competition in 2021. History Formation, early years and immediate success (1996–97) Along with New Zealand's other Super Rugby sides, the Blues were established by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to take part in the newly formed Super 12 competition which, involved teams from South Africa and Australia in addition to New Zealand. Each of New Zealand's five sides represented a number of provincial unions, with the Blues representing the Au ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team based in Brisbane for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996, they were a representative team selected from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland. With the introduction of the professional Super Rugby#Super 12, Super 12 competition they moved to a model where players are contracted to the Reds through the Queensland Rugby Union rather than selected on the basis of club form. From 1996 Super 12 season, 1996 to 2005 Super 12 season, 2005 they were one of three Australian teams competing in the Super 12 competition, alongside the New South Wales Waratahs and the ACT Brumbies. Queensland finished as Minor premiership, minor premiers in 1996 and 1999. From 2006 Super 14 season, 2006 to 2010 Super 14 season, 2010, they competed in the expanded Super Rugby#Super 14, Super 14 competition as one of four Australian sides. Beginning in 2011 Super Rugby season, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Super 10 (rugby Union)
The Super 10 was a rugby union football tournament featuring ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga, and Western Samoa. The competition ran for three years from 1993 to 1995 and was the predecessor of Super 12 and Super 14, now known as Super Rugby. History The Super 10 replaced the Super 6 and the previous South Pacific Championship and CANZ Series tournaments which had been organized by the Australian and New Zealand rugby unions during the 1980s and early 1990s. With South Africa being readmitted into international sport due to the dismantling of apartheid (both The Wallabies and the All Blacks toured South Africa during 1992), there was an opportunity to launch an expanded competition also featuring South Africa's top provincial teams. The South African Broadcasting Corporation's ''Top Sport'' channel committed to a three-year sponsorship of the competition, allowing it to be launched. The official declaration of professionalism in rugby union i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |