The 2007 Tri Nations Series was an annual

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

competition between the national teams of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The series began in South Africa on 16 June, with a

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between South Africa and Australia at

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and ended on 21 July in

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with a Test between New Zealand and Australia. The winners, for the third consecutive year, were New Zealand. The 2007 series consisted of six matches (two home matches each), three fewer than the 2006 series, because of the

2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup () was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by F ...

which would commence on 7 September. The draw was scheduled to ensure that no team played more than two matches in a row, the early finish allowing each team seven full weeks before the start of the World Cup. The competition reverted to a nine-Test series from 2008 onwards. Early in 2007, it was thought that there was a chance that could be admitted to the competition as early as 2008, as it had been reported that the worldwide governing body for rugby union, the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competit ...

, was brokering a deal for the entry of the ''Pumas''. However, by August of that year, it became clear that the competition would not be expanded while the current media contracts ran; the key contract with

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would not expire until 2010. The tournament had been put into jeopardy after the Springboks team confirmed they were sending a below strength side for the Australasian leg of the tournament.

Springbok selection controversy

New Zealand and Australian rugby officials considered on the news of the below strength Springbok team, that they might consider scrapping their remaining fixtures against South Africa but cited that because of many arrangements including broadcasting, stadium and ticket arrangements that it might be too complicated. The ARU also retracted proposals to continue the series without the Springboks after SARU sent a medical report, citing a sport scientist saying "they (the Springboks) might as well not bother going to the World Cup" if they send top injured players to the remaining games. The match turned out to be much more competitive than many observers had predicted, with South Africa storming to a 17–0 lead in the first 16 minutes before the Wallabies regained their composure to eventually overrun the Boks 25–17.

Standings

Results

''All times are local.''

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

References

External links

All Blacks Tri Nations website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tri Nations

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2007 in South African rugby union 2007 in New Zealand rugby union 2007 in Australian rugby union 2007 rugby union tournaments for national teams