1996 Super 12 season
Encyclopedia
The 1996 Super 12 season was the inaugural season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. The season ran from February to May 1996, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi finals, with the first placed team playing the fourth and the second placed team playing the third. The winner of each semi final qualified for the final, which was contested between the Auckland Blues and Natal Sharks, with the Blues winning 45 – 21 to win the first Super 12 title.

This was the first season of professional rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere (the Northern Hemisphere had their first season a few months earlier due to the seasonal differences). The season was also the first of 10 under the deal between SANZAR
SANZAR
SANZAR is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly after rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's two...

 and News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...

 which gave all broadcasting rights to News Limited for the Super 12, Tri-Nations, all in-bound tours and test matches and in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as well as provincial competition matches. The deal was collectively worth $550,000,000 USD.

The teams from Australia and New Zealand were regionally-based franchises, a system that has continued to this day. South Africa used a different system for determining its Super 12 teams. The top four sides from the previous season of the country's domestic competition, the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...

, were granted berths in the Super 12. This system would continue through the 1998 competition; only in 1999 did South Africa adopt the same franchise system used by the other two participating countries.

Table

     Top four teams advance to finals
Pos. Team Pld W D L PF PA PD BP Pts
1  Australia Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...

11 9 0 2 320 247 73 5 41
2  New Zealand Auckland Blues 11 8 0 3 408 354 54 9 41
3  South Africa Northern Transvaal 11 8 0 3 329 208 121 6 38
4  South Africa Natal Sharks 11 6 0 5 389 277 112 9 33
5  Australia ACT Brumbies 11 7 0 4 306 273 33 4 32
6  New Zealand Waikato Chiefs 11 6 0 5 291 269 22 4 28
7  Australia NSW Waratahs
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...

11 5 0 6 312 290 22 8 28
8  New Zealand Otago Highlanders 11 5 0 6 329 391 −62 6 26
9  New Zealand Wellington Hurricanes 11 3 0 8 290 353 −63 5 17
10  South Africa Transvaal 11 3 0 8 228 299 −71 4 16
11  South Africa Western Province
Stormers
The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as DHL Stormers, are a South African rugby union team based in Cape Town competing in the Super Rugby competition . Despite their lack of silverware over the years, their home stadium, Newlands, typically draws the highest average attendance figures...

11 3 1 7 251 353 −101 1 15
12  New Zealand Canterbury Crusaders 11 2 1 8 234 373 −139 2 13


Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 11

Week 12

Semifinals

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Final



|
tyle="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center> Auckland Blues
FB 15 Adrian Cashmore
Adrian Cashmore
Adrian Richard Cashmore in Tokoroa, New Zealand. He is a New Zealand rugby player who played for Auckland and Bay of Plenty provincially, and the Auckland Blues and Chiefs in Super Rugby. He also played professionally in Japan and for Welsh region the Ospreys in the Celtic League...

RW 14 Joeli Vidiri
Joeli Vidiri
Joeli Vidiri is a retired Fijian rugby union footballer who also played for the All Blacks. He played as a wing.-Career:...

OC 13 Eroni Clarke
Eroni Clarke
Eroni Clarke was a Samoan-born New Zealand rugby union player who played for Auckland, the Blues, the Highlanders and the All Blacks at international level. Clarke made 154 appearances for Auckland, making him the fifth most capped player in the union's history...

IC 12 Johnny Ngauamo
LW 11 Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union player. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He has had a huge impact on the game...

FH 10 Carlos Spencer
Carlos Spencer
Carlos James Spencer is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who currently plays at fly-half for the Lions in the Super 14 and formerly for the New Zealand All Blacks. He is well known for his flamboyant, attacking play and ball handling skills. He has signed to play for the Lions for 2010 and 2011...

SH 9 Ofisa Tonu`u
N8 8 Zinzan Brooke
Zinzan Brooke
Zinzan Valentine Brooke is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played at number eight...

 (c)
OF 7 Andrew Blowers
Andrew Blowers
Andrew Francis Blowers is a rugby union player who played for Auckland Blues, Northampton Saints and Bristol. He played for the All Blacks between 1996 and 1999 in which he had played 11 tests and 7 games...

BF 6 Michael Jones
RL 5 Charles Riechelmann
Charles Riechelmann
Charles Riechelmann was a Tongan-born New Zealand rugby union player. He played for Auckland, the Blues and the All Blacks at international level. He played six test matches for New Zealand in 1997, scoring three tries. He was also a part of the Blues 1996 and 1997 Super 12 winning teams.-External...

LL 4 Robin Brooke
Robin Brooke
Robin Matthew Brooke is a former New Zealand rugby player. He played for the All Blacks n the 1990s, playing many tests alongside younger brother Zinzan Brooke...

TP 3 Olo Brown
Olo Brown
Olo Max Brown was born 24 October 1967 in Apia, Samoa. He played 56 tests at prop for the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team from 1992 to 1998, missing only two tests in his career. He suffered neck and back injuries which ended his rugby playing days, and retired to become a lawyer.-External links:...

HK 2 Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick MNZM is a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country. He is also the son of former player Brian Fitzpatrick....

LP 1 Craig Dowd
Craig Dowd
Craig Dowd born 26 October 1969 in Auckland, New Zealand is a former rugby union player and current coach. He played 60 test matches for New Zealand between 1993 and 2000, spending his entire provincial career with Auckland. He spent his entire Super 12 career, 64 matches, with the Auckland Blues,...

Substitutes:
Bn 16 Lee Stensness
Lee Stensness
Lee Stensness is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played for Manawatu, Auckland, the Blues and the All Blacks. He made his debut for the All Blacks in 1993.-Early career:...

Bn 17 Cameron Rackham
Bn 18 Michael Scott
Bn 19 Jason Chandler
Bn 20 Kevin Nepia
Bn 21 Andrew Roose
Coach:
 New Zealand Graham Henry
Graham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...

tyle="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> Natal Sharks | FB 15 André Joubert
André Joubert
André Joubert is a former South African rugby union player. He was capped 34 times at fullback for the Springboks in the early 1990s, and amassed a total of 115 Test Points from 10 tries, 17 penalties and 7 conversions....

RW 14 James Small
James Small (rugby player)
James Small is a former South African rugby union footballer who played on the wing for the Springboks. His international debut was against the All Blacks in 1992 and he made his final appearance against Scotland in 1997. He was part of the 1995 rugby world cup winning Springbok team, and famously...

OC 13 Jeremy Thomson IC 12 Dick Muir LW 11 Cabous van der Westhuisen FH 10 Henry Honiball
Henry Honiball
Henry William Honiball is a former South African rugby union footballer. He played at fly-half for South Africa during the post-apartheid era, although he was physically and technically acquainted in any back position....

SH 9 Kevin Putt N8 8 Gary Teichmann
Gary Teichmann
Gary Hamilton Teichmann is a retired Rhodesian/Zimbabwean-born South African rugby union player. He played number eight and was the captain of the South African national team, the Springboks, between 1995 and 1999...

 (c) OF 7 Wickus van Heerden BF 6 Wayne Fyvie RL 5 Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews (rugby player)
Mark Andrews is a former rugby player.He achieved his Junior Springbok colours in waterpolo while still at school. He switched to rugby as his main sport and achieved honours while at school and university...

LL 4 Steve Atherton TP 3 Adrian Garvey
Adrian Garvey
Adrian Christopher Garvey was a Zimbabwean-born South African rugby union player. He played as a prop.Garvey played for Old Miltonians, Coastal Sharks, Natal and Newport Gwent Dragons....

HK 2 John Allan LP 1 Ollie le Roux
Ollie le Roux
Andre-Henri "Ollie" le Roux is a South African rugby union footballer who currently plays for Leinster.-Rugby career:...

Substitutions: Bn 16 Jozuzi Joubert Bn 17 Roland de Marigny
Roland de Marigny
Roland de Marigny is an Italian rugby union footballer. His normal position is fullback though he can also play centre or fly-half.His parents originated from Mauritius....

Bn 18 Robert du Preez Bn 19 Dieter Kriese Bn 20 John Slade Bn 21 Federico Mendez
Federico Mendez
Federico Mendez , also known as Freddie Mendez is an Argentine rugby union footballer.Méndez played professional rugby in South Africa, England and France...

Coach:  South Africa Ian McIntosh
Ian McIntosh
Ian McIntosh is a Zimbabwean-South African rugby union coach. He served as head coach for the Springboks during the early 1990s.McIntosh grew up near Bulawayo....


Top ten points scorers

Player Team Total Points per game Details
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Semis Final
Matthew Burke  Australia NSW Waratahs 157 22 20 19 19 11 6 8 9 7 14 22 DNQ DNQ 5 try; 27 con; 26 pen
John Eales
John Eales
John Eales AM is an Australian former rugby union player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.-Early life:...

 Australia Queensland Reds 155 2 16 22 7 20 16 15 10 16 11 10 10 DNQ 25 con; 33 pen
Jannie Kruger  South Africa Northern Transvaal 139 15 2 39 8 0 0 6 20 15 18 10 6 DNQ 1 try; 16 con; 32 pen; 2 dg
Henry Honiball
Henry Honiball
Henry William Honiball is a former South African rugby union footballer. He played at fly-half for South Africa during the post-apartheid era, although he was physically and technically acquainted in any back position....

 South Africa Natal Sharks 136 0 0 3 21 9 13 2 16 29 15 13 4 11 3 try; 23 con; 25 pen
Joel Stransky
Joel Stransky
Joel Theodore Stransky is a former South African rugby union rugby player, most notable for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the famous dramatic winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. He played as a fly-half.-Early life:Stransky was born in...

 South Africa Western Province 120 DNP 17 10 9 15 7 11 21 20 10 0 DNQ DNQ 12 con; 34 pen
Gavin Lawless
Gavin Lawless
Gavin Lawless is a former South African rugby union player.Playing as fullback, he set a number of point scoring records, including the most tries and most points in a Super 12 match , the most penalties in a Currie Cup season , and the most conversions in a Currie Cup final Gavin Lawless is a...

 South Africa Transvaal 111 0 3 DNP 11 16 18 5 25 13 14 6 DNQ DNQ 4 try; 14 con; 21 pen
André Joubert
André Joubert
André Joubert is a former South African rugby union player. He was capped 34 times at fullback for the Springboks in the early 1990s, and amassed a total of 115 Test Points from 10 tries, 17 penalties and 7 conversions....

 South Africa Natal Sharks 101 18 2 30 0 0 15 5 2 5 5 0 14 5 11 try; 11 con; 8 pen
Jamie Cameron  New Zealand Wellington Hurricanes 91 23 13 12 9 19 7 8 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNQ DNQ 14 con; 21 pen
Ian Foster
Ian Foster
Ian Foster is a Distinguished Fellow and the Associate Division Director in the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory, where he leads the Distributed Systems Laboratory, and he is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago...

 New Zealand Waikato Chiefs 89 17 7 10 0 13 0 0 7 16 14 5 DNQ DNQ 1 try; 18 con; 14 pen; 2 dg
Matthew Cooper
Matthew Cooper (rugby union)
Matthew Cooper is a former New Zealand international rugby union player. He made his All Black debut v Ireland on 6 June 1992, setting a then-world record of 23 points on test debut, with the last of his 8 caps coming on 3 July 1994 v France....

 New Zealand Otago Highlanders 86 22 0 0 15 0 5 15 5 10 14 DNP DNQ DNQ 4 try; 12 con; 14 pen

Top ten try scorers

Player Team Total Tries per game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Semis Final
James Small
James Small (rugby player)
James Small is a former South African rugby union footballer who played on the wing for the Springboks. His international debut was against the All Blacks in 1992 and he made his final appearance against Scotland in 1997. He was part of the 1995 rugby world cup winning Springbok team, and famously...

 South Africa Natal Sharks 13 0 1 3 1 1 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 1
André Joubert
André Joubert
André Joubert is a former South African rugby union player. He was capped 34 times at fullback for the Springboks in the early 1990s, and amassed a total of 115 Test Points from 10 tries, 17 penalties and 7 conversions....

 South Africa Natal Sharks 11 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 1 1 0 2 1
Joeli Vidiri
Joeli Vidiri
Joeli Vidiri is a retired Fijian rugby union footballer who also played for the All Blacks. He played as a wing.-Career:...

 New Zealand Auckland Blues 10 0 0 2 DNP DNP DNP 1 1 3 2 0 1 0
Alistair Murdoch  Australia NSW Waratahs 8 1 1 0 0 DNP DNP 0 1 1 1 3 DNQ DNQ
Andrew Blowers
Andrew Blowers
Andrew Francis Blowers is a rugby union player who played for Auckland Blues, Northampton Saints and Bristol. He played for the All Blacks between 1996 and 1999 in which he had played 11 tests and 7 games...

 New Zealand Auckland Blues 8 1 2 0 1 2 1 0 0 DNP 0 0 0 1
Ben Tune
Ben Tune
Ben Tune is an Australian rugby union player. He played most of his rugby career on the wing but later switched to outside centre....

 Australia Queensland Reds 8 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 DNQ
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union player. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He has had a huge impact on the game...

 New Zealand Auckland Blues 8 0 1 1 DNP 0 2 1 0 DNP 0 0 2 1
Justin Swart  South Africa Western Province 8 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 DNQ DNQ
Joe Roff
Joe Roff
Joe Roff is a retired Australian rugby union footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for Brumbies and Australia and played 5 tests as a centre in the early part of his test career...

 Australia ACT Brumbies 7 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 DNQ DNQ
Jeremy Thomson  South Africa Natal Sharks 7 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 DNP DNP 0 1 0
Christian Cullen
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...

 New Zealand Wellington Hurricanes 7 0 1 1 DNP DNP 2 1 1 0 0 1 DNQ DNQ
Eroni Clarke
Eroni Clarke
Eroni Clarke was a Samoan-born New Zealand rugby union player who played for Auckland, the Blues, the Highlanders and the All Blacks at international level. Clarke made 154 appearances for Auckland, making him the fifth most capped player in the union's history...

 New Zealand Auckland Blues 7 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1
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