The Western Force, Cheetahs and Southern Kings may have been shown the exit door but the 15 remaining franchises are chomping at the bit, ready for the kick-off to Super Rugby 2018 this Saturday in Cape Town when the Stormers host the Jaguares.
We look at who’s in and who’s out from each team and the likely contenders to challenge for the Crusaders crown.
AUSTRALIAN CONFERENCE
BRUMBIES
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 2001, 2004
Last year: Quarter Finals
Home Ground: Canberra Stadium
INs: Richie Arnold (Force), David Pocock (return from sabbatical), Isi Naisarani (Force), Matt Lucas (Waratahs), Chance Peni (Force)
OUTs: Saia Fainga’a (London Irish), Scott Fardy (Leinster), Jordan Smiler (Suntory Sungoliath), Jarrad Butler (Connacht), Tomas Cubelli (Jaguares)
David Pocock’s return is a massive boost but he will miss the start of the season as he recovers from knee surgery. Loose forwards Isi Naisarani and outside back Chance Peni are good additions but it may take new coach Dan McKellar a while to get them to gel. Tomas Cubelli and Scott Fardy will be missed.
MELBOURNE REBELS
Founded: 2011
Best finish: 10th (2015)
Last year: 18th
Home Ground: AAMI Park Melbourne
INs: Adam Coleman (Force), Geoff Parling (Exeter Chiefs), Will Genia (Stade Francais), Dane Haylett-Petty (Force)
OUTs: Toby Smith (Hurricanes), James Hanson (Gloucester), Sean McMahon (Suntory Sungoliath)
Talk to many Australian rugby fans and the Rebels shouldn’t even be in Super Rugby anymore. They should have been axed, not the Force. But with the western influx led by coach Dave Wessels and captain Adam Coleman, along with Will Genia back from France and former England second-rower Geoff Parling, and the Rebels are rightly favourites to win the Aussie conference.
QUEENSLAND REDS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 2011
Last year: 14th
Home Ground: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
INs: Jono Lance (Force), Ben Lucas (Toyota Verblitz), Filipo Daugunu (Queensland Country), Aidan Toua (Brumbies)
OUTs: Stephen Moore (retired), Rob Simmons (Waratahs), Quade Cooper (unwanted)
New coach Brad Thorn is clearly going to do it his way, freezing out his two senior halves Quade Cooper and Nick Frisby, and putting his faith in the up and coming talent from the Queensland Country squad that he transformed from NRC wooden spooners to champions in one season. It’s a big gamble – bigger surprise if it works.
NSW WARATAHS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 2014
Last year: 16th
Home Ground: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
INs: Rob Simmons (Reds), Kurtley Beale (Wasps), Curtis Rona (Force)
OUTs: Dean Mumm (retired), Will Skelton (Saracens), Rob Horne (Northampton Saints)
The perennial under-achievers since Michael Cheika went off to the Wallabies and Daryl Gibson took over. They have all the stars – Folau, Hooper, Foley – and KB is back from England – also Norths club premiership winning coach Simon Cron is on board. But they will still find ways to lose.
SUNWOLVES
Founded: 2016
Best finish: 17th (2017)
Last year: 17th
Home Ground: Chichibunomiya Stadium, Tokyo
INs: Ruan Smith (Toyota Verblitz), Michael Leitch (Chiefs), Hayden Parker (Highlanders),
OUTs: Hitoshi Ono (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Hikaru Tamura (Suntory Sungoliath), Yasutaka Sasakura (Panasonic Wild Knights)
New coaches, and former All Blacks, Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown, have changed almost the entire squad in the quest for success. And the Sunwolves are in the weaker Australian conference so don’t rule them out. If they get a few wins early they could be in the hunt come the playoffs.
The Sunwolves could spring a few surprises in the Australian conference
NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE
BLUES
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 1996, 1997, 2003
Last year: 9th
Home Ground: Eden Park, Auckland
INs: Otere Black (Hurricanes), Caleb Clarke (Auckland)
OUTs: Charlie Faumuina (Toulouse), Steven Luatua (Bristol), Ihaia West (Hurricanes), Rene Ranger (La Rochelle)
Much like his former All Blacks teammate Brad Thorn at the Reds, Blues coach Tana Umaga has put his faith in the region’s emerging talent, three of them from NZ’s world champion under-20 side. The Blues were again NZ’s worst performing team last season, they still finished 9th, and the loss of former All Blacks Charlie Faumuina, Steven Luatua and Rene Ranger has to be a concern.
CHIEFS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 2012, 2013
Last year: Semi-finals
Home Ground: FMG Stadium, Hamilton
INs: Tyler Ardron (Ospreys), Marty McKenzie (Crusaders),
OUT: Hika Elliot (Oyonnax), Michael Leitch (Sunwolves), Tawera Kerr-Barlow (La Rochelle), Aaron Cruden (Montpellier), James Lowe (Leinster)
The Chiefs have enjoyed a remarkable six-year run under coach Dave Rennie, but Rennie has departed for Glasgow, along with a host of stars., and the Chiefs look set to slide backwards in 2018. The new recruits are in the promising, rather than proven, category but former Canada captain Tyler Ardron is an interesting pick-up.
CRUSADERS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017
Last year: Winners
Home Ground: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
INs: Ethan Blackadder (Tasman), Tom Sanders (Chiefs), Jack Stratton (Canterbury), Mike Delany (Bay of Plenty), Braydon Ennor (Canterbury), Will Jordan (Tasman)
OUTs: Marty McKenzie (Chiefs), Digby Ioane (Panasonic Wild Knights)
The Crusaders have done what they needed to do, retain all the key players that led them to their eighth Super Rugby title in Johannesburg last season. Coach Scott Robertson’s biggest challenge will be managing the workloads of his massive All Blacks contingent as well as dealing with an already lengthy injury list which includes Test stars Kieran Read, Owen Franks, Joe Moody and Israel Dagg. Among the new faces are loose forward Ethan Blackadder, the son of former Crusaders coach Todd, former All Blacks No 10 Mike Delany and NZ under-20 backline stars Braydon Ennor and Will Jordan.
HIGHLANDERS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 2015
Last year: Quarter Finals
Home Ground: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
INs: Tyrel Lomax (Rebels), Kalolo Tuiloma (Counties Manukau), Pari Pari Parkinson (Tasman), Shannon Frizell (Tasman), Josh Ioane (Otago), Thomas Umaga-Jensen (Wellington), Josh McKay (Canterbury), Tevita Nabura (Counties Manukau)
OUTs: Joe Wheeler (Suntory Sungoliath), Shane Christie (Tasman), Gareth Evans (Hurricanes), Marty Banks (Benetton), Malakai Fekitoa (Toulon), Patrick Osborne (Kubota Spears)
New Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger has a big job on his hands in continuing the successful culture developed by Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown, now at the Sunwolves. He’s also lost several senior stars, including All Blacks centre Malakai Fekitoa and cult hero Marty Banks. Former Australian under-20 prop Tyrel Lomax — the son of former Raiders NRL star John — is the most high profile ‘in’.
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 2016
Last year: semi-Finals
Home Ground: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
INs: Toby Smith (Rebels), Murray Douglas (Rebels), Gareth Evans (Highlanders), Jamie Booth (Manawatu), Finlay Christie (Chiefs), Jackson Garden-Bachop (Rebels), Ihaia West (Blues)
OUTs: Otere Black (Blues), Pita Ahki (Connacht), Cory Jane (Toshiba Brave Lupus)
Some nice pick-ups from the Hurricanes, including experienced forwards Smith, Evans and Douglas, and capable backup halves West, Garden-Bachop, Christie and Booth. But the real excitement in Hurricanes country surrounds their explosive New Zealand under-20s tight forwards Asafo Aumua, Alex Fidow and Isaia Walker-Leawere. Notable losses include veteran winger Jane, but expect the Canes to go close to sending departing coach Chrsi Boyd out a winner.
More of the same in 2018? David Havili evades Lions tackler Faf de Klerk during last year’s Final.
SOUTH AFRICAN CONFERENCE
BULLS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Winners 2007, 2009, 2010
Last year: 15th
Home Ground: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
INs: Marnitz Boshoff (Connacht)
OUTs: Arno Botha (London Irish), Jacques Potgieter (sabbatical), Jan Serfontein (Montpellier)
Once a powerhouse the Bulls haven’t made the play-offs since 2013. The man tasked with righting the ship is new coach John Mitchell but as the South African player exodus continues, the odds are stacked against him.
JAGUARES
Founded: 2016
Best finish: 10th (2017)
Last year: 10th
Home Ground: Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
INs: Tomas Cubelli (Brumbies)
OUTs: Santiago Cordero (Exeter Chiefs), Ramiro Herrera (Stade Francais), Lucas Noguera Paz (Bath)
The Jaguares are always an exciting team to watch and with Argentine scrummaging legend Mario Ledesma returning from Australia as the new coach, hopes are high he will give them enough structure to reach the play-offs.
LIONS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Runners up 2016, 2017
Last year: Runners up
Home Ground: Emirates Park, Johannesburg
INs: Marco Jansen van Vuren (Golden Lions)
OUTs: Ruan Ackermann (Gloucester), Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks)
Unquestionably the best South African side in the last two Super Rugby tournaments, but with coach Johan Ackermann and his son Ruan departing for Gloucester and scrum-half Faf de Klerk joining Sale, they may struggle to dominate this season.
SHARKS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Runners up 1996, 2001, 2007, 2012
Last year: Quarter-finals
Home Ground: Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban
INs: Louis Schreuder (Kings)
OUTs: Jean Deysel (Ulster), Patrick Lambie (Racing 92), Odwa Ndungane (retired), Clement Poitrenaud (retired), Cobus Reinach (Northampton Saints)
The Sharks have simply lost too many good players to be as competitive as last year. To reach the playoffs again new stars like Curwin Bosch must step up to fill the big shoes of the departed Patrick Lambie. Tough to beat on their day but short on quality.
STORMERS
Founded: 1996
Best finish: Runners up 2010
Last year: Quarter-finals
Home Ground: Newlands, Cape Town
INs: JJ Engelbrecht (Toyota Industries Shuttle), Steven Kitshoff (Bordeaux), Sergeal Petersen (Cheetahs), Raymond Rhule (Cheetahs)
OUTs: Bjorn Basson (Oyonnax), Juan de Jongh (Wasps), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse)
The Stormers could have beaten the Chiefs in the last eight in 2017 but for a late try, bringing their season to a premature end. There have been lots of movement in and out and injuries to their captain Eben Etzebeth’s back and shoulder mean he will miss the majority of the season. Hard to see them reaching the playoffs again.