The 2011 Super Rugby season was the first season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involved teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past iterations as Super 12 and Super 14, this was the 16th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier transnational club competition. The season kicked off in February 2011, with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished in early July to allow players a recovery period for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held in September and October; in future non-World Cup years, the competition will extend into August.

This season saw the arrival of the Melbourne Rebels, admitted to the competition as Australia's fifth team after entry by the Southern Kings from South Africa was denied. This was also the first season of a revamped competition format, with a greater focus on matches within each participating country and an expanded finals series.

During this season, the first ever Super Rugby game was played outside the SANZAR region, taking place at Twickenham Stadium between the Crusaders and the Sharks. The match was moved to Twickenham because of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Proceeds of the game were also donated to the relief effort.

The final was played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane between the Queensland Reds and the Crusaders. The Reds won 18–13 to claim their first Super Rugby title.^[1]

Competition format

Covering 21 weeks, the schedule featured a total of 125 matches. The 15 teams were grouped by geography, labelled the Australian Conference, New Zealand Conference and the South African Conference. With the new format, the regular season consisted of two types of matches:

• Internal Conference Matches – Each team plays the other four teams in the same conference twice, home and away. (See table below for conferences.)
• Cross Conference Matches – Each team plays four teams of the other two conferences away, and four teams of the other two conferences home, thus missing out on two teams (one from each of the other conferences). Each team plays two home and two away games against teams from each of the other countries, making a total of eight cross conference games for each team.^[2]

The top team of each conference, plus the next top three teams in table points regardless of conference (wild card teams), moved on to the finals.^[3][4] The top two conference winners, based on table points, receive first-round byes. In the first round of the finals, the third conference winner is the No. 3 seed and hosts the wild card team with the worst record, and the best wild card team hosts the second-best wild card team. In the semi-finals, the No. 2 conference winner hosts the higher surviving seed from the first round, and the No. 1 conference winner hosts the other first-round winner. The final is hosted by the top remaining seed.^[5]

Standings

Overall standings
Pos	Team	Rnd	W	D	L	Bye	PF	PA	PD	TB	LB	Pts
1	Reds	18	13	0	3	2	429	309	+120	5	1	66
2	Stormers	18	12	0	4	2	400	257	+143	4	3	63
3	Crusaders	18	11	1	4	2	436	273	+163	5	2	61
4	Blues	18	10	1	5	2	405	335	+70	6	4	60
5	Waratahs	18	10	0	6	2	398	252	+146	6	3	57
6	Sharks	18	10	1	5	2	407	339	+68	6	1	57
7	Bulls	18	10	0	6	2	416	370	+46	3	3	54
8	Highlanders	18	8	0	8	2	296	343	−47	2	3	45
9	Hurricanes	18	5	2	9	2	328	398	−70	5	5	42
10	Chiefs	18	6	1	9	2	332	348	−16	2	4	40
11	Cheetahs	18	5	0	11	2	435	437	−2	5	7	40
12	Force	18	5	2	9	2	333	416	−83	0	5	37
13	Brumbies	18	4	1	11	2	314	437	−123	3	4	33
14	Lions	18	3	1	12	2	351	477	−126	2	5	29
15	Rebels	18	3	0	13	2	281	570	−289	2	2	24

Source: NZ Herald

Legend:

• Rnd = Round completed (games played plus byes), W = Games won, D = Games drawn, L = Games lost, Bye = Number of byes, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points

Points breakdown:

• 4 points for a win
• 2 points for a draw
• 4 points for a bye
• 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less
• 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

The overall standings classification system:^[6][7]

• Three conference winners/leaders in log points order
• Three wildcard teams in log points order
• The remaining nine teams in log points order
• When teams are level on log points, they are sorted by number of games won, then overall points difference, then number of tries scored and then overall try difference

Notes:

• The Round 2 match between the Crusaders and Hurricanes scheduled for 26 February 2011 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington was abandoned by agreement of both sides and SANZAR due to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The match was declared a draw, with both sides earning 2 competition points.^[8]

Fixtures

Round 1

	18 February 2011	Hurricanes	9–14	Highlanders	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
	19:35	Pen: Aaron Cruden  12', 29', 61' Cards: Ma'a Nonu  29'  50'	Report	Try: Lima Sopoaga  20' Pen: Lima Sopoaga  31' Robbie Robinson  63' Cards: Brayden Mitchell 70' to 80'	Attendance: 11,250 Referee: Stuart Dickinson

	18 February 2011	Rebels	0–43	Waratahs	AAMI Park, Melbourne
	19:40	Cards: Ged Robinson 43' to 53'	Report	Try: Kurtley Beale  25', 52' Drew Mitchell  32', 47' Tatafu Polota-Nau  44' Rob Horne  61' Phil Waugh  66' Con: Berrick Barnes  48', 53', 61' Kurtley Beale  67'	Attendance: 25,524 Referee: Mark Lawrence

	19 February 2011	Blues	24–22	Crusaders	Eden Park, Auckland
	19:35	Try: Benson Stanley  50' Tony Woodcock  62' Keven Mealamu  71' Pen: Stephen Brett  10', 14', 58'	Report	Try: Sean Maitland  21' Andy Ellis  39' Pen: Dan Carter  2', 17', 30', 54'	Attendance: 30,002 Referee: Chris Pollock

	19 February 2011	Brumbies	28–20	Chiefs	Canberra Stadium, Canberra
	19:40	Try: Robbie Coleman  13' Francis Fainifo  22' Salesi Ma'afu  71' Con: Matt Giteau  14', 72' Pen: Matt Giteau  3', 10', 60'	Report	Try: Sitiveni Sivivatu  52' Lelia Masaga  80' Con: Stephen Donald  53' Pen: Stephen Donald  38'	Attendance: 13,227 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan

	19 February 2011	Sharks	24–9	Cheetahs	Mr Price Kings Park, Durban
	17:05	Try: Jacques Botes  3' Bismarck du Plessis  68' Con: Patrick Lambie  69' Pen: Patrick Lambie  10', 49', 52' Jacques-Louis Potgieter  76'	Report	Pen: Naas Olivier  34', 44', 63'	Attendance: 26,972 Referee: Craig Joubert

	19 February 2011	Lions	20–24	Bulls	Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
	19:10	Try: Waylon Murray  36' Martin Bezuidenhout  57' Warren Whiteley  61' Con: Elton Jantjies  58' Pen: Elton Jantjies  69'	Report	Try: Zane Kirchner  15' Gerhard van den Heever  17' Con: Morné Steyn  18' Pen: Morné Steyn  21', 28', 39', 40'	Attendance: 42,300 Referee: Marius Jonker

	20 February 2011	Reds	21–20	Force	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
	16:40	Try: Saia Fainga'a  62' James Hanson  75' Con: Quade Cooper  76' Pen: Quade Cooper  4', 24', 46'	Report	Try: James O'Connor  67' Pen: James O'Connor  8', 12', 17', 40', 57'	Attendance: 26,060 Referee: Ian Smith

Bye/s: Stormers

Round 2

	25 February 2011	Highlanders	23–13	Chiefs	Carisbrook, Dunedin
	19:35	Try: Nasi Manu, Kade Poki Con: Robbie Robsinson (2) Pen: Lima Sopoaga (2), Robbie Robsinson	Report	Try: Mike Delany Con: Mike Delany Pen: Mike Delany (2) Cards: Tawera Kerr-Barlow 58' to 68'	Attendance: 10,950 Referee: Mark Lawrence

	25 February 2011	Rebels	25–24	Brumbies	AAMI Park, Melbourne
	19:40	Try: Stirling Mortlock Con: Danny Cipriani Pen: Danny Cipriani (6)	Report	Try: Pat McCabe, Henry Speight Con: Matt Giteau Pen: Matt Giteau (3) Drop: Matt Giteau	Attendance: 14,234 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan

	25 February 2011	Cheetahs	23–25	Bulls	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	19:10	Try: Andries Strauss, Robert Ebersohn, Ashley Johnson Con: Naas Olivier Pen: Naas Olivier (2) Cards: Wilhelm Steenkamp 54' to 64'	Report	Try: Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Fourie du Preez Con: Morné Steyn (2) Pen: Morné Steyn (2)	Attendance: 23,012 Referee: Craig Joubert

	26 February 2011	Hurricanes	0–0 *	Crusaders	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
	19:35		Report

	26 February 2011	Waratahs	30–6	Reds	ANZ Stadium, Sydney
	19:40	Try: Drew Mitchell, Dave Dennis, Lachie Turner, Benn Robinson Con: Kurtley Beale (2) Pen: Berrick Barnes (2)	Report	Pen: Quade Cooper (2)	Attendance: 33,846 Referee: Bryce Lawrence

	26 February 2011	Sharks	26–12	Blues	Mr Price Kings Park, Durban
	17:05	Try: Patrick Lambie, JP Pietersen Con: Patrick Lambie (2) Pen: Patrick Lambie (4)	Report	Pen: Stephen Brett (3), Luke McAlister	Attendance: 26,812 Referee: Jaco Peyper

	26 February 2011	Stormers	19–16	Lions	DHL Newlands, Cape Town
	19:10	Try: Pieter Louw Con: Peter Grant Pen: Gary Van Aswegen (3), Peter Grant Cards: Deon Fourie 23' to 33'	Report	Try: Waylon Murray, Jaco Taute Pen: Elton Jantjies (2)	Attendance: 34,152 Referee: Stuart Dickinson

Note * : The match was cancelled and called a draw due to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Byes: Force

Round 3

	4 March 2011	Crusaders	33–18	Waratahs	Trafalgar Park, Nelson
	19:35	Try: Robbie Fruean (2), Sonny Bill Williams Con: Daniel Carter (3) Pen: Daniel Carter (4)	Report	Try: Tom Carter, Luke Burgess, Afa Pakalani Pen: Kurtley Beale	Attendance: 10,988 Referee: Chris Pollock

	4 March 2011	Lions	32–41	Blues	Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
	19:10	Try: Jano Vermaak, Warren Whiteley, Doppies la Grange, Josh Strauss Con: Elton Jantjies (3) Pen: Elton Jantjies (2)	Report	Try: Joe Rokocoko, Jared Payne, Rene Ranger (2), Alby Mathewson Con: Luke McAlister (4) Stephen Brett Pen: Luke McAlister Drop: Luke McAlister Cards: Kurtis Haiu 38' to 48'	Attendance: 24,687 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan

	5 March 2011	Chiefs	38–10	Rebels	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
	19:35	Try: Sitiveni Sivivatu, Lelia Masaga (2), Sona Taumalolo Con: Stephen Donald (3) Pen: Stephen Donald (3)	Report	Try: Gareth Delve Con: Danny Cipriani Pen: Danny Cipriani	Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Vinny Munro

	5 March 2011	Brumbies	25–31	Reds	Canberra Stadium, Canberra
	19:40	Try: Stephen Moore, Pat McCabe, Ita Vaea, Ben Alexander Con: Matt Giteau Pen: Matt Giteau	Report	Try: Scott Higginbotham Con: Quade Cooper Pen: Quade Cooper (7) Drop: Quade Cooper Cards: Ben Daley 37' to 47'	Attendance: 16,027 Referee: Mark Lawrence

	5 March 2011	Force	12–39	Sharks	nib Stadium, Perth
	19:05	Pen: James O'Connor (4) Cards: Rory Sidey Nick Cummins 77' to '	Report	Try: Odwa Ndungane, Bismarck du Plessis, Steven Sykes, Willem Alberts, Patrick Lambie Con: Patrick Lambie (3) Pen: Patrick Lambie (2)	Attendance: 17,620 Referee: Keith Brown

	5 March 2011	Stormers	21–15	Cheetahs	DHL Newlands, Cape Town
	17:05	Pen: Peter Grant (7)	Report	Pen: Naas Olivier (4), Riaan Viljoen	Attendance: 31,497 Referee: Pro Legoete

	5 March 2011	Bulls	28–35	Highlanders	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
	19:10	Try: Flip van der Merwe, Fourie du Preez, Bjorn Basson Con: Morné Steyn (2) Pen: Morné Steyn (3) Cards: Deon Stegmann 39' to 49'	Report	Try: Adam Thomson, Josh Bekhuis, Kade Poki (2) Con: Tony Brown (3) Pen: Robbie Robinson (2), Tony Brown Cards: Aloando Soakai 72' to '	Attendance: 26,852[9] Referee: Stuart Dickinson

Byes: Hurricanes

Round 4

	11 March 2011	Crusaders	52–10	Brumbies	Trafalgar Park, Nelson
	19:35	Try: Sean Maitland (4), Sonny Bill Williams, Israel Dagg Con: Daniel Carter (4), Matt Berquist Pen: Daniel Carter (4)	Report	Try: Matt Giteau Con: Matt Giteau Pen: Matt Giteau Cards: Matt Giteau 22' to 32'	Attendance: 11,000 Referee: Garratt Williamson

	11 March 2011	Rebels	32–34	Sharks	AAMI Park, Melbourne
	19:40	Try: Cooper Vuna, Julian Huxley, Danny Cipriani, Jarrod Saffy Con: Danny Cipriani (3) Pen: Danny Cipriani (2) Cards: Cooper Vuna 54' to 64'	Report	Try: Bismarck du Plessis, Lwazi Mvovo, Ryan Kankowski, Jacques-Louis Potgieter Con: Patrick Lambie (4) Pen: Patrick Lambie (2)	Attendance: 15,126 Referee: Chris Pollock

	11 March 2011	Stormers	18–6	Highlanders	DHL Newlands, Cape Town
	19:10	Pen: Peter Grant (6) Cards: Andries Bekker 35' to 45'	Report	Pen: Robbie Robinson (2) Cards: Jarrad Hoeata 35' to 45'	Attendance: 32,436 Referee: Steve Walsh

	12 March 2011	Hurricanes	29–26	Chiefs	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
	19:35	Try: John Schwalger, Tyson Keats Con: Aaron Cruden, Daniel Kirkpatrick Pen: Aaron Cruden (3), Daniel Kirkpatrick (2)	Report	Try: Stephen Donald, Scott Waldrom, Tim Nanai-Williams Con: Stephen Donald Pen: Stephen Donald (2), Mike Delany	Attendance: 12,872 Referee: Marius Jonker

	12 March 2011	Force	22–22	Blues	nib Stadium, Perth
	19:05	Try: Nick Cummins Con: James O'Connor Pen: James O'Connor (5) Cards: Jono Jenkins 75' to '	Report	Try: Keven Mealamu Con: Stephen Brett Pen: Luke McAlister (4), Stephen Brett	Attendance: 15,931 Referee: Nathan Pearce

	12 March 2011	Cheetahs	20–25	Lions	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	17:05	Try: Andries Strauss Pen: Sias Ebersohn (5)	Report	Try: Lionel Mapoe, Derick Minnie Pen: Elton Jantjies (5) Cards: James Kamana 55' to 65'	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Keith Brown

Byes: Bulls, Reds, Waratahs

Round 5

	18 March 2011	Chiefs	15–9	Sharks	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
	19:35	Pen: Tim Nanai-Williams, Mike Delany (4)	Report	Pen: Patrick Lambie (3)	Attendance: 8,428 Referee: Garratt Williamson

	18 March 2011	Reds	53–3	Rebels	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
	19:40	Try: Anthony Fainga'a, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Scott Higginbotham, Ben Daley, Mike Harris (2), Luke Morahan Con: Quade Cooper (5) Mike Harris (1) Pen: Quade Cooper (2)	Report	Pen: Danny Cipriani	Attendance: 22,031 Referee: Stuart Dickinson

	19 March 2011	Highlanders	13–44	Crusaders	Carisbrook, Dunedin
	17:30	Try: Adam Thomson Con: Robbie Robinson Pen: Tony Brown (2)	Report	Try: Robbie Fruean, Kieran Read, Israel Dagg (2), Kahn Fotuali'i, Wyatt Crockett Con: Daniel Carter (3), Matt Berquist Pen: Daniel Carter (3) Cards: Sam Whitelock 34' to 44'	Attendance: 20,700 Referee: Marius Jonker

	19 March 2011	Blues	41–17	Hurricanes	Eden Park, Auckland
	19:35	Try: Rene Ranger, Stephen Brett, Lachie Munro, Alby Mathewson, Jared Payne Con: Luke McAlister (2), Lachie Munro (3) Pen: Luke McAlister (2)	Report	Try: Neemia Tialata Pen: Daniel Kirkpatrick (4) Cards: Andrew Hore 64' to 74'	Attendance: 22,507 Referee: Vinny Munro

	19 March 2011	Waratahs	3–23	Cheetahs	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
	19:40	Pen: Kurtley Beale	Report	Try: Phillip Snyman, Sarel Pretorius Con: Sias Ebersohn (2) Pen: Sias Ebersohn (3)	Attendance: 15,849 Referee: Chris Pollock

	19 March 2011	Lions	15–27	Force	Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
	17:05	Pen: Elton Jantjies (4) Drop: Elton Jantjies	Report	Try: Nick Cummins, Alfie Mafi Con: Cameron Shepherd Pen: James O'Connor (5) Cards: James O'Connor 51' to 61'	Attendance: 13,535 Referee: Mark Lawrence

	19 March 2011	Bulls	13–23	Stormers	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
	19:10	Try: Bjorn Basson Con: Morné Steyn Pen: Morne Steyn (2)	Report	Try: Bryan Habana Pen: Peter Grant (6)	Attendance: 47,101 Referee: Keith Brown

Byes: Brumbies

Finals

	First round					Semifinals					Final
						2 July 2011
	24 June 2011					1	Reds	30
	4	Blues	26			4	Blues	13			9 July 2011
	5	Waratahs	13								Reds		18
						2 July 2011					Crusaders		13
	25 June 2011					2	Stormers	10
	3	Crusaders	36			3	Crusaders	29
	6	Sharks	8

Player statistics

Attendances

Team	Main stadium	Capacity	Total attendance	Average attendance	% capacity
Blues	Eden Park	50,000	153,009	17,001
Chiefs	Waikato Stadium	25,800
Hurricanes	Westpac Stadium	34,500	72,064	10,294	34%
Crusaders	Trafalgar Park	18,000	133,535	14,837
Highlanders	Carisbrook	30,000	76,544	9,568	35%
Reds	Suncorp Stadium	52,500	332,538	33,253	63%
Brumbies	Canberra Stadium	25,011	104,831	13,103	52%
Waratahs	Allianz Stadium	44,000	163,947	20,493
Melbourne Rebels	AAMI Park	29,500	137,124	17,140	58%
Western Force	nib Stadium	20,500	129,606	16,200	79%
Sharks	ABSA Stadium	52,000	222,797	27,849	53%
Bulls	Loftus Versfeld	51,792	250,331	31,291	60%
Lions	Ellis Park	62,567	172,337	21,542	34%
Cheetahs	Free State Stadium	46,000
Stormers	Newlands Stadium	51,900	364,094	40,454	77%

See also

• Super Rugby franchise areas
• List of Super Rugby records

References

External links

• "SANZAR Super Rugby site".
• "Australia Super Rugby site".
• "New Zealand Super Rugby site".
• "SA Rugby Competition – 2012 Vodacom Super Rugby". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 8 June 2016.