Rebel sport Super14

The Rebel sport super 14 got underway yesterday, I'm from New Zealand so naturally Rugby is one of my interests that i will post on my blog under the interests category.

The Rebel Sport Super 14 is widely considered the finest provincial rugby competition in the world.
The Northern hemisphere or Europe has the Heineken Cup. The Rebel Sport Super 14 is very much the same just that it is the Southern Hemisphere equivalent.

The Super 14 is the largest provincial rugby union tournament championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of franchise teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The Super 14 is currently contested by fourteen (14) teams. The teams are as follows alphabetically. Blues, Brumbies, Bulls, Cheetahs, Chiefs, Crusaders, Force, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Lions, Reds, Sharks, Stormers and Waratahs.

There are fourteen provincial franchise teams that compete against one another. Unlike the Heineken Cup there are no divisions or pools. Each team plays 13 games during the regular season which runs for fourteen and a 1/2 weeks.

The best four teams, finishing in the top four places on the competition ladder after the regular season, enter the finals of the tournament. The semi-finals are contested to decide the two finalists, which is played at the highest ranked winners' home ground, as opposed to a pre-selected neutral venue. The tournament is unique in that it is played across many time zones and often matches are played when visiting teams supporters are asleep.

Go the Hurricanes...... All the best for 2008......