Super League (rugby union)
Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Super League season | |
 Super League logo introduced in 2023 | |
| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006; 18 years ago |
| Inaugural season | 2006 |
| Owner(s) | NUVSATLUS |
| CEO | Archer Marshall |
| Commissioner | Pieter de Klerk |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Countries | Arucian (1 team) Nuvania (6 teams) Satavia (4 teams) Sublustria (1 team) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Rheas (2023, 3rd title) |
| Most titles | Pietersburg Crocodiles Port Hope RFC (5 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria: NBS Satavian Broadcasting Corporation SBC Naua Roa Sky Sublustria International: Gaullice Télévisions ITS NSE Network Orrizonte24 TRN worldsports.tv And others |
| Sponsor(s) | Barrett Group Dane Group Telekor |
| Official website | superleague |
Super League is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from the Arucian, Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria. For sponsorship reasons, Super League is known as Telekor Super League in Nuvania. Super League consists of twelve franchises; one, the Arucian Pirates is based in Sainte-Chloé, six are based in Nuvania whilst four are based in Satavia. The Surfers are based in Satavia but are part of the Sublustrian Rugby Federation. Super League is owned and administrated by NUVSATLUS, the tripartite organisation consisting of the Nuvanian, Satavian and Sublustrian rugby union governing bodies.
Created in 2006 in the wake of declining results by both Nuvanian and Satavian national sides, the goal of the League was to improve the two countries' competitiveness internationally. Initially consisting of fourteen teams, eight Nuvanian and six Satavian, this was reduced to ten teams (six Nuvanian and four Satavian) by 2010. In 2015, the Sublustrian Rugby Federation joined the league, contributing one team, also including Naua Roa. Concurrently, Nuwanse Rugby established a team to represent the Arucian, based in Sainte-Chloé, with the aim of popularising rugby union in the Arucian. Both teams have performed poorly since their establishment, with the Arucian Pirates finishing twelfth every year since debut, and the Surfers achieving their best result of ninth in 2021.
Since its inception, the competition has been highly competitive; three of the four teams in the Satavian conference have won Super League in the past, whilst four of the six Nuvanian teams have also won Super League. The most successful Super League teams are the Pietersburg Crocodiles and Port Hope RFC, having won the league five times each, meanwhile, the most recent winners are the Rheas, who won their third title in 2023.
Organisation and format
NUVSATLUS
NUVSATLUS (prior to 2015 known as the Van Horn Rugby Board), is an organisation based in Port Hope with three member federations (Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria). NUVSATLUS oversees, owns and administers Super League, in addition to the Asterias Cup, in which all three NUVSATLUS nations participate as well as two other nations - Gapolania and Satucin.
Competition format
From 2006 until 2009, during the period in which there were fourteen teams - eight Nuvanian and six Satavian - the Super League season was split into two components; a round-robin tournament in which all sides played each other twice; one home game and one away game. Three points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Furthermore, two bonus points were available; the "winning" bonus point in which the winning team scores four or more tries, as well as a "losing" bonus point, in which a team loses but finishes within seven points of the opposition. The top eight teams of fourteen in the points standings (ties were settled by points difference, followed by number of tries scored) then progressed through to the knockout competition, commonly referred to as "finals football" in Satavia. The team finishing first in the points standings would play the team finishing eighth, the team finishing second would play the team finishing seventh and so on. The final would then decide the winner of the League - meanwhile, there was no match to decide which team finished in third - both clubs were instead regarded as semi-finals losers.
For the 2010 season, four franchises were removed from the competition to improve profitability; two Satavian teams and two Nuvanian teams. With only ten teams, the knockout stage became unfeasible (as only two teams would be left out) and so the competition moved to a round-robin-only system, that remained in place until the end of the 2014 season. However, one exception existed to the round-robin system; the top two teams played off in the "Grand Final". Points for pool stages were also tweaked; a win became four points, a draw became two and a loss remained worthless. Meanwhile, a third bonus point became available - the "margin" bonus point, available for the winning team. If the winning team outscored the opposition by over 28 points (i.e. four converted tries) they were entitled to an extra bonus point. Furthermore, the "winning" bonus point was amended so that the losing team was also eligible for the bonus point if they too scored four or more tries. This increased the maximum number of possible points for a loss to two (assuming the losing team scored four tries and was within seven points of the winning team). This system ran until the end of the 2014 season.
In 2015, two new clubs representing Sublustria and the Arucian were added to the competition. With twelve clubs, the competition returned to an amended version of the original format; two stages, a round-robin and a knockout stage. However, the bonus point system was overhauled again for the 2015 season - "winning" bonus points were awarded for scoring four or more tries and "losing" points were awarded for losing within seven points (as long as the losing team scored points - i.e. a 7-0 loss would not award a "losing" bonus point). The "margin" bonus point, which had been controversial as it essentially rewarded dominance in the same way as the winning bonus point, was abolished. Additional changes were made to the knockout stage; the losers of the two semi-finals now played off for third place.
For the 2024 Super League season, the winning bonus point (now officially known as the "try bonus") was amended once again so that only three tries are required to attain the point. Meanwhile, the "losing" bonus was also ammended so that it no longer required the losing team to score points (i.e. a 7-0 loss would now award a "losing" bonus point).
Governance
Since the inception of the Super League in 2006, there have been three CEOs;
- 2006-2011: Hudson Turner
- 2011-2013: Toby Russell
- 2013-present: Archer Marshall
Since the formation of NUVSATLUS (previously the Van Horn Rugby Board) there have been two chairmen;
- 2006-2017: Nathan Lachman
- 2017-present: Pieter de Klerk
History
Background
Before the creation of Super League, Nuvania and Satavia played in separate domestic competitions; Nuvania competed in the Pro 16 whilst Satavian teams participated in the Federation League. Both Nuvania and Satavia are regarded as two of the greatest rugby-playing nations, and their national teams are the second and third most successful teams at the Rugby World Cup respectively, and Satavia remains one of only two nations to have finished in the top eight in all eleven Rugby World Cup tournaments to date. However, the early 2000s saw increasingly inconsistent and poor results for both teams; Satavia's national team, the Dolphins, lost 0-3 during their test series tour of Estmere in 2003, in addition to losing five of the six games played against Estmerish club sides. Furthermore, at the 2005 Rugby World Cup, Nuvania failed to make it out of the group stage and was defeated by Etruria as well as the tier-two sides Maucha and Senria.
Discussions surrounding a unified competition between Nuvania and Satavia had been mooted since the early 1990s, and there were significant fears that it would prove unpopular as teams moved to a franchise system. This was disproved by the unification of the Nuvanian and Satavian top-tier domestic association football leagues into the A League which saw the two nations record their most successful results at the IFF Coupe de Monde at the time. Consequently, the Satavian Rugby Football Association (SRFA) and Nuwanse Rugby agreed to form a "Super League" encompassing six Satavian teams and eight Nuvanian teams, operating under a franchise system in that clubs represented local rugby unions.
Early years
The first Super League competition was held in 2006 and contained fourteen teams. Fears that it would prove unpopular soon abated as the competition proved fiercely competitive; by the fourth round, Port Hope RFC, playing the Pietersburg Crocodiles, drew the largest crowd ever recorded for a provincial rugby game at the time. This record would be broken again at the end of the season when Port Hope RFC played the Pietersburg Crocodiles again in the Grand Final held at the Kestell Stadium in a narrow game won by Port Hope by one point. The format also proved popular and both Nuvania and Satavia's national teams saw an improvement in results as a result of a toughened and more competitive domestic competition.
Satavian teams saw early dominance in the competition, winning the first four seasons. The Reds were especially competitive, winning both the 2007 and 2008 seasons; in the 2008 Grand Final, they defeated Port Hope RFC 48-6. Satavian dominance was reflected on the international level; Satavia was only defeated by Caldia in the two-year run-up to the 2009 Rugby World Cup, but was ultimately beaten by Caldia in the Quarter-Finals of the competition. Nuvania, meanwhile, also saw the fruits of the combined competition, finishing runner-up to Caldia.
Nuvanian dominance
After four teams were axed at the beginning of the 2010 season, the tournament moved to a round-robin of ten teams, with a "Grand Final" played between the two teams topping the pool stage. Off the back of their success at the 2009 Rugby World Cup, Nuvanian teams - particularly the Pietersburg Crocodiles - dominated the competition. This was again reflected by Nuvania's international results; in 2010 they were ranked first in the world for the first time since the rankings had been introduced in 2004. Both the Crocodiles and Port Hope RFC would defeat touring Estmerish and Garamburan national sides in 2012 and 2013. The Crocodiles' dominance would be demonstrated during the 2013 season; conceding only 42 points across eighteen matches in the group stage (whilst the Caimans, who finished second, conceded 163 points) before going on to crush the Caimans in the Grand Final 64-12. Furthermore, the Crocodiles earned the "winning" bonus point in fourteen of their eighteen matches, and the "margin" bonus point in a further nine matches. The 2013 Crocodiles season has been described as "the perfect season" and the 2013 Crocodiles team won the 2014 Laureas World Sports Award for Team of the Year, and are often regarded as one of the greatest teams in rugby union history.
The Sharks would achieve their first and only championship victory to date in 2014, defeating Port Hope 21-14 in the Grand Final. Nuvanian success was demonstrated at the 2013 Rugby World Cup which saw the Nuvanian national team defeat Garambura in the final and draw Nuvania equal with Caldia on three World Cup victories.
Since 2015
For the 2015 season, two new teams were introduced into the competition. The Sufers, the sole team in the Sublustrian conference, was made up of players from Naua Roa and Sublustria. Sublustrian teams had previously played amongst each other in the Island Championship, and continue to do so, but now sent what is essentially a national team to play in the Super League. The team has seen mixed success since, finishing with a high of ninth in 2021. Furthermore, Nuwanse Rugby founded the Arucian Pirates with IRFB funding to compete in Super League, comprising players from the Arucian nations, in an attempt to popularise Rugby Union within those countries, as well as finding talent that could be naturalised to play for Nuvania internationally. The Pirates have had little success; finishing twelfth and last ever year since debut.
2015, 2016 and 2017 saw three consecutive victories for Port Hope RFC, whilst the other Satavian teams - particularly the Reds and the Rheas - also saw increased success. 2018 saw the Constantia Commandos participate and win in their only Grand Final to date, defeating the Sharks 45-39. 2019 saw victory for the Crocodiles who defeated Port Hope RFC 21-18 in the Grand Final, whilst the Sharks went on to defeat the Reds 10-9 in the third-place play-off. In 2020, Super League announced an agreement with worldsports.tv for streaming of Super League live matches live internationally, which has served to increase Super League's popularity internationally, particularly in Gapolania and Rizealand where Super League matches had previously been unavailable. In 2023, Super League was once again ranked as the most popular sporting league in Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria by both television views and ticket sales. Proposals to include teams from Gapolania have intensified, especially as Gapolania participates in the NUVSATLUS-run Asterias Cup, as well as the increasing popularity of the sport in Gapolania after their unprecedented success at the 2021 Rugby World Cup.
Franchises
Current franchises
Twelve franchises are currently operating in the Super League within three different conferences; seven play within the Nuvanian conferences, operated by Nuwanse Rugby, four within the Satavian conference, operated by the Satavian Rugby Football Association (SRFA) and one within the Sublustrian conference, operated by the Sublustrian Rugby Federation. Each franchise encompasses one or several local rugby unions; for example, the Blues encompass the Port Hope Rugby Football Union, the Koningstad Club and the wider Hope Province Rugby Union. The Arucian Pirates field players from within the wider Arucian region, are based in Sainte-Chloé but play within the Nuvanian conference as they are wholly owned by Nuwanse Rugby. Meanwhile, the Surfers play in Naua Roa (Satavia) but remain owned and controlled by the Sublustrian Rugby Federation.
| Conference | Logo | Team | City | Provincial Union | Stadium | Founded | Joined | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuvania | 
|
Pirates | Port de la Sainte |  Sainte-Chloé
|
Stade Sainte-Chloé | 2015 | The team dropped the "Arucian" from their name in 2020. | ||
|
Commandos | Constantia |  Constantia
|
Van der Walt Ground | 1928 | 2006 | Officially the Constantia Commandos. | ||
|
Niekerk Mariners | Niekerk | Niekerk
|
The Portside | 1864 | 2006 | Oldest club in Nuvania (and second oldest in the Asterias) | ||
|
Philipsbaai Sharks | Philipsbaai Sharks | Philipsbaai
|
Philipsbaai Stadium | 2006 | Formed as a merger between Philipsbaai RFC and Tigers F.C. | |||
|
Pietersburg Crocodiles | Pietersburg | Kaap
|
Kestell Stadium | 1893 | 2006 | |||
|
Windstrand Caimans | Windstrand | Etten
|
Cantrell-Wright Stadium | 1911 | 2006 | |||
|
Vryburg Jaguars | Vryburg | Vryburg
|
Die Groot Grond | 1956 | 2006 | |||
| Satavia | 
|
Reds | Bloemstad |  Pioneerstaat
|
Brooksveld Park | 1948 | 2006 | Officially the Bloemstad Reds but commonly known simply as the Reds | |
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|
Oranges | Northport |  Orange Province
|
The Tin Can | 2010 | Founded as a merger between Northport RFC and Windstad Warriors | |||
|
Blues | Port Hope |  Hope Province
|
Stadium Satavia | 1863 | 2006 | The Super League division of Port Hope RFC, itself the oldest existing rugby union club in the Asterias. | ||
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|
Rheas | Victoriaburg |  Western Freestate
|
Crace Park | 1924 | 2006 | Originally founded as the Victoriaburg Rheas, eventually merged with the four other clubs in the Western Freestate, becoming the Western Rheas in 2004; 'Western' was dropped from the official name in 2021. | ||
| Sublustria | _logo.png){kind=logo}
|
Surfers | Patrick's Town Siedlerstadt |
 Naua Roa Sublustria
|
Kirk Stadium | 2015 | Part of the Sublustrian Rugby Federation but also represent Naua Roa. Despite plans to move to a purpose-built stadium in Siedlerstadt, as of 2023 they continue to play at Kirk Stadium in Naua Roa. | ||
Former franchises
- Heiveld Hawks - Mosstad, Heiveld (disbanded in 2010)
Hoopfontein Rebels - Hoopfontein, Central Territory (disbanded in 2010)- Northport RFC - Northport, Orange Province (merged with the Windstad Warriors to form the Oranges in 2010)
- Pietersburg Dockers - Pietersburg, Kaap (absorbed by the Pietersburg Crocodiles in 2010)
- Windstad Warriors - Windstad, Orange Province (merged with Northport RFC to form the Oranges in 2010)
Proposed franchises
An unnamed Arundel team has long been mooted as a fifth Satavian franchise. However, proposals to include such franchise have been rejected; a formal application to the NUVSATLUS rugby board in 2021, backed by the government of Arundel, was rejected. Previous attempts in 2017, 2014, 2012 and 2008 were also rejected.
Proposals to include teams from outside of Nuvania and Satavia resulted in the creation of the Surfers and Pirates in 2015. Other proposals have not been successful; the idea of a Satucine Super League team was floated by the Fédération Satucine de Rugby in 2013 but quickly dismissed by Super League executives.
In 2022, following their success at the 2021 Rugby World Cup, and coupled with increasing participation, proposals of an unnamed Gapolanian team were discussed but never seriously proposed.
Champions
The following sides have won the Super League since its inception in 2006.
| Year | No. of Teams | Final | Losing semi-finalists | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | Score | Runners-up | 1st losing semi-finalists | 2nd losing semi-finalists | ||||
| 2006 | 14 | Blues
|
26-25 | Crocodiles
|
Caimans
|
Rheas
| ||
| 2007 | 14 | Reds
|
23–7 | Crocodiles
|
Rheas
|
Sharks
| ||
| 2008 | 14 | Reds
|
48-6 | Blues
|
Caimans
|
Crocodiles
| ||
| 2009 | 14 | Rheas
|
9-3 | Mariners
|
Reds
|
Blues
| ||
| Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third | Fourth | ||||
| 2010 | 10 | Crocodiles
|
22-10 | Caimans
|
Reds
|
Rheas
| ||
| 2011 | 10 | Crocodiles
|
41-32 | Blues
|
Reds
|
Commandos
| ||
| 2012 | 10 | Crocodiles
|
64-12 | Caimans
|
Sharks
|
Mariners
| ||
| 2013 | 10 | Crocodiles
|
50-39 | Caimans
|
Jaguars
|
Reds
| ||
| 2014 | 10 | Sharks
|
21-14 | Blues
|
Reds
|
Crocodiles
| ||
| 2015 | 12 | Blues
|
31-17 | Crocodiles
|
Caimans
|
Sharks
| ||
| 2016 | 12 | Blues
|
46-10 | Sharks
|
Rheas
|
Commandos
| ||
| 2017 | 12 | Blues
|
30-29 | Crocodiles
|
Sharks
|
Rheas
| ||
| 2018 | 12 | Commandos
|
45-39 | Sharks
|
Blues
|
Crocodiles
| ||
| 2019 | 12 | Crocodiles
|
21-18 | Blues
|
Sharks
|
Reds
| ||
| 2020 | 12 | Blues
|
36-3 | Crocodiles
|
Caimans
|
Rheas
| ||
| 2021 | 12 | Caimans
|
28-16 | Blues
|
Crocodiles
|
Sharks
| ||
| 2022 | 12 | Rheas
|
39-14 | Blues
|
Reds
|
Crocodiles
| ||
| 2023 | 12 | Rheas
|
41-7 | Crocodiles
|
Caimans
|
Blues
| ||
| 2024 | 12 | To be determined. | To be determined. | |||||
Final appearances, victories by country
In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by victorious seasons.
| Apps | Team | Wins | Losses | Winning percent |
Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Blues
|
5 | 6 | .454 | 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| 11 | Crocodiles
|
5 | 6 | .454 | 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023 |
| 4 | Caimans
|
1 | 3 | 0.250 | 2010, 2012, 2013, 2021 |
| 3 | Rheas
|
3 | 0 | 1.000 | 2009, 2022, 2023 |
| 3 | Sharks
|
1 | 2 | 0.333 | 2014, 2016, 2018 |
| 2 | Reds
|
2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2007, 2008 |
| 1 | Commandos
|
1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2018 |
| 1 | Mariners
|
0 | 1 | .000 | 2009 |
| Country | Apps | Wins | Losses | Winning percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuvania
|
20 | 8 | 12 | .400 |
| Satavia
|
16 | 10 | 6 | .625 |
| Sainte-Chloé
|
0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Sublustria
|
0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Brand and media
Trophies
The twelve teams compete for the Super League trophy; a gold-coated, 21-kilogram, 70-cm tall trophy designed in 1996 for use in the Super 16, Satavia's predecessor domestic league. The trophy is one of several teams competing for, as there are some inter-club trophies and national trophies awarded at the end of the season, in addition to the "Player of the League" award. For instance, the highest-finishing Satavian team is awarded the Ashgrove Memorial Cup, whilst the highest-placed Nuvanian team is awarded the J.P van Vollenhoven Trophy. Inter-club trophies include the Colours Cup, contested between the Bloemstad Reds and the Oranges, whilst the winner of the Port Hope vs Pietersburg derby match is awarded the Capital Cup. The trophy, like all inter-club trophies, is only contested in the match hosted by the current holders.
| Trophy | Teams | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashgrove Memorial Cup | Satavian teams | 2008 | Made from brass shell casings recovered from the walls of Government House, Port Hope and named for Governor-General Lord Ashgrove who was killed during the Defence of Port Hope. |
| Capital Cup | Port Hope RFC Pietersburg Crocodiles |
2012 | The Crocodiles have won the cup three times, whilst Port Hope RFC have won the remaining eight times. |
| Colours Cup | Bloemstad Reds Oranges |
2019 | The plate trophy is painted in alternating bands of Orange and Red (separated by blue). |
| J.P van Vollenhoven Trophy | Nuvanian teams | 2008 | Named for J.P van Vollenhoven, former Chief Minister of Nuvania. |
Logo
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Super League has had three international logo iterations; the first was unveiled in 2006 ahead of the first Super League season. The logo was designed by J. C. Clare & Sons and was widely derided for its clashes of colour. In response, the 2012 season saw the introduction of a new logo, also designed by J. C. Clare & Sons that retained the same artistry but aimed to rectify the clashing colours by making the logo mainly monotone. Receiving an apathetic reaction, the logo was replaced for the beginning of the 2015 season which replaced the rugby player with a rugby ball, in addition to incorporating the NUVATLUS shield. The new logo received mixed reactions upon its reveal. In Nuvania, Telekor branding is placed above the ball.
In 2023, a new "sleak, modern and designer" logo was introduced.
Naming rights
The naming rights for the competition have changed throughout its existence in Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria.
- In Nuvania, between 2006 to 2008 the competition was officially the Belpetro Super League, until naming rights were acquired by Barrett Bank becoming the Barrett Bank Super League. In 2022, naming rights were sold by Barrett Bank to Nuvanian telecoms provider Telekor, becoming the Telekor Super League.
- In Satavia, between 2006 and 2012, the Super League was sponsored by the Dane Group and was known as the Dane Super League. The Barrett Group, the owners of Barrett Bank, became the primary sponsors for the 2013 season, from which point it was known as the Barrett Super League. In 2020, the Barrett Group's contract was not renewed and Super League has not had a naming agreement in place with any company in Satavia since.
- In Sublustria, Super League was known as the Papalii Super League from 2015 until 2021, and Super League has not had a naming agreement in place since.
Broadcasters
Domestic competitions
Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria all have domestic competitions that feed into the Super League teams. In Satavia, this is the National Rugby Championship (consisting of sixteen teams), in Nuvania the provincial teams compete for the Chapman Cup whilst Sublustria holds the Island Championship. The Arucian Challenge Cup consists of eight teams from across the Arucian; it is owned and operated by Nuwanse Rugby, and its best players are contributed towards the Arucian Pirates.