Super League (rugby union)

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Super League
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 Super League season
Super League logo.png
Super League logo introduced in 2023
SportRugby Union
Founded2006; 18 years ago
Inaugural season2006
Owner(s)NUVSATLUS
CEOArcher Marshall
CommissionerPieter de Klerk
No. of teams12
CountriesArucian (1 team)
Nuvania (6 teams)
Satavia (4 teams)
Sublustria (1 team)
Most recent
champion(s)		Rheas
(2023, 3rd title)
Most titlesBlues
Crocodiles
(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 websitesuperleague.rugby

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 Crocodiles and the Blues, 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-final 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 amended 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;

Since the formation of NUVSATLUS (previously the Van Horn Rugby Board) there have been two chairmen;

History

Background

The now-defunct Hawks compete in a line-out against the Commandos, 2007

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 which 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, the Blues, playing the 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 the Blues played the 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 the Blues 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 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 the Blues 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

The Reds play the Commandos in 2016

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 every year since debut.

2015, 2016 and 2017 saw three consecutive victories for the Blues, 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 the Blues 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 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 Province Stadium Founded Joined Notes
Nuvania Windstrand Caimans logo.png   Caimans Windstrand Etten Cantrell-Wright Stadium 1911 2006
Constantia Commandos logo.png   Commandos Constantia Oronokia Van der Walt Ground 1928 2006 Officially the Constantia Commandos.
Pietersburg Crocodiles logo.png   Crocodiles Pietersburg Aruwania Kestell Stadium 1893 2006 Absorbed the Dockers in 2010.
Vryburg Jaguars logo.png   Jaguars Vryburg Barimanna Die Groot Grond 1956 2006
Niekerk Mariners logo.png   Mariners Niekerk Litania The Portside 1864 2006 Oldest club in Nuvania (and second oldest in the Asterias)
Arucian Pirates logo.png   Pirates Port de la Sainte Arucian Stade L'Arachel 2015 The team dropped the "Arucian" from their name in 2020.
Philipsbaai Sharks logo.png   Sharks Philipsbaai Mahaika Philipsbaai Stadium 2006 Formed as a merger between Philipsbaai RFC and Tigers F.C.
Satavia Port Hope RFC logo.png   Blues Port Hope Hope Province[N 1] Stadium Satavia 1863 2006 The Super League division of Port Hope RFC, itself the oldest existing rugby union club in the Asterias.
Oranges (Super League).png   Oranges Northport Orange Province The Tin Can 2010 Founded as a merger between Northport RFC and Windstad Warriors
Reds flower logo.png   Reds Bloemstad Pioneerstaat Brooksveld Park 1948 2006 Officially the Bloemstad Reds but commonly known simply as the Reds
Rheas (Super League) logo.png   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 Surfers (Super League) logo.png   Surfers Patrick's Town Naua Roa 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.
Locations of the Super League teams in the Satavian conference

Former franchises

Proposed franchises

An unnamed Arundel team has long been mooted as a fifth Satavian franchise. However, proposals to include such a 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.

Season Structure

Pre-season

The Super League pre-season usually begins in December and runs until the start of the season in February. Pre-season fixtures usually occur on an inter-conference basis; Satavian teams face other Satavian teams, whilst Nuvanian teams face other Nuvanian teams. The Surfers have usually played with the Nuvanian conference, but have had occasional pre-season fixtures against the Rheas. Satavian teams also play a pre-season fixture which contributes to the inter-team trophies; for instance, the Colours Cup (contested by the Oranges and the Reds) is a three-game series - two games are played in the regular season, whilst one is played as the pre-season fixture. Teams sometimes also face foreign club sides; in 2023, the Rheas played the Hartford Stags, winning 27-6.

Regular season

The Super League season typically begins in February and runs until July. Each team plays 22 matches against the 11 other clubs; 1 home and 1 away. Each team plays every weekend for 22 weeks. In most rounds, there is typically 1 match played on Friday Evening (the Friday Footy game), two on Saturday and three on Sunday. Some rounds have special themes, such as the Remembrance Round, played in early February - it is often the first round of the tournament.

Teams are awarded four points for a win, two for a draw, and none for a loss. Additionally, two bonus points are on offer: one for scoring three or more tries, and one for losing within or by seven points. Teams are ranked on the ladder and compete for the Season Title, which is awarded to the team that finishes with the most points.

Finals series

The top eight teams ranked on the ladder, progress through to the knockout stages. The team placed first on the ladder plays the team placed eight; second plays seventh, and so on. Following the semi-finals, the two teams play in the Bronze Final to establish third place, whilst the two semi-final winning teams play for the Championship title in the Grand Final.

Grand Final

The Super League grand final is one of Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria's major sporting events and is the best-attended and viewed club rugby event in the world. Since 2020, the final has been broadcast free-to-air by worldsports.tv online. Prior to kick-off, there is some form of pre-match entertainment, usually featuring a music concert, various on-field events (such as the CoxCo Field Goal Challenge and the Duhamel Dash) participated in by players not involved in the final. Pre-final events usually draw large crowds and are usually made in support of various charities operating within Asteria but also the wider world.

The Grand Final is often the best-attended match of the Super League; in 2021, the Grand Final was held at the Kestell Stadium and saw a full capacity crowd of 52,00, with thousands more outside the venue watching from Big Screens situated outside the stadium. Additionally, in Satavia alone, the SBC reported that an average of 7.3 million had viewed the 2021 Grand Final; with a peak of 11.1 million.

After the game, it is customary for players to swap jerseys; although since 2008 (when Reds captain Joel Conway lifted the trophy whilst wearing a Blues jersey), this must happen after the trophy presentation.

Pre-final events
Music acts
Grand Final venues

The original contract for the Grand Final was granted to the City of Port Hope, who held the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Grand Final at the King's Road Stadium. Following the need for a larger stadium, Pietersburg was awarded the contract for three years and hosted both the 2009 and 2010 Grand Final at the Kestell Stadium. Due to emergency repairs being made at the Kestell Stadium in 2011, the event was moved at the last minute to the larger Victoriaburg City Stadium, and despite its popularity with the fans, it was not included again. Pietersburg were granted the rights to host the 2012 final having been forced to pull out of the 2011 final; however, following a stadium incursion and crush outside the venue that killed three people, Pietersburg were not re-awarded the event, as had been expected. Instead, Victoriaburg were awarded the contract to host yet again, and did so at the 73,000 capacity Crace Park, the home of cricket in the Western Freestate. The stadium hosted the final for four successive years but was not awarded the contract for 2017, which instead went to the newly-constructed Stadium Satavia in Port Hope, the largest stadium in Asteria Inferior by capacity. In 2021, following a monetary dispute with the government of the National Capital District, which owns the stadium, the Grand Final returned to the Kestell Stadium. In 2022 it was announced that the Stadium Satavia had won the contract to host the Super League Grand Final until 2028.

City Stadium Capacity Attendance Year
Satavia Port Hope King's Road Stadium 51,450 46,544 2006
50,107 2007
51,446 2008
Nuvania Pietersburg Kestell Stadium 52,100 52,063 2009
52,098 2010
Satavia Victoriaburg Victoriaburg City Stadium 65,445 56,419 2011
Nuvania Pietersburg Kestell Stadium 52,100 52,360[N 2] 2012
Satavia Victoriabug Crace Park 73,000 67,944 2013
69,160 2014
69,160 2015
72,988 2016
Satavia Port Hope Stadium Satavia 89,500 88,514 2017
71,120 2018
87,657 2019
88,946 2020
Nuvania Pietersburg Kestell Stadium 52,100 52,090 2021
Satavia Port Hope Stadium Satavia 89,500 88,286 2022
71,551 2023
– 2024

Players

Jack Peeke (Blues) in 2024

Each Super League team has a "top squad" of 44 players, all of which are included and subject to Super League squad rules (such as cost cap and foreign player quotas). If the need arises, Super League teams are able, upon request, to call up players from a team's Under 20s or Colts squad, or a feeder club in a domestic championship.

The case for a draft system has been made on several occasions but met with general opposition from the public, players and team coaches. A trial of the rookie draft, in which only new, draft-listed players (under the age of 21) would be drafted was due to be introduced for the 2022 season but was postponed for the "foreseeable future" before being abandoned entirely in 2024.

Demographics

The vast majority of Super League players are declared for Satavia or Nuvania; 233 players are Nuvanian, 162 players are Satavian, 54 are Sublustrian, 21 are Naua Roan whilst a further 58 represent other nations on an international level.

Players from every Nuvanian province and every Satavian province and territory are represented; in Nuvania, 109 players come from Aruwania (the highest of any province) whilst in Satavia, 78 players represent the Hope Province. As the Central Territory and National Capital District do not have representative provincial sides (their governing bodies are observer members of the SRFA), players from the CT and NCD are able to choose which province they are eligible to represent; players from the CT tend to pick the Western Freestate, whilst players from the NCD usually pick the Hope Province.

Protectionism

All three conferences have protectionist rules in place in order to retain a high number of local players. The strengths of these policies vary from conference to conference; Satavia has by far the strongest protectionist policies, with players only eligible to play for the Satavian national team if they play within the Satavian Conference, whilst Sublustria has by far the weakest protectionist policies.

The Nuvanian conference forbids teams to pick more than 16 players declared for foreign unions within their 44-player listed squad; however, Nuwanse Rugby does allow players to play abroad and still represent Nuvania internationally. In the four Satavian teams, no more than 12 players declared for foreign unions can be listed within the 44-player squad, and Satavian players playing abroad (including within the two other conferences) are barred from representing Satavia on an international level. The Sublustrian conference has a cap of six players representing foreign unions, plus an additional six Satavian players, for a potential total of 12 players declared for foreign unions. For the 2024 season, the Surfers named four Nuvanian players and two Satavian players within their six-player allowance; and an additional six "free hit" Satavian players. There are no restrictions on the number of Sublustrian or Naua Roan players.

Salary Cap

Teams within the Nuvanian conference are subjected to a NS150 million (approximately €7.5 million) salary cap for their 44-player squad. Players not listed within the top squad are not covered by the salary cap, nor are players under the age of 18. The cap was introduced at the beginning of 2015 to combat the financial troubles of Nuwanse Rugby and caused controversy at the time. It has been widely attributed to causing a poor run of results for Nuvanian teams, particularly the Crocodiles, who from 2010-2014 were the best-funded and best-paying team in the Super League by some margin. The only team found to have broken the salary cap was the Sharks in 2023. When the breach was discovered, during Round 18, the Sharks were deducted all the points they had earned up to that point and faced a fine of NS13 million (approximately €650,000). They were additionally barred from earning points until they fell under the cap, which they had done by the next round.

Meanwhile, teams in the Satavian conference are subjected to a G140 million (approximately €15.65 million) salary cap for their top squad. As with the Nuvanian conference, players not listed within the top squad are not included in the salary cap. Unlike in the Nuvanian conference, all players listed in the top squad are included, regardless of age, with the exception of one designated marquee player, who is exempted from the salary cap. Additionally, there is a salary cap of G2.5 million (approximately €280,000) for foreign-registered players. Premium payments, made by sponsors, are not included in the salary cap, and this has allowed teams to pay players significantly more than the salary cap would technically allow; for instance, in 2019 it was revealed that Caldia international Owain Ó Fearghail, playing for the Blues, was paid the full G2.5 million, as the salary cap dictated, but received an additional G14.5 million (approximately €1.6 million) in additional premium payments. Since the salary cap was introduced in 2018, no team has been found to have breached it deliberately, with the Reds being fined G280,000 (approximately €20,000) in 2021 for an "administrative breach".

The Sublustrian Conference has no salary cap.

Champions

The following sides have won the Super League since its inception in 2006.

Championships

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.

Season titles

Year No. of Teams
Season title Points
2006 14 Blues 52
2007 14 Reds 48
2008 14 Blues 50
2009 14 Blues 42
2010 10 Not awarded
2011 10
2012 10
2013 10
2014 10
2015 12 Blues 76
2016 12 Blues 64
2017 12 Blues 68
2018 12 Blues 62
2019 12 Blues 68
2020 12 Blues 72
2021 12 Crocodiles 62
2022 12 Rheas 70
2023 12 Rheas 64
2024 12 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

Audience

Super League is the most viewed domestic sporting competition on television in Nuvania, Satavia and Sublustria, rating 164.92 million viewers for an average of 1.178 million viewers per match. It is also the most viewed rugby competition in the world, greatly exceeding the viewership of the next two most viewed competitions, the ERU Championship and Top 16. 4,590,180 people attended Super League matches throughout the regular season; for an average of 32,787 per game. In the 2023 Grand Final, Crace Park was sold out with an attendance of 72,987. The highest-attended game in 2023 was the Blues vs Rheas semi-final, which saw a near-capacity attendance of 87,829 at the Stadium Satavia.

The Blues finished 2022 as the best-attended club, with a massively above-average attendance of 49,584 at home games.

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 is, like most inter-club trophies, contested across three games; one held in the pre-season, and two during the main season. When a pre-season match is not held, Super League rules state that the match contested at the home game of the current holder decides the trophy winner.

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 • Blues
• Crocodiles		 2012 The Crocodiles have won the cup three times, whilst the Blues have won the remaining eight times.
Colours Cup • Oranges
• Reds		 2019 The plate trophy is painted in alternating bands of Orange and Red (separated by blue).
Country Cup • Blues
• Rheas		 2006 (1936) Originally contested by Port Hope RFC and the Victoriaburg Rheas in 1936 as a three-match test series ("Country Series"), the cup is now contested by the two teams in the pre-season and regular season.
J.P van Vollenhoven Trophy • Nuvanian teams 2008 Named for J.P van Vollenhoven, former Chief Minister of Nuvania.

Former Super League logos

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 "sleek, 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 and 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 Papali'i Super League from 2015 until 2021, and Super League has not had a naming agreement in place since.

Broadcasters

Broadcaster Territories
ATV+  Hennehouwe
 Kesselbourg
Gaullice Télévisions  Gaullica
ITS  Bonaventura
File:ImaguaFlag.png Imagua and the Assimas
NBC  Nuvania
NSE Network Template:Country data Estmere
Orrizonte24  Etruria
RMP  Paretia
SBC  Carucere
File:Eldmark.png Eldmark
 Sainte-Chloé
 Satavia
SBC Naua Roa  Naua Roa
Sky Sublustria Sublustria
Teleràdio Montecarà  Montecara
TRN/TRN Now  Blostland
 Caithia
 Caldia
 Scovern
worldsports.tv Worldwide

Detailed coverage

Post-match

  • Friday Footy is simulcast on the SBC and NBC from 6:30 pm (SST) or 7:30 (NST).
  • Super Saturday is broadcast on the SBC from 10:00 pm. It features a panel of pundits, complemented by former players or coaches. It also shows highlights of the day's events.
  • SBC's Super League Round is broadcast on the SBC from 10:00 pm on Sunday night. It shows highlights of the round's matches and shows in-depth commentary and analysis.

Related programmes

  • For Footy's Sake! is broadcast on Voxcom from 7:30 pm on Monday. It is hosted by former player Pieter Holmes.
  • Daardie Rugbyprogram is broadcast on the SBC from 8 pm on Monday. Asteriaans language.
  • Rugby Round is broadcast on the SBC from 9:00 pm on Monday and primarily deals with rugby news from around the world.
  • Last Weekend Tonight is simulcast on the SBC and NBC from 10 pm (SST) or 11 pm (NST) on Wednesday.
  • The Preview Show is broadcast on the NSE Network at 6 pm on Thursday in Satavia.
  • Ruck It! is broadcast on Voxcom at 8 pm on Thursday in Satavia.
  • Lekker Rugby, commonly called LR, is broadcast on the SBC at 8:30 pm on Thursday in Satavia. Asteriaans language.

Video games

Super League has provided licenses to several different video games in an attempt to increase its popularity. It was an early adopter of video games, with the first Rugby game to feature Super League teams and players being released in 2007. The titles below are sorted by release year:

Cheerleading

"The Rubies", the cheerleading squad of the Reds

As entertainment during half-time and before matches, some Super League teams have dancers for cheerleading. In 2008, 11 of the 14 teams had cheer squads; this number had reduced to three in the 2024 season; only the Oranges, Reds and Rheas retain cheer squads. Cheerleading in rugby union competitions is virtually unheard of outside of the Super League; it is widely regarded as an attempt to commercialise the competition, or "Rizealandize", as cheerleaders are prominent features of sporting competitions in Asteria Superior.

The practice has drawn criticism since its introduction in 2007; it has been accused of perpetuating sexist ideals and creating toxic environments. Only two existing Super League teams have never had cheer squads - the Blues and the Crocodiles.

Records

Official records reflect only those collected during the main season and finals; pre-season fixtures, although supported and condoned by Super League, are not included. Off-season fixtures are also not included.

Team

  • Most Championships: - 5 Blues & Crocodiles
  • Most Season titles: - 9 Blues
  • Most Championships in a row: - 4 Crocodiles
  • Most Season titles in a row: - 6 Blues
  • Most wooden spoons: - 9 Pirates
  • Highest score in a game: - 107, Blues against Hawks (2006)
  • Largest winning margin in a game: - 104, Blues against Hawks (2006)
  • Longest winning streak: - 32 games, Crocodiles (2012-2014)
  • Longest losing streak: - 68 games, Hawks (2006-2010)

Individual

Career

Season

  • Points: 290 - PK Lawson, Blues (2006)
  • Tries: 21 - Liam Carney, Blues (2016)
  • Conversions: 59 - Dicky Reeve, Rheas (2018)
  • Penalties: 59 - Dicky Reeve, Rheas (2019)
  • Drop Goals: 15 - Jonty Warwick, Blues (2020)

Match

  • Points: 75 - Pieter Holmes, Blues against Hawks (2006)
  • Tries: 9 - Pieter Holmes, Blues against Hawks (2006)
  • Conversions: 9 - Pieter Holmes, Blues against Hawks (2006)
  • Penalties: 11 - Seamus O'Brien, Caimans against Hawks (2009)
  • Drop Goals: 5 - Jonty Warwick, Blues against Oranges (2020)

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 in conjunction with the various Arucian rugby unions, and its best players contribute towards the Arucian Pirates.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Although physically based in the National Capital District, the Blues represent the Hope Province Rugby Union
  2. ↑ Crowds broke through the security barriers at half-time, and an estimated 260 people watched the second half inside the stadium
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