2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa season

The 2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa season (branded as Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa for sponsorship reasons) was a domestic club rugby union tournament organised by New Zealand Rugby. It was a 10-week, round robin tournament played by the five New Zealand-based teams of Super Rugby. The competition supplanted the 2020 Super Rugby season, which was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Announced on 6 May, the competition ran from 13 June to 14 August, making it the first professional rugby union competition to occur since the beginning of the pandemic. On 8 June, with most non-travel restrictions relating to the pandemic having been lifted in New Zealand (Alert Level 1), it was announced that the matches would be played with spectators admitted, making it among the first professional sporting events not played behind closed doors since the beginning of the pandemic's global spread.

Due to the reinstatement of restrictions nationally on 11 August after new cases of community transmission, one match in the final round was played behind closed doors, and the other was cancelled due to Alert Level 3 in Auckland and declared a 0–0 draw — resulting in the Crusaders clinching the tournament championship.

With New Zealand border restrictions and managed isolation requirements not easing despite the country back in level 1 alert level as of October 11, 2020, Super Rugby Aotearoa and Australia returned in 2021, and Super Rugby Aotearoa were by sponsored by Sky New Zealand. There was expected to be an increase of Sunday afternoon fixtures, which proved popular in 2020.

Law adaptions On 2 June, New Zealand Rugby announced that it would implement two optional law trials being offered by World Rugby, including a golden point format for extra time, and that players who received a red card could be substituted after 20 minutes. It was also stated that referees would be stricter in applying laws for breakdowns to increase the pace of play.

Standings

Matches

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

On 14 August, due to restrictions being reintroduced nationwide after new cases of community transmission (with Alert Level 3 in effect in Auckland and thus prohibiting all events, and all other regions under Alert Level 2), the penultimate match between the Highlanders and Hurricanes was played behind closed doors, and the final match between the Blues and Crusaders was cancelled and declared a draw (with both teams awarded two points on the final standings).

Players

Squads

+ squad Forwards Aaron Carroll • Gerard Cowley-Tuioti • Kurt Eklund • Blake Gibson • Josh Goodhue • Alex Hodgman • Akira Ioane • Tony Lamborn • Ezekiel Lindenmuth • Sione Mafileo • Dalton Papalii • James Parsons • Jacob Pierce • Marcel Renata • Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa • Tom Robinson • Hoskins Sotutu • Luteru Tolai • James Tucker • Karl Tu'inukuafe • Patrick Tuipulotu • Ofa Tu'ungafasi Backs Beauden Barrett • Otere Black • Dan Carter • Finlay Christie • Caleb Clarke • Matt Duffie • TJ Faiane • Jack Heighton • Jordan Hyland • Rieko Ioane • Joe Marchant • Emoni Narawa • Sam Nock • Jared Page • Stephen Perofeta • Harry Plummer • Jonathan Ruru • Mark Tele'a • Tamati Tua Coach Leon MacDonald

+ squad Forwards Naitoa Ah Kuoi • Michael Allardice • Tyler Ardron • Lachlan Boshier • Mitchell Brown • Sam Cane • Rob Cobb • Ryan Coxon • Ross Geldenhuys • Nathan Harris • Luke Jacobson • Mitchell Karpik • Nepo Laulala • Donald Maka • Laghlan McWhannell • Atu Moli • Dylan Nel • Ollie Norris • Reuben O'Neill • Simon Parker • Aidan Ross • Bradley Slater • Pita Gus Sowakula • Angus Ta'avao • Samisoni Taukei'aho • Adam Thomson • Tupou Vaa'i Backs Solomon Alaimalo • Aaron Cruden • Tiaan Falcon • Orbyn Leger • Anton Lienert-Brown • Tumua Manu • Damian McKenzie • Sam McNicol • Lisati Milo-Harris • Kini Naholo • Etene Nanai-Seturo • Alex Nankivell • Shaun Stevenson • Bailyn Sullivan • Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi • Kaleb Trask • Quinn Tupaea • Sean Wainui • Brad Weber Coach Warren Gatland

+ squad Forwards Michael Alaalatoa • Harry Allan • Scott Barrett • Ethan Blackadder • George Bower • Tom Christie • Whetu Douglas • Mitchell Dunshea • Cullen Grace • Billy Harmon • Sione Havili • Oliver Jager • Andrew Makalio • Brodie McAlister • Joe Moody • Luke Romano • Ethan Roots • Tom Sanders • Quinten Strange • Codie Taylor • Isi Tu'ungafasi • Sam Whitelock Backs George Bridge • Fergus Burke • Brett Cameron • Mitchell Drummond • Ere Enari • Braydon Ennor • Inga Finau • Leicester Fainga'anuku • Jack Goodhue • Bryn Hall • David Havili • Will Jordan • Manasa Mataele • Dallas McLeod • Richie Mo'unga • Fetuli Paea • Sevu Reece Coach Scott Robertson

+ squad Forwards Teariki Ben-Nicholas • Liam Coltman • Ethan de Groot • Josh Dickson • Ash Dixon • Tom Florence • Shannon Frizell • Dillon Hunt • Josh Iosefa-Scott • Ricky Jackson • Ayden Johnstone • Zane Kapeli • Daniel Lienert-Brown • Marino Mikaele-Tu'u • Sione Misiloi • Jesse Parete • Pari Pari Parkinson • Manaaki Selby-Rickit • Jeff Thwaites • Siate Tokolahi • Jack Whetton Backs Michael Collins • Folau Fakatava • Connor Garden-Bachop • Bryn Gatland • Sam Gilbert • Scott Gregory • Kayne Hammington • Mitchell Hunt • Josh Ioane • Vilimoni Koroi • Kirisi Kuridrani • Josh McKay • Nehe Milner-Skudder • Tevita Nabura • Jona Nareki • Ngane Punivai • Aaron Smith • Rob Thompson • Sio Tomkinson • Thomas Umaga-Jensen• Teihorangi Walden Coach Aaron Mauger

+ squad Forwards Fraser Armstrong • Asafo Aumua • James Blackwell • Dane Coles • Gareth Evans • Alex Fidow • Vaea Fifita • Devan Flanders • Du'Plessis Kirifi • Kane Le'aupepe • Tyrel Lomax • Tevita Mafileo • Ben May • Liam Mitchell • Xavier Numia • Reed Prinsep • Pouri Rakete-Stones • Ricky Riccitelli • Ardie Savea • Scott Scrafton • Murphy Taramai • Isaia Walker-Leawere Backs Vince Aso • Jordie Barrett • Jamie Booth • Jackson Garden-Bachop • Wes Goosen • Simon Hickey • Ben Lam • Ngani Laumape • Jonah Lowe • TJ Perenara • Billy Proctor • Salesi Rayasi • Julian Savea • Fletcher Smith • Jonathan Taumateine • Chase Tiatia • Danny Toala • Peter Umaga-Jensen • Kobus van Wyk Coach Jason Holland

See also

Super Rugby Super Rugby Aotearoa Super Rugby AU Super Rugby Unlocked 2020 North vs South rugby union match

References

External links