2015 Super Rugby Final
Event2015 Super Rugby season
Date4 July 2015
VenueWestpac Stadium, Wellington
RefereeJaco Peyper (South Africa)
Attendance36,000

The 2015 Super Rugby Final, was played between the Hurricanes and the Highlanders. It was the 20th final in the Super Rugby competition's history and the fifth under the expanded 15-team format. This was the first Super Rugby final between two New Zealand teams since 2006 when the Hurricanes were beaten by the Crusaders.

The match was won by the Highlanders who beat the Hurricanes by seven points. Upon winning the match, the Highlanders became the first team to win the competition having failed to win a conference. They also became the first team to win the competition having played in the qualifiers round.

In New Zealand, 583,620 people tuned in to watch

Road to the Final

Finals Series qualifying teams
Conference leaders
Pos Team W D L PD BP Pts
1New Zealand Hurricanes 1402+1701066
2Australia Waratahs 1105+96852
3South Africa Stormers 1015+50345
Wildcard teams
4New Zealand Highlanders 1105+117953
5New Zealand Chiefs 1006+73848
6Australia Brumbies 907+1081147
Source: SANZAR [1]

The 2015 Super Rugby competition involved fifteen teams, five each from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.[2] The 2015 season was the fifth year of an expanded 15 team format (12 teams competed between 1996 and 2005, before increasing to 14 between 2006 and 2010).[2]

The competition began on 13 February with the regular season consisting of 120 matches over eighteen weeks. Each team played the others from their own conference (both home and away), plus four out of five teams from the other two countries (two at home and two away in each case). The top six teams after the regular season advanced to the finals.[2]

The Hurricanes finished top of the New Zealand conference and topped the overall standings, with fourteen wins and just two losses during the season (one being to the Australian conference winner, the Waratahs). The South African conference winner was the Stormers, and the three wildcard teams making the playoffs were the Highlanders, Chiefs, and Brumbies.

The play-off fixtures were as follows:

First roundSemifinalsFinal
27 June 2015
20 June 20151New Zealand Hurricanes29
3South Africa Stormers196Australia Brumbies94 July 2015
6Australia Brumbies39New Zealand Hurricanes14
27 June 2015New Zealand Highlanders21
20 June 20152Australia Waratahs17
4New Zealand Highlanders244New Zealand Highlanders35
5New Zealand Chiefs14

Qualifiers

20 June 2015 Highlanders 24–14 Chiefs Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin  
19:35 Try: Waisake Naholo rugby ball 24', 43'
Con: Lima Sopoaga rugby goalposts icon 44' (1/2)
Pen: Lima Sopoaga rugby goalposts icon 6', 57', 66', 80' (4/4)
Drop: Waisake Naholo (0/1)
Report[3]
Scoreboard[4]
Try: Brodie Retallick rugby ball 60'
Con: Andrew Horrell (0/1)
Pen: Andrew Horrell rugby goalposts icon 8', 28', 40' (3/5)
Attendance: 22,500
Referee: Chris Pollock
20 June 2015 Stormers 19–39 Brumbies Newlands Stadium, Cape Town  
17:05 Try: Cheslin Kolbe rugby ball 45'
Con: Demetri Catrakilis rugby goalposts icon 46' (1/1)
Pen: Demetri Catrakilis rugby goalposts icon 13', 34', 49', 60' (4/4)
Report[5]
Scoreboard[6]
Try: Joe Tomane rugby ball 4', 15', 25'
Scott Sio rugby ball 40'
Ita Vaea rugby ball 63'
Jesse Mogg rugby ball 79'
Con: Christian Lealiifano rugby goalposts icon 26', 40', 64' (3/6)
Pen: Christian Lealiifano rugby goalposts icon 51' (1/1)
Cards: Henry Speight Red card 74'
Scott Fardy Yellow card 75'
Referee: Jaco Peyper

Semi-finals

27 June 2015 Hurricanes 29–9 Brumbies Westpac Stadium, Wellington  
19:35 Try: Julian Savea rugby ball 21'
TJ Perenara rugby ball 28'
Ardie Savea rugby ball 43'
Matt Proctor rugby ball 74'
Con: Beauden Barrett rugby goalposts icon 29' (1/2)
James Marshall rugby goalposts icon 44', 75' (2/2)
Pen: Beauden Barrett (0/1)
James Marshall rugby goalposts icon 66' (1/2)
Report[7]
Scoreboard[8]
Pen: Jesse Mogg rugby goalposts icon 40' (1/1)
Christian Lealiifano rugby goalposts icon 50', 57' (2/2)
Attendance: 34,500
Referee: Glen Jackson
27 June 2015 Waratahs 17–35 Highlanders Allianz Stadium, Sydney  
19:55 Try: Rob Horne rugby ball 11'
Con: Bernard Foley (0/1)
Pen: Bernard Foley rugby goalposts icon 23', 31', 37', 51' (4/4)
Cards: Jacques Potgieter yellow card 58' to 68'
Report
Scoreboard[9]
Try: Aaron Smith rugby ball 19'
Richard Buckman rugby ball 33'
Waisake Naholo rugby ball 53'
penalty try rugby ball 58'
Patrick Osborne rugby ball 78'
Con: Ben Smith (0/1)
Lima Sopoaga rugby goalposts icon 34', 59' (2/4)
Pen: Lima Sopoaga rugby goalposts icon 5' (1/3)
Drop: Lima Sopoaga rugby goalposts icon 75' (1/2)
Attendance: 32,632
Referee: Craig Joubert

References

  1. "Super Rugby - Official SANZAAR Site". SANZAR. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "About Super Rugby". SANZAR. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  3. "Highlanders move on to semi-finals". SANZAR. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  4. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Highlanders 24–14 Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  5. "Six-try Brumbies stun the Stormers". SANZAR. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  6. "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Stormers 19–39 Brumbies". South African Rugby Union. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  7. "Hurricanes surge into Super Rugby Final". SANZAR. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  8. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Hurricanes 29–9 Brumbies". South African Rugby Union. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  9. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Waratahs 17–35 Highlanders". South African Rugby Union. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
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