2011 Super Rugby Season
The 2011 Super Rugby season was the first season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involved teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past iterations as Super 12 and Super 14, this was the 16th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier transnational club competition. The season kicked off in February 2011, with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished in early July to allow players a recovery period for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held in September and October; in future non-World Cup years, the competition will extend into August. This season saw the arrival of the Melbourne Rebels, admitted to the competition as Australia's fifth team after entry by the Southern Kings from South Africa was denied. This was also the first season of a revamped competition format, with a greater focus on matches within each participating country and an expanded finals series. During this season, the first ever Super Rugby gam ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Round-robin Tournament
A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ... in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & C. Merriam Co), p.1980. A round-robin contrasts with an elimination tournament, in which participants/teams are eliminated after a certain number of losses. Terminology The term ''round-robin'' is derived from the French term ''ruban'', meaning "ribbon". Over a long period of time, the term was Folk etymology, corrupted and idiomized to ''robin''. In a ''single round-robin'' schedule, each participant plays every other participant once. If each participant plays all others twice, this is freque ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Westpac Stadium
Wellington Regional Stadium (known commercially as Sky Stadium through naming rights) is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. The stadium's bowl site size is . The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situated close to major transport facilities (such as Wellington railway station) north of the CBD. It was built on reclaimed railway land, which was surplus to requirements. The stadium also serves as a large-capacity venue for concerts and is known colloquially as "The Cake Tin". History The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and was the first bowl stadium built in New Zealand. It was built to replace Athletic Park, which was no longer considered adequate for international events due to its location and state of disrepair. The stadium was also built to provide a larger-capacity venue for One Day International cricket matches, due to the Basin Reserve ground losing such matches to larger stadiums in other parts of the count ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Phil Waugh
Phillip Waugh (born 22 September 1979) is a retired Australian rugby union footballer who played 136 matches in Super Rugby for the NSW Waratahs, and in 79 Test matches for the Wallabies. His usual position was openside flanker. Rugby career Waugh's career as a rugby player began at the Shore school, playing in the First XV in his final 3 years and captaining the team in 1997. He was selected to represent the Australian Schoolboy's team in 1996 and 1997, captaining the team in 1997. Waugh's campaign continued in 1998, as he was named in the Australian under 19s Rugby team, and subsequently the under 21s from 1998 to 2000. His professional career began in 1999, playing for the Waratahs, and later that year gained selection for the Wallabies Spring tour of the UK and Europe, making his test debut as a replacement in the match against England. Waugh continued receiving game time with the team until early 2002 when an ankle injury caused him to miss out on the international s ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rob Horne
Rob Horne (born 15 August 1989) is an Australian former rugby union footballer who played at centre for the Waratahs, Northampton Saints, and Australia. Early life Horne attended Lugarno Public School and Georges River College, Oatley Campus. He played club rugby as a junior with Oatley rugby club. Club career Super Rugby Rob Horne made his Super Rugby debut for the Waratahs in 2008 at the age of 18, he came off the bench for Timana Tahu against the Blues. He quickly cemented his place in the team, starting in the 2008 Super 14 Final in which Waratahs lost to Crusaders 20–12. Premiership Rugby It was announced on 6 February 2017, that Horne would join English side Northampton Saints for the beginning of the 2017–18 season. Retirement After making a big impact in his first season at Northampton Saints Horne was made captain for the first time during the local derby with Leicester Tigers on 14 April 2018. Thirteen seconds into the game, he was injured after tackling Sio ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tatafu Polota-Nau
Sione 'Utukiveisini Tatafu Polota-Nau (born 26 July 1985) is an Australian rugby union player who recently played for Parramatta Two Blues in Australia's Shute Shield. He joined the club in December 2017. Family and early life Polota-Nau was born in Camperdown, Sydney. He is the 2nd of three children (Moala, older sister; and Michael, younger brother) to Parents Audrey and Siosaia. He attended both Croydon Park Public School and Blaxcell Street Primary School. He attended Granville South Creative and Performing Arts School (was Granville South High). He is of Tongan heritage. Polota-Nau is the nephew of Hopoi Taione, who represented Japan in four rugby tests in the 1980s, and the 1st cousin of former professional wrestler Tonga Fifita, better known by the ring names "Haku" (World Wrestling Federation) and "Meng" (World Championship Wrestling). Rugby career During his tenure at Granville South High School, Polota-Nau only began to learn the game of Rugby Union largely thanks to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Drew Mitchell
Drew Alan Mitchell (born 26 March 1984) is a former Australian rugby union professional player. He played on the wing or as fullback. Up to the 2006 season he played for the Queensland Reds. He played for the Western Force for the 2007–09 Super 14 seasons. From 2010 to 2013 he played for the New South Wales Waratahs. Since 2013 he has played for RC Toulon. He made his debut for Australia in 2005 and is Australia's highest try scorer in World Cup history. Early life Mitchell was educated at Strathpine West State School and St Patrick's College, Shorncliffe and played his junior rugby for the Pine Rivers Pumas Rugby Union club, going on to play rugby for University of Queensland Rugby Club. Mitchell went on to captain the Queensland Academy of Sport U-19 team as well as going on to be an Australian Schoolboy and Sevens international. Career Mitchell made his international debut for the Wallabies against South Africa in 2005, after being selected after a season with the Queen ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kurtley Beale
Kurtley James Beale (born 6 January 1989) is an Australian professional rugby union representative player who has made over 90 national representative appearances in a ten-year playing career at the world-class level. He is of Aboriginal descent, has had a long Super Rugby career with the New South Wales Waratahs and has played for the Melbourne Rebels and the Wasps club in England. Beale mainly plays at full-back or centre but can play fly-half or winger. In 2011 Beale received the John Eales Medal, awarded to Australian rugby's Player of the Year. Early life Beale was born in Blacktown, New South Wales, and grew up at Mount Druitt in Western Sydney. In his early years Kurtley played junior rugby league for Western City Tigers, Mt Druitt before converting to rugby union. He attended St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill ("Joeys"), where he played in that school's first XV in all three of his senior years. Beale was selected in the NSW and Australian Schoolboys representative r ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ged Robinson
Ged Robinson (born 20 June 1983 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is Rugby union positions#2. Hooker, hooker. He formerly represented the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby, and he formerly played 5 games for the and mostly on the bench the Wellington Lions in New Zealand. Melbourne Rebels In 2011 Super Rugby season, 2011, the Rebels first season in Super Rugby competition, Robinson played in every match. In 2011 Super Rugby season, 2012 he played 14 of a possible 16 games. He will leave the Rebels after the 2013 Super Rugby season to return to New Zealand and join ITM Cup side . He joins Rebels head coach Damien Hill and fellow Rebels players James O'Connor (rugby union), James O'Connor, Cooper Vuna, Gareth Delve, Nick Phipps (rugby union), Nick Phipps, Nic Henderson, James King (New Zealand rugby union player), James King, Tim Davidson and Richard Kingi on the list of departing Rebels at the end of the 2013 season. His last game ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stuart Dickinson
Stuart Dickinson (born 19 July 1968) is an Australian former Rugby union referee. Dickinson has refereed in many rugby competitions, including the Rugby World Cup, Tri Nations, Six Nations, international friendlies, Super 12/14/15, and Shute Shield. He was a referee at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He is Australia's most-capped referee, and the only Australian referee to appear at three Rugby World Cups. Referee career Dickinson commenced refereeing at the age of 12 while also playing fly-half and fullback for Epping Boys' High School. He was employed full-time with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) from 1996 to 2011. Prior to 1996, he worked as a site manager for Linfox, a transport company as well as with the New South Wales Police Force. He made his international refereeing debut in 1997 in a Rugby World Cup qualifier between Tahiti and Papua New Guinea. He refereed his first international match between two Tier 1 nations ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brayden Mitchell
Brayden Mitchell (born 21 January 1989 in Invercargill, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays as a hooker for Southland in the Mitre 10 Cup. Playing career Provincial Rugby Mitchell, a product of the Southland academy system, made his debut for the Stags during the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup, and served as backup to Jason Rutledge after David Hall suffered a season-ending knee injury. He continued to apprentice behind Rutledge in the 2010 ITM Cup. Mitchell transferred to Waikato for the 2014 ITM Cup but moved back to Southland for 2016. A serious neck injury forced Mitchell to miss the entire 2018 Mitre 10 Cup season. Super Rugby Mitchell was selected to the Highlanders squad for the 2011 Super Rugby season, where he served as the team's 3rd choice hooker behind Jason Rutledge and Mahonri Schwalger and made 4 substitute appearances. He continued as the Highlanders 3rd choice hooker through 2014 before transferring to the Hurricanes for 2015, where ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robbie Robinson (rugby Player)
Robert Blair "Robbie" Robinson (born 22 August 1989 in Westport, New Zealand) is a professional rugby union player who represents Toyota Industries Shuttles Aichi in the Japan. Playing career Robinson made his debut for Southland in round three 2008 Air New Zealand Cup against the Hawke's Bay Magpies. He played majority of his games at fullback rather than his favoured first five-eighth position due to the competition's top scorer Blair Stewart having cemented the role for the season. In 2009 Robinson was selected for the New Zealand Under 20s team for the Junior World Cup in Japan. Robinson played the majority of the tournament at fullback due to the team's captain Aaron Cruden being a specialist first five-eighth. The team went through the tournament unbeaten, defeating England 44–28 in the final. His season continued with Southland making a great start to the competition after being second after 8 rounds of the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup. However a string of bad perfo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lima Sopoaga
Lima Sopoaga (born 3 February 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays for Lyon in the Top 14 competition. His regular playing positions are Fly-Half and Centre. Early life Sopoaga was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His family comes from Samoa and the Cook Islands. Sopoaga is the oldest among six siblings. His younger brother, Tupou Sopoaga, played for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL but switched codes and played alongside Lima at the Highlanders for a time. In his high school days, Lima Sopoaga attended Wellington College and won four local championships with the 1st XV. He captained the school's side in 2009 and was selected for the NZ Secondary Schools team. Club career Provincial Rugby Wellington Lions At the age of 19, Sopoaga played for Wellington in the 2010 ITM Cup, making his debut against Manawatu.L ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |