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Ben O'Keeffe
Ben O'Keeffe (born 3 January 1989) is a rugby union referee from New Zealand. He currently referees at domestic, Super Rugby and test match level. Domestic career O'Keeffe became a professional referee for the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) in 2013 having started officiating in 2008 at the age of 19. On 31 August 2013, he made his domestic debut during the 2013 ITM Cup match between Auckland and Bay of Plenty. On 24 October 2015, he officiated the 2015 ITM Cup Final between Canterbury and Auckland. In 2014, he started to appear at Super Rugby level as an assistant referee, before going on to be selected by World Rugby for the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship. He made four appearances as the main official, one of which was the final between England and South Africa. He continued to referee at domestic level that year, before being selected for the 2015 Super Rugby season on 27 January 2015. He made his debut during the second round of the tournament, taking charge of the Hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2017 Super Rugby Season
The 2017 Super Rugby season was the 22nd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. It was the second season featuring an expanded 18-team format, following the competition's expansion from 15 teams prior to the 2016 season. After 17 rounds of matches between 23 February and 15 July – with Rounds 15 and 16 split due to the 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals and British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand – four conference winners and four wildcard teams progressed to the finals series, which will consist of quarterfinals, semifinals and a final on 5 August. Competition format The 18 participating teams were divided into two geographical groups, each consisting of two conferences: the Australasian Group, with five teams in the Australian Conference and five teams in the New Zealand Conference, and the South African Group, with six South African teams, on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
England National Under-20 Rugby Union Team
The England Under 20 rugby team are the newest representative rugby union team from England. They replace the two former age grade teams Under 19s and Under 21s. They compete in the annual Six Nations Under 20s Championship and World Rugby Under 20 Championship. The head coach of the team is, Alan Dickens. World Rugby Under 20 Championship Their first tournament was the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship, in which they took second place, being defeated by New Zealand 3–38 in the final. The following year saw England finish runners up to New Zealand again at the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship. At the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship, they reached the Semi-finals after winning all of their pool stage games against Argentina, Ireland and France. They lost the semi-final to Australia 16–28 and then lost against South Africa 22–27 to finish in 4th place. England finished runners up to New Zealand again at the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship. At the 2013 IRB Junior Wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tonga National Rugby Union Team
The Tonga national rugby union team ( to, timi feohi ʻakapulu fakafonua ʻa Tonga) represents Tonga in men's international rugby union. The team is nicknamed ''Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles)''. Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a traditional piece of performance art – the Sipi Tau. They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Samoa. The Ikale Tahi achieved a historic 19–14 victory over France in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but having lost to New Zealand and Canada, were unable to achieve what would have been their first-ever presence at the quarter-finals. History Rugby was brought to the region in the early 20th century by sailors and missionaries, and the Tonga Rugby Football Union was formed in late 1923. Tonga beat Fiji 9–6 in their first test in 1924 played in the capital Nukualofa. However, Tonga lost the second test 14–3 and drew the decider 0–0. Between 1924 and 1938 Tonga and Fiji played t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiji National Rugby Union Team
The Fiji national rugby union team represents Fiji in men's international rugby union competes every four years at the Rugby World Cup, and their best performances were the 1987 and 2007 tournaments when they defeated Argentina and Wales respectively to reach the quarterfinals. Fiji also regularly plays test matches during the June and November test windows. Fiji also plays in the Pacific Tri-Nations, and has won the most Pacific Tri-Nations Championships of the three participating teams. Fiji is one of the few countries where rugby union is the main sport. There are approximately 80,000 registered players from a total population of around 950,000. One obstacle for Fiji is simply getting their rugby players to play for the national team, as many have contracts in Europe or with Super Rugby teams where the money is far more rewarding. The repatriated salaries of its overseas stars have become an important part of some local economies. The cibi (pronounced ) war dance is perfo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup
The 2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup was the tenth edition of the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup (formerly known as the IRB Pacific Nations Cup), an annual international rugby union tournament. The 2015 title was contested between the Tier 2 nations of Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States. Due to the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the tournament took place in July and August with all teams having access to overseas players. Like the 2014 IRB Pacific Nations Cup, the six teams were divided into two pools, but instead of playing each team from the same pool like in 2014, each team played the three teams from the opposing pool. Following the three rounds of cross pool matches, the six teams were seeded one through to six and played in three final play-offs to determine who finishes first to sixth. The final was contested between Fiji and Samoa, who had previously drawn 30–30 during the Cross-pool matches. Fiji won the final 39–29, scoring 6 tries to claim their secon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lions (Super Rugby)
The Lions (known as the Sigma Lions for sponsorship reasons) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Johannesburg in the Gauteng province. They competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020, and have competed in the United Rugby Championship since 2021. They are the successor of the teams known as Transvaal (1996 Super 12 season, 1996), Gauteng Lions (1997 Super 12 season, 1997) and the Cats (1998 Super 12 season, 1998–2006 Super 14 season, 2006). They had varied results in Super Rugby, finishing at the bottom of the table six times (in 1998, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2012), but reaching the semifinal stage five times (in 2000, 2001, 2016, 2017 and 2018). They reached their first final in 2016 – where they lost to the 20–3 in Wellington – and repeated the feat in 2017, losing 17–25 to the in Johannesburg. The team reached their 3rd consecutive final in 2018 when they lost against the 38–17 in Christchurch. The team plays its home matches a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hurricanes (rugby Union)
The Hurricanes ( ; formerly the Wellington Hurricanes) is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in Super Rugby. The Hurricanes were formed to represent the lower North Island, including the East Coast, Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua Kapiti, Manawatu, Poverty Bay, Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui and Wellington unions. They currently play at Sky Stadium (formerly named Westpac Stadium), having previously played at the now-defunct Athletic Park. The Hurricanes had a poor first season in 1996's Super 12, but rebounded in 1997 with a third placing. The team did not reach the play-offs for another five years as they struggled in the bottom four of the table. Since 2003 the Hurricanes have made the post-season play-offs seven times out of fourteen seasons, including the 2006 final, which they lost in foggy weather against the Crusaders 19–12. After hosting but failing to win the final in 2015, the 2016 season was the Hurricanes' best season to date. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2016 Super Rugby Final
The 2016 Super Rugby Final was played between the Hurricanes and the Lions. It was the 21st final in the Super Rugby competition's history and the first under the expanded 18-team format. The Hurricanes had qualified in first place of the log standings during the regular season, while the Lions had qualified in second place. Both teams hosted quarter-final and semi-final matches. In the quarter-finals the Hurricanes beat the Sharks while the Lions beat the record Super rugby winners Crusaders. For the semi-finals it was the Hurricanes defeating fellow New Zealand team Chiefs in Wellington and the Lions defeating New Zealand team Highlanders in Johannesburg. Because of being the higher placed team in the regular season log standings, the final was held in Wellington. The Final attracted a crowd attendance of 39,000. Road to the Final The 2016 Super Rugby competition involved an expanded 18-team format. The 18 teams were grouped geographically in two regional groups, each consis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunwolves
The Sunwolves (Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...: ) – previously known as the HITO-Communications Sunwolves for sponsorship reasons – were a professional rugby union team and Japan's representative team in SANZAAR's international Super Rugby competition. The team was based in Tokyo, Japan, but also played some home matches in Singapore. They made their debut in Super Rugby in 2016 Super Rugby season, 2016. In March 2019, it was announced that 2020 Super Rugby season, 2020 would be the final season for the Sunwolves, after failing to negotiate a contract due to financial considerations. With the suspension of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Sunwolves being declined entry into the replacement Super Rugby AU competition in Australia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SANZAAR
SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby; previously known as SANZAR) is the body which oversees Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union. SANZAAR meets annually and is composed of the CEOs from its member unions. It was formed as SANZAR in 1996 as a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union, and the Australian Rugby Union. From the 2016 season, its name was changed to SANZAAR following the inclusion of the Argentine Rugby Union as a full member of the organisation. History Tri-Nations and Super 12: 1996 SANZAR was formed in 1995, shortly after rugby's move to professionalism, to counter the threat of Australia's Super League, a new rugby league competition that offered large salaries to players. SANZAR proposed the Super 12, an annual provincial competition with teams from all three countries, and the Tri Nations Series, an annual competition between each country's Test teams. This co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Pollock
Chris Pollock is a former rugby union referee who represented the New Zealand Rugby Union. In 2008, he was part of the IRB's touch judge panel. He made his international referee debut in 2005, when he refereed Niue vs Tahiti, while his first IRB appointment was in 2006, taking charge of Hong Kong vs Japan. He was part of the 2011 Rugby World Cup referee panel, where he was assistant referee in 6 matches. After refereeing the match between Ireland and Scotland in the 2012 Six Nations Championship, he was among the game's elite officials with a place in the IRB selection for the 2012 June tests refereeing in the second test of Wales' tour to Australia. In 2013, Pollock was responsible for introducing the ref-cam in the Super Rugby. During the round 2 derby match between Queensland Reds and New South Wales Waratahs, Pollock has a cam strapped round his head to show a different perspective to the game. He was one of three referees who refereed a test during the 2013 British & Ir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crusaders (rugby Union)
The Crusaders (formerly Canterbury Crusaders and BNZ Crusaders due to sponsorship by the Bank of New Zealand) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in the competition's history and have won 11 titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022), as well as two regionalised titles in 2020 and 2021. Formed in 1996 to represent the upper South Island of New Zealand in the Super 12, the Crusaders represent the Buller, Canterbury, Mid-Canterbury, South Canterbury, Tasman and West Coast provincial Rugby Unions. Their main home ground since 2012 is Rugby League Park (known for sponsorship reasons as Orangetheory Stadium). They formerly played out of Lancaster Park prior to it being damaged beyond repair in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The Crusaders struggled in the first season of the Super 12, 1996, finishing last. Their performance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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