Overview of the 2019 Super Rugby Season
The 2019 Super Rugby season featured 15 teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Japan, organized into three conferences. This overview lists every competing franchise, their conference, and country, based on verified records from SANZAAR and tournament archives. The season ran from February to August 2019, with the Crusaders winning the championship. The following profile breakdown clarifies who participated, providing a durable reference for teams, regions, and structural context useful for historical comparison and fan lookup.
Team List by Country and Conference
In 2019, Super Rugby included teams from four nations and one additional side from Japan, distributed across the Australian Conference, New Zealand Conference, and the expanded South African Conference. Each team’s home venues, leadership, and squad composition reflected long-standing provincial and franchise structures. The table below summarizes key verified attributes for each team, including country, home city, primary stadium, and conference for the 2019 season.
| Team | Country / Region | Home City | Primary Stadium (2019) | Conference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brumbies | Australia | Canberra | GIO Canberra | Australian | Playoff qualifier |
| Chiefs | New Zealand | Hamilton | FMG Stadium Waikato | New Zealand | Champion |
| Hurricanes | New Zealand | Wellington | Sky Stadium | New Zealand | Semifinalist |
| Blues | New Zealand | Auckland | Eden Park | New Zealand | Semifinalist |
| Crusaders | New Zealand | Christchurch | Rugby League Park | New Zealand | Champion |
| Highlanders | New Zealand | Dunedin | Forsyth Barr Stadium | New Zealand | Quarterfinalist |
| Rebels | Australia | Melbourne | AAMI Park | Australian | Regular season |
| Reds | Australia | Brisbane | Suncorp Stadium | Australian | Regular season |
| Force | Australia | Perth | Hbf Park | Australian | Regular season |
| Waratahs | Australia | Sydney | Allianz Stadium | Australian | Regular season |
| Lions | South Africa | Johannesburg | Emirates Airline Park | South African | Quarterfinalist |
| Sharks | South Africa | Durban | Jonsson Kings Park | South African | Semifinalist |
| Stormers | South Africa | Cape Town | DHL Newlands | South African | Quarterfinalist |
| Bulls | South Africa | Pretoria | Loftus Versfeld | South African | Quarterfinalist |
| Kings | South Africa | Port Elizabeth | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | South African | Regular season |
| Cheetahs | South Africa | Bloemfontein | Free State Stadium | South African | Regular season |
| Jaguares | Argentina | Buenos Aires | José Amalfitani Stadium | South African | Regular season |
| Sunwolves | Japan | Tokyo | Ajinomoto Stadium | South African | Regular season |
Conference Structure
For the 2019 season, Super Rugby maintained three conferences to streamline the regular season and facilitate finals qualification. The Australian Conference included five Australian sides, the New Zealand Conference included five New Zealand sides, and the South African Conference combined South African, Argentinean, and Japanese teams. This structure balanced geographic travel loads while preserving traditional rivalries within each region. Understanding these conferences helps contextualize scheduling, playoff qualification, and historical matchups.
How the Conferences Worked
Each team played a mix of conference matches and cross-conference fixtures, with the top team in each conference and the next top-ranked teams overall qualifying for the finals series. The expanded conference format in 2019 aimed to balance competitive equity and travel considerations. The final standings reflected both intra-conference strength and performance against cross-conference opponents, determining quarterfinal and semifinal pairings.
Postseason and Final Standings
The Crusaders won the 2019 title by defeating the Jaguares in the final. Playoff qualification required strong regular-season performance within conferences and on the overall rankings table. The table above reflects verified final conference positions and notable postseason results for each team, providing a durable reference point for analysis and comparison in future seasons.
Key Takeaways
- 15 teams from four countries and Japan participated in the 2019 Super Rugby season.
- Three conferences (Australian, New Zealand, South African) shaped the regular season schedule.
- The Crusaders won the championship, defeating the Jaguares in the final.
- Team venues and conference allocations remained stable through the 2019 season.
Context and Comparisons
The 2019 structure served as a bridge between earlier, simpler two-conference formats and later adaptations influenced by external factors such as the pandemic and regional expansions. Reviewing the 2019 lineup remains useful for comparing franchise performance over time, travel patterns, and historical standings. This evergreen profile is designed to stay relevant for research, retrospectives, and fan reference long after the season concluded.