# 2008 Super 14 season

The 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 31 May, when the Crusaders won their seventh Super Rugby title with a 20–12 victory over the Waratahs in front of the Crusaders' home fans at AMI Stadium. The 2008 season was the third of the expansion, which led to the name change to the Super 14. The schedule, which covered 3½ months, featured a total of 94 matches, with each team playing one full round robin against the 13 other teams, two semi-finals and a final. Every team received one bye over the 14 rounds.

## Introduction of Experimental law variations

The 2008 competition is currently the highest level competition to trial any of the International Rugby Board's (IRB) Experimental law variations (ELVs). The laws had been trialled in various competitions in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The highest level competition the laws had previously been introduced to was the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship. The introduction of the laws for the 2008 season was approved by the competition's governing body, SANZAR, at a meeting on 4 December 2007.
SANZAR decided not to adopt all the ELVs, and decided to adopt the following:
* The corner posts are moved so that they are outside the junction of the touchline and goal-line. A player will also not be in touch if they are touching the corner post unless they are also touching either the touchline, or ground over the touchline.
* A ball can be thrown backwards on a quick throw-in rather than having to be thrown straight.
* The offside line will now occur immediately once a tackle is made.
* At the breakdown the Scrum-half (half-back) cannot be touched unless they are touching the ball.
* During a scrum, with the exception of forwards in the scrum, and each team's scrum-half, the offside line will now be 5 metres behind the hindmost foot of a scrum.
* With the exception of offside, not entering the breakdown through the gate, and foul-play, the punishment will be a free kick.

## Table

2008 Super 14 table :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | B | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Crusaders | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 369 | 176 | +193 | 8 | 52 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Waratahs | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 255 | 186 | +69 | 5 | 43 | Advance to playoffs |
| 3 | Sharks | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 271 | 209 | +62 | 4 | 42 | Advance to playoffs |
| 4 | Hurricanes | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 310 | 204 | +106 | 7 | 41 | Advance to playoffs |
| 5 | Stormers | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 269 | 211 | +58 | 7 | 41 | |
| 6 | Blues | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 354 | 267 | +87 | 8 | 40 | |
| 7 | Chiefs | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 348 | 349 | −1 | 6 | 34 | |
| 8 | Force | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 247 | 278 | −31 | 4 | 32 | |
| 9 | Brumbies | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 277 | 317 | −40 | 6 | 30 | |
| 10 | Bulls | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 324 | 347 | −23 | 4 | 28 | |
| 11 | Highlanders | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 257 | 338 | −81 | 7 | 19 | |
| 12 | Reds | 13 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 258 | 323 | −65 | 4 | 18 | |
| 13 | Cheetahs | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 255 | 428 | −173 | 9 | 13 | |
| 14 | Lions | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 206 | 367 | −161 | 2 | 12 | |

## Finals
### Semi finals

* 24 May 2008 19:35
| Crusaders | 33–22 | Hurricanes |
| Tries: Leon MacDonald (2), Kieran Read Con: Dan Carter (3) Pen: Dan Carter (4) | | Tries: Zac Guildford, Jeremy Thrush, Neemia Tialata Con: Jimmy Gopperth, Jerry Collins Pen: Piri Weepu |
* AMI Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
* 24 May 2008 20:00
| Waratahs | 28–13 | Sharks |
| Tries: Lote Tuqiri, Rob Horne, Kurtley Beale, Luke Burgess Con: Kurtley Beale Pen: Kurtley Beale Drop: Kurtley Beale | | Tries: Craig Burden Con: Rory Kockott Pen: Ruan Pienaar Drop: Ruan Pienaar |
* Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 37,378 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

### Grand final

The final of the 2008 Super 14 season took place on 31 May 2008 at AMI Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. The match was hosted by the Crusaders who defeated the New South Wales Waratahs by 20 points to 12.

#### Summary

First half The Crusaders scored the first points of the game when fly-half Dan Carter kicked a penalty in the fourth minute, giving the Crusaders a 3–0 lead. The Waratahs scored their first points of the match when Kurtley Beale kicked the ball across field, and Waratah's winger Lachlan Turner caught the ball to score a try. The attempted conversion by Beale was unsuccessful, leaving the Waratahs with a 5–3 lead.
The next score occurred in the 25th minute when Waratahs flanker Phil Waugh intercepted a pass from Dan Carter. Waugh passed to Turner who chipped the ball and then collected to score his second try. Beale's conversion was successful and the Waratahs extended their lead to 12–3. Carter kicked a penalty in the 32nd minute to reduce the Waratahs lead to 12–6. The final score before half time came in the 38th minute when Crusaders No. 8 Mose Tuiali'i scored in the right hand corner. Carter's conversion was unsuccessful, and the half ended with the Waratahs leading by 12 points to 11.
Second half In the 46th minute the Crusaders took the lead again by 14 points to 12 via a Dan Carter penalty. The Crusaders looked to have scored their second try in the 56th minute when prop Wyatt Crockett landed on a loose ball in the Waratahs in-goal area, but play was taken back 60 metres after touch judge Cobus Wessels reported that Crusaders lock Brad Thorn had thrown a punch. The try was disallowed and the Crusaders penalised. Thorn was given a yellow card and sent to the sin bin for ten minutes.
Despite having an extra man for the next ten minutes, the Waratahs were unable to score, and were further hampered by the loss of Kurtley Beale to injury. In the 70th minute Carter kicked a drop-goal to take the Crusaders lead to 17–12, and four minutes later kicked a penalty to further extend the lead to 20–12. With only minutes remaining Crusaders winger Scott Hamilton dropped the ball only metres from the Waratahs try-line. The score remained at 20–12, and the Crusaders won their seventh Super rugby title.

#### Match details

* 31 May 2008 19:35
| Crusaders | 20–12 | Waratahs |
| Tries: Tuiali'i Pen: Carter (4) Drop: Carter | (Report) | Tries: Turner (2) Con: Beale |
* AMI Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Leon MacDonald |
| RW | 14 | Kade Poki |
| CT | 13 | Casey Laulala |
| SF | 12 | Tim Bateman |
| LW | 11 | Scott Hamilton |
| FF | 10 | Dan Carter |
| HB | 9 | Andy Ellis |
| N8 | 8 | Mose Tuiali'i |
| OF | 7 | Richie McCaw |
| BF | 6 | Kieran Read |
| RL | 5 | Ali Williams |
| LL | 4 | Brad Thorn |
| TP | 3 | Greg Somerville |
| HK | 2 | Ti’i Paulo |
| LP | 1 | Wyatt Crockett |
| Substitutes: ||
| HK | 16 | Steve Fualau |
| LP | 17 | Ben Franks |
| RL | 18 | Reuben Thorne |
| N8 | 19 | Nasi Manu |
| HB | 20 | Kahn Fotuali'i |
| FF | 21 | Stephen Brett |
| RW | 22 | Sean Maitland |
| Coach: ||
| Robbie Deans ||
| FB | 15 | Sam Norton-Knight |
| RW | 14 | Lachlan Turner |
| CT | 13 | Rob Horne |
| SF | 12 | Tom Carter |
| LW | 11 | Lote Tuqiri |
| FF | 10 | Kurtley Beale |
| HB | 9 | Luke Burgess |
| N8 | 8 | Wycliff Palu |
| OF | 7 | Phil Waugh |
| BF | 6 | Rocky Elsom |
| RL | 5 | Dean Mumm |
| LL | 4 | Dan Vickerman |
| TP | 3 | Al Baxter |
| HK | 2 | Tatafu Polota-Nau |
| LP | 1 | Benn Robinson |
| Substitutions: ||
| HK | 16 | Adam Freier |
| LP | 17 | Matt Dunning |
| RL | 18 | Will Caldwell |
| N8 | 19 | Beau Robinson |
| HB | 20 | Brett Sheehan |
| FF | 21 | Matthew Carraro |
| FB | 22 | Timana Tahu |
| Coach: ||
| Ewen McKenzie ||
* Touch judges:
* Craig Joubert (South Africa)
* Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
* Television match official:
* Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

## Player statistics
### Leading try scorers

Top 3 try scorers (Stats) :
| Pos | Name | Tries | Pld | Team |
| 1 | Lelia Masaga | 8 | 11 | Chiefs |
| 2 | Ma'a Nonu | 7 | 11 | Hurricanes |
| 3 | Fetuʻu Vainikolo | 6 | 10 | Highlanders |
| 3 | Stephen Donald | 6 | 11 | Chiefs |
| 5 | Jacques Botes | 6 | 14 | Sharks |
| 5 | Odwa Ndungane | 6 | 13 | Sharks |
| 7 | Ryan Kankowski | 5 | 14 | Sharks |
| 7 | John Roe | 5 | 9 | Reds |
| 7 | Peter Hynes | 5 | 13 | Reds |
| 7 | Andy Ellis | 5 | 8 | Crusaders |
| 7 | Akona Ndungane | 5 | 8 | Bulls |
| 7 | Jongi Nokwe | 5 | 10 | Cheetahs |
| 7 | Wycliff Palu | 5 | 10 | Waratahs |
| 7 | Andrew Hore | 5 | 11 | Hurricanes |
| 7 | Dan Carter | 5 | 11 | Crusaders |

### Leading point scorers

Top 3 overall point scorers (Stats) :
| Pos | Name | Points | Pld | Team |
| 1 | Stephen Donald | 143 (6T, 28C, 19P) | 12 | Chiefs |
| 2 | Nick Evans | 136 (4T, 22C, 23P) | 11 | Blues |
| 3 | Dan Carter | 112 (5T, 24C, 13P) | 8 | Crusaders |