# 2016 Super Rugby season

The 2016 Super Rugby season was the 21st season of Super Rugby and the first season featuring an expanded 18-team format. It was also the first season that teams outside Australia, New Zealand and South Africa featured, with the Jaguares from Argentina and the Sunwolves from Japan taking part. This season also saw the return of the Kings, who competed just once before, in the 2013 Super Rugby season. The round-robin games took place every weekend from 26 February to 16 July 2016 (with a break for international matches during June), followed by the finals series at the end of July and culminating in the final on 6 August.
The Hurricanes won their first championship after repeating their efforts of 2015 by finishing first in the regular season and hosting the final at Westpac Stadium, but this time they won, beating the Lions 20–3. Unlike 2015, where the Hurricanes looked likely to finish the regular season first with a number of rounds to go, they were sitting in seventh going into the final week of the regular season and while guaranteed a play-off spot, they required a number of upset results to elevate them to first. In particular the Lions losing to the Jaguares and scoring no match points after sending an under-strength side to Argentina, thereby losing their chance to host the final.

## Competition format

The 18 teams were grouped geographically in two regional 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, one Argentinean team and one Japanese team split into a four-team Africa 1 Conference and a four-team Africa 2 Conference.
In the group stages, there were 17 rounds of matches, where each team played 15 matches and had two rounds of byes for a total of 135 matches.
Teams played six intra-conference matches; in the four-team African Conferences, each team played the other three teams in their conference at home and away, while in the five-team Australasian Conferences, each team played two teams home and away and once against the other two teams (one at home and one away). The other nine matches were a single round of matches against each team in the other conference in their group, as well as against each team from one of the conferences in the other group. For 2016, the teams in Africa 1 played the teams in the Australian Conference, while the teams in Africa 2 played the teams in the New Zealand Conference.
The top team in each of the four conferences automatically qualified to the Quarter Finals. The next top three teams in the Australasian Group and the next top team in the South African group also qualified to the Quarter Finals as wildcards. The conference winners were seeded #1 to #4 for the Quarter Finals, in order of log points gained during the group stages, while the wildcards were seeded as #5 to #8 in order of log points gained during the group stages.
In the Quarter Finals, the conference winners hosted the first round of the finals, with the highest-seeded conference winner hosting the fourth-seeded wildcard entry, the second-seeded conference winner hosting the third-seeded wildcard entry, the third-seeded conference winner hosting the second-seeded wildcard entry and the fourth-seeded conference winner hosting the top-seed wildcard entry.
The Quarter Final winners progressed to the Semi-Finals, where the highest seed to reach the Semi-Finals hosted the lowest seed and the second-seeded semi-finalist hosted the third-seeded team.
The winners of the Semi-Finals progressed to the Final, at the venue of the highest-seeded team.

## Standings
### Conference standings

Australian conference :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Brumbies | 43 |
| 2 | Waratahs | 40 |
| 3 | Rebels | 31 |
| 4 | Reds | 17 |
| 5 | Force | 13 |
New Zealand conference :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Hurricanes | 53 |
| 2 | Highlanders | 52 |
| 3 | Chiefs | 51 |
| 4 | Crusaders | 50 |
| 5 | Blues | 39 |
Africa 1 conference :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Stormers | 51 |
| 2 | Bulls | 42 |
| 3 | Cheetahs | 21 |
| 4 | Sunwolves | 9 |
Africa 2 conference :
| Pos | Team | Pts |
| 1 | Lions | 52 |
| 2 | Sharks | 43 |
| 3 | Jaguares | 22 |
| 4 | Southern Kings | 9 |

### Overall standings

2016 Super Rugby standings :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Hurricanes (C) | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 458 | 314 | +144 | 61 | 37 | 7 | 2 | 53 | Quarter-finals (Conference leaders) |
| 2 | Lions | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 535 | 349 | +186 | 71 | 42 | 7 | 1 | 52 | Quarter-finals (Conference leaders) |
| 3 | Stormers | 15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 440 | 274 | +166 | 49 | 28 | 5 | 4 | 51 | Quarter-finals (Conference leaders) |
| 4 | Brumbies | 15 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 425 | 326 | +99 | 56 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 43 | Quarter-finals (Conference leaders) |
| 5 | Highlanders | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 422 | 273 | +149 | 50 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 52 | Quarter-finals (Wildcard) |
| 6 | Chiefs | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 491 | 341 | +150 | 68 | 39 | 6 | 1 | 51 | Quarter-finals (Wildcard) |
| 7 | Crusaders | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 487 | 317 | +170 | 65 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 50 | Quarter-finals (Wildcard) |
| 8 | Sharks | 15 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 360 | 269 | +91 | 40 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 43 | Quarter-finals (Wildcard) |
| 9 | Bulls | 15 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 399 | 339 | +60 | 47 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 42 | |
| 10 | Waratahs | 15 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 413 | 317 | +96 | 55 | 37 | 4 | 4 | 40 | |
| 11 | Blues | 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 374 | 380 | −6 | 45 | 47 | 2 | 3 | 39 | |
| 12 | Rebels | 15 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 365 | 486 | −121 | 46 | 65 | 2 | 1 | 31 | |
| 13 | Jaguares | 15 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 376 | 427 | −51 | 44 | 51 | 1 | 5 | 22 | |
| 14 | Cheetahs | 15 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 377 | 425 | −48 | 47 | 48 | 1 | 4 | 21 | |
| 15 | Reds | 15 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 290 | 458 | −168 | 33 | 57 | 0 | 3 | 17 | |
| 16 | Force | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 260 | 441 | −181 | 25 | 60 | 0 | 5 | 13 | |
| 17 | Southern Kings | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 282 | 684 | −402 | 34 | 95 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 18 | Sunwolves | 15 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 293 | 627 | −334 | 33 | 88 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |

## Matches

The fixtures for the 2016 Super Rugby competition were released on 28 September 2015: The following matches were played during the regular season:
| Team Progression – Australasian Group |
| Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 | QF | SF | Final |
| Hurricanes | 0 (10th) | 1 (9th) | 5 (9th) | 10 (6th) | 15 (4th) | 15 (6th) | 20 (5th) | 25 (4th) | 26 (4th) | 31 (4th) | 31 (5th) | 36 (5th) | 36 (5th) | 40 (4th) | 44 (4th) | 48 (5th) | 53 (1st) | Won | Won | Won |
| Brumbies | 5 (1st) | 9 (1st) | 13 (1st) | 13 (2nd) | 17 (2nd) | 17 (2nd) | 17 (2nd) | 21 (2nd) | 21 (6th) | 21 (6th) | 25 (2nd) | 29 (6th) | 29 (6th) | 34 (2nd) | 39 (2nd) | 39 (2nd) | 43 (2nd) | Lost | N/A | N/A |
| Highlanders | 1 (6th) | 5 (6th) | 9 (3rd) | 13 (3rd) | 18 (3rd) | 22 (3rd) | 23 (3rd) | 23 (5th) | 24 (5th) | 28 (5th) | 32 (4th) | 37 (4th) | 37 (4th) | 38 (5th) | 43 (5th) | 48 (4th) | 52 (3rd) | Won | Lost | N/A |
| Chiefs | 4 (2nd) | 5 (5th) | 10 (2nd) | 14 (1st) | 19 (1st) | 24 (1st) | 29 (1st) | 29 (1st) | 33 (1st) | 37 (1st) | 37 (3rd) | 37 (3rd) | 42 (1st) | 42 (3rd) | 46 (1st) | 51 (1st) | 51 (4th) | Won | Lost | N/A |
| Crusaders | 1 (7th) | 5 (2nd) | 5 (5th) | 10 (5th) | 14 (5th) | 18 (4th) | 22 (4th) | 27 (3rd) | 32 (3rd) | 32 (3rd) | 37 (1st) | 37 (1st) | 41 (3rd) | 45 (1st) | 45 (3rd) | 50 (3rd) | 50 (5th) | Lost | N/A | N/A |
| Waratahs | 5 (3rd) | 5 (4th) | 5 (6th) | 6 (8th) | 10 (7th) | 11 (7th) | 11 (8th) | 12 (8th) | 17 (7th) | 21 (7th) | 25 (6th) | 30 (2nd) | 30 (2nd) | 34 (6th) | 39 (6th) | 39 (6th) | 40 (6th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Blues | 4 (5th) | 4 (7th) | 5 (8th) | 7 (7th) | 7 (8th) | 11 (8th) | 12 (7th) | 16 (7th) | 16 (8th) | 20 (8th) | 25 (7th) | 25 (7th) | 29 (7th) | 30 (7th) | 30 (7th) | 35 (7th) | 39 (7th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Rebels | 4 (4th) | 4 (8th) | 8 (4th) | 13 (4th) | 13 (6th) | 17 (5th) | 17 (6th) | 17 (6th) | 22 (2nd) | 23 (2nd) | 23 (8th) | 23 (8th) | 23 (8th) | 27 (8th) | 27 (8th) | 27 (8th) | 31 (8th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Reds | 0 (9th) | 0 (10th) | 1 (10th) | 3 (10th) | 4 (10th) | 4 (10th) | 8 (9th) | 8 (9th) | 8 (9th) | 12 (9th) | 12 (9th) | 12 (9th) | 16 (9th) | 16 (9th) | 16 (9th) | 16 (9th) | 17 (9th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Force | 1 (8th) | 5 (3rd) | 5 (7th) | 5 (9th) | 5 (9th) | 5 (9th) | 6 (10th) | 6 (10th) | 6 (10th) | 6 (10th) | 10 (10th) | 10 (10th) | 11 (10th) | 12 (10th) | 13 (10th) | 13 (10th) | 13 (10th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Team Progression – South African Group |
| Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 | R16 | R17 | QF | SF | Final |
| Lions | 5 (3rd) | 9 (3rd) | 9 (3rd) | 13 (3rd) | 13 (3rd) | 14 (3rd) | 18 (2nd) | 22 (2nd) | 27 (2nd) | 27 (2nd) | 27 (2nd) | 32 (1st) | 37 (1st) | 42 (1st) | 47 (1st) | 52 (1st) | 52 (1st) | Won | Won | Lost |
| Stormers | 5 (2nd) | 9 (2nd) | 10 (2nd) | 14 (2nd) | 18 (1st) | 18 (1st) | 23 (1st) | 24 (1st) | 28 (1st) | 29 (1st) | 29 (1st) | 31 (2nd) | 32 (4th) | 36 (2nd) | 41 (2nd) | 46 (2nd) | 51 (2nd) | Lost | N/A | N/A |
| Sharks | 5 (1st) | 9 (1st) | 13 (1st) | 15 (1st) | 16 (2nd) | 16 (2nd) | 16 (4th) | 17 (4th) | 21 (4th) | 22 (4th) | 26 (4th) | 30 (3rd) | 35 (3rd) | 35 (3rd) | 35 (3rd) | 39 (3rd) | 43 (3rd) | Lost | N/A | N/A |
| Bulls | 0 (7th) | 4 (5th) | 4 (6th) | 6 (4th) | 10 (4th) | 14 (4th) | 19 (3rd) | 23 (3rd) | 23 (3rd) | 28 (3rd) | 28 (3rd) | 28 (4th) | 32 (2nd) | 32 (4th) | 32 (4th) | 37 (4th) | 42 (4th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Jaguares | 4 (4th) | 5 (4th) | 5 (4th) | 6 (5th) | 7 (5th) | 7 (5th) | 7 (5th) | 7 (6th) | 7 (6th) | 12 (6th) | 12 (6th) | 13 (6th) | 13 (6th) | 14 (6th) | 18 (6th) | 18 (6th) | 22 (5th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Cheetahs | 1 (5th) | 1 (6th) | 5 (5th) | 5 (6th) | 6 (6th) | 7 (6th) | 7 (6th) | 12 (5th) | 12 (5th) | 12 (5th) | 12 (5th) | 16 (5th) | 16 (5th) | 17 (5th) | 21 (5th) | 21 (5th) | 21 (6th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Kings | 0 (8th) | 0 (8th) | 0 (8th) | 0 (8th) | 0 (8th) | 4 (7th) | 4 (7th) | 4 (7th) | 4 (8th) | 4 (8th) | 4 (8th) | 4 (8th) | 4 (8th) | 9 (7th) | 9 (7th) | 9 (7th) | 9 (7th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sunwolves | 0 (6th) | 0 (7th) | 1 (7th) | 1 (7th) | 2 (7th) | 3 (8th) | 3 (8th) | 3 (8th) | 7 (7th) | 7 (7th) | 7 (7th) | 9 (7th) | 9 (7th) | 9 (8th) | 9 (8th) | 9 (8th) | 9 (8th) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Key: | win | draw | loss | bye | |

## Finals

The four conference winners advanced to the Quarter Finals, where they had home advantage against four wildcard teams, which consisted of the third to fifth-ranked teams in the Australasian Group and the third-ranked team in the South African Group.
The final seedings of these teams were:
| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 23 July – Wellington | 23 July – Wellington | | | |
| Hurricanes | 41 | | | |
| Hurricanes | 41 | 30 July – Wellington | 30 July – Wellington | | |
| Sharks | 0 | 30 July – Wellington | 30 July – Wellington | |
| Sharks | 0 | Hurricanes | 25 | |
| 23 July – Cape Town | 23 July – Cape Town | | Hurricanes | 25 | |
| 23 July – Cape Town | 23 July – Cape Town | Chiefs | 9 | |
| Stormers | 21 | Chiefs | 9 | |
| Stormers | 21 | | | | 6 August – Wellington | 6 August – Wellington |
| Chiefs | 60 | | | | 6 August – Wellington | 6 August – Wellington |
| Chiefs | 60 | | | | Hurricanes | 20 |
| 23 July – Johannesburg | 23 July – Johannesburg | | | | | Hurricanes | 20 |
| 23 July – Johannesburg | 23 July – Johannesburg | | | | Lions | 3 |
| Lions | 42 | | | | Lions | 3 |
| Lions | 42 | 30 July – Johannesburg | 30 July – Johannesburg | | | |
| Crusaders | 25 | 30 July – Johannesburg | 30 July – Johannesburg | | | |
| Crusaders | 25 | Lions | 42 | | | |
| 22 July – Canberra | 22 July – Canberra | | Lions | 42 | | | |
| 22 July – Canberra | 22 July – Canberra | Highlanders | 30 | |
| Brumbies | 9 | Highlanders | 30 | |
| Highlanders | 15 | | | |

### Quarter-finals

* 22 July 2016 18:00
| Brumbies | 9–15 | Highlanders |
| Pen: Christian Lealiifano 11', 18', 52' (3/5) Cards: Matt To'omua 37' to 47' | Report Scoreboard | Try: Waisake Naholo 37' Liam Squire 57' Con: Lima Sopoaga 38' (1/2) Pen: Lima Sopoaga 5' (1/3) |
* Canberra Stadium, Bruce Attendance: 8,559 Referee: Angus Gardner
* 23 July 2016 19:35
| Hurricanes | 41–0 | Sharks |
| Try: Loni Uhila 17' James Marshall 21' Jason Woodward 47' Vaea Fifita 50' TJ Perenara 59' Brad Shields 80' Con: Beauden Barrett 48', 51', 60' (3/5) Jason Woodward 81' (1/1) Pen: Beauden Barrett 14' (1/1) | Report Scoreboard | |
* Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 17,685 Referee: Glen Jackson
* 23 July 2016 16:30
| Lions | 42–25 | Crusaders |
| Try: Courtnall Skosan 2' Rohan Janse van Rensburg 7' Malcolm Marx 40' Ruan Combrinck 69' Ross Cronjé 74' Con: Elton Jantjies 8', 40', 70', 75' (4/5) Pen: Elton Jantjies 15', 62' (2/3) Drop: Elton Jantjies 54' (1/1) | Report Scoreboard | Try: Ryan Crotty 33' Mitchell Drummond 63' Ben Volavola 80' Con: Richie Mo'unga 34', 63' (2/3) Pen: Richie Mo'unga 20', 47' (2/2) Cards: Luke Romano 6' to 16' |
* Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Referee: Craig Joubert
* 23 July 2016 19:00
| Stormers | 21–60 | Chiefs |
| Try: Vincent Koch 11', 39' Nizaam Carr 72' Con: Robert du Preez 12', 40' (2/2) Brandon Thomson 73' (1/1) | Report Scoreboard | Try: Sam McNicol 14' Brad Weber 17' Tom Sanders 24' James Lowe 34' Damian McKenzie 46' Hika Elliot 75' Tevita Koloamatangi 79' Tawera Kerr-Barlow 81' Con: Damian McKenzie 15', 18', 25', 35', 76', 80', 82' (7/8) Pen: Damian McKenzie 4', 29' (2/2) |
* Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 28,972 Referee: Jaco Peyper

### Semi-finals

* 30 July 2016 19:35
| Hurricanes | 25–9 | Chiefs |
| Try: Willis Halaholo 7' Beauden Barrett 35' Victor Vito 48' Con: Beauden Barrett 36', 49' (2/3) Pen: Beauden Barrett 33', 56' (2/2) Cards: Cory Jane 63' to 73' | Report Scoreboard | Pen: Damian McKenzie 11', 40', 52' (3/4) |
* Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 24,623 Referee: Angus Gardner
* 30 July 2016 15:00
| Lions | 42–30 | Highlanders |
| Try: Elton Jantjies 12' Rohan Janse van Rensburg 24' Courtnall Skosan 46' Jaco Kriel 55' Lourens Erasmus 73' Con: Elton Jantjies 13', 25', 56', 74' (4/5) Pen: Elton Jantjies 21', 45', 52' (3/3) | Report Scoreboard | Try: Matt Faddes 48' Lima Sopoaga 66' Waisake Naholo 75' Joe Wheeler 82' Con: Lima Sopoaga 76', 82' (2/4) Pen: Lima Sopoaga 19', 40' (2/3) |
* Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Referee: Jaco Peyper

### Final

* 6 August 2016 19:35
| Hurricanes | 20–3 | Lions |
| Try: Cory Jane 22' Beauden Barrett 69' Con: Beauden Barrett 23', 70' (2/2) Pen: Beauden Barrett 12', 52' (2/2) | Report Scoreboard | Pen: Elton Jantjies 26' (1/3) |
* Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 34,014 Referee: Glen Jackson

## Players
### Squads

The following squads were named for the 2016 Super Rugby season:
Blues squad :
| Forwards | Josh Bekhuis • Gerard Cowley-Tuioti • Joe Edwards • Charlie Faumuina • Blake Gibson • Akira Ioane • Jerome Kaino • Tanerau Latimer • Steve Luatua • Quentin MacDonald • Sione Mafileo • Hoani Matenga • Nic Mayhew • Matt Moulds • James Parsons • Sam Prattley • Kara Pryor • Jack Ram • Scott Scrafton • Patrick Tuipulotu • Ofa Tu'ungafasi • Namatahi Waa |
| Backs | Matt Duffie • Piers Francis • Billy Guyton • Bryn Hall • Rieko Ioane • Tevita Li • Matt McGahan • George Moala • Melani Nanai • Sam Nock • Rene Ranger • Male Sa'u • Matt Vaega • Lolagi Visinia • Ihaia West • Did not play: • Afa Fa'atau • TJ Faiane • Ben Lam • Michael Little • Jordan Trainor |
| Coach | Tana Umaga |
Brumbies squad :
| Forwards | Robbie Abel • Allan Alaalatoa • Ben Alexander • Rory Arnold • Jarrad Butler • Sam Carter • Blake Enever • Scott Fardy • Ben Hyne • Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin • Joshua Mann-Rea • Stephen Moore • David Pocock • Scott Sio • Jordan Smiler • Ruan Smith • Tom Staniforth • Ita Vaea • Michael Wells • Did not play: • Albert Anae |
| Backs | Nigel Ah Wong • Robbie Coleman • Tomás Cubelli • James Dargaville • Michael Dowsett • Jordan Jackson-Hope • Tevita Kuridrani • Christian Lealiifano • Joe Powell • Andrew Smith • Henry Speight • Lausii Taliauli • Joe Tomane • Matt To'omua • Aidan Toua • Did not play: • Nick Jooste |
| Coach | Stephen Larkham |
Bulls squad :
| Forwards | Arno Botha • Renaldo Bothma • Nick de Jager • Lizo Gqoboka • Grant Hattingh • Nico Janse van Rensburg • Jason Jenkins • Jannes Kirsten • Werner Kruger • Lappies Labuschagné • Hanro Liebenberg • Bandise Maku • Nqoba Mxoli • Trevor Nyakane • Marvin Orie • Pierre Schoeman • Roelof Smit • RG Snyman • Deon Stegmann • Adriaan Strauss • Marcel van der Merwe • Hencus van Wyk • Jaco Visagie • Did not play: • Dean Greyling • Irné Herbst • Freddy Ngoza • Jacques Potgieter • Callie Visagie |
| Backs | Bjorn Basson • Francois Brummer • Warrick Gelant • Travis Ismaiel • Dan Kriel • Jesse Kriel • SP Marais • Burger Odendaal • Rudy Paige • Tian Schoeman • Jan Serfontein • Dries Swanepoel • Jamba Ulengo • Ivan van Zyl • Piet van Zyl • Did not play: • Kefentse Mahlo • Duncan Matthews • Luther Obi • Handré Pollard • Joshua Stander |
| Coach | Nollis Marais |
Cheetahs squad :
| Forwards | Willie Britz • Uzair Cassiem • Aranos Coetzee • Luan de Bruin • Lood de Jager • Jacques du Toit • Joseph Dweba • Elandré Huggett • Reniel Hugo • Niell Jordaan • Armandt Koster • Hilton Lobberts • Charles Marais • Danie Mienie • Oupa Mohojé • Ox Nché • Boom Prinsloo • Paul Schoeman • Francois Uys • Maks van Dyk • Torsten van Jaarsveld • Henco Venter • Carl Wegner • Did not play: • Justin Basson • Tienie Burger • Steven Meiring • Teunis Nieuwoudt • Gerhard Olivier • Neil Rautenbach • Boela Serfontein • BG Uys • Dennis Visser |
| Backs | Rayno Benjamin • Clayton Blommetjies • Sias Ebersohn • Joubert Engelbrecht • Nico Lee • Niel Marais • Tian Meyer • Sergeal Petersen • Raymond Rhule • William Small-Smith • Michael van der Spuy • Francois Venter • Shaun Venter • George Whitehead • Fred Zeilinga • Did not play: • Maphutha Dolo • Reinhardt Erwee • Tertius Kruger • Gerrie Labuschagné • Zee Mkhabela • JP Smith • Ruan van Rensburg • Coenie van Wyk |
| Coach | Franco Smith |
Chiefs squad :
| Forwards | Michael Allardice • Johan Bardoul • Dominic Bird • Lachlan Boshier • Mitchell Brown • Sam Cane • Hika Elliot • Siegfried Fisiihoi • Mitchell Graham • Kane Hames • Nathan Harris • Sam Henwood • Tevita Koloamatangi • Michael Leitch • Pauliasi Manu • Rhys Marshall • Liam Messam • Atunaisa Moli • Brodie Retallick • Tom Sanders • Taleni Seu • Siate Tokolahi • James Tucker • Maama Vaipulu • Hiroshi Yamashita • Did not play: • Mitchell Karpik • Nepo Laulala |
| Backs | Aaron Cruden • Stephen Donald • Glen Fisiiahi • Kayne Hammington • Andrew Horrell • Tawera Kerr-Barlow • Anton Lienert-Brown • James Lowe • Damian McKenzie • Sam McNicol • Charlie Ngatai • Toni Pulu • Shaun Stevenson • Seta Tamanivalu • Latu Vaeno • Sam Vaka • Brad Weber • Did not play: • Augustine Pulu • Chase Tiatia • Sonny Bill Williams |
| Coach | Dave Rennie |
Crusaders squad :
| Forwards | Michael Alaalatoa • Scott Barrett • Tim Boys • Wyatt Crockett • Owen Franks • Ben Funnell • Alex Hodgman • Joe Moody • Reed Prinsep • Kieran Read • Ged Robinson • Luke Romano • Pete Samu • Jordan Taufua • Codie Taylor • Matt Todd • Jimmy Tupou • Sam Whitelock • Did not play: • Jed Brown • Mitchell Dunshea • Tim Perry |
| Backs | Ryan Crotty • Israel Dagg • Mitchell Drummond • Andy Ellis • Kieron Fonotia • Leon Fukofuka • David Havili • Mitchell Hunt • Jone Macilai-Tori • Marty McKenzie • Johnny McNicholl • Richie Mo'unga • Nemani Nadolo • Ben Volavola • Sean Wainui • Did not play: • Sione Fifita • Robbie Fruean • Jack Goodhue |
| Coach | Todd Blackadder |
Force squad :
| Forwards | Jermaine Ainsley • Chris Alcock • Nathan Charles • Adam Coleman • Angus Cottrell • Pekahou Cowan • Tetera Faulkner • Richard Hardwick • Ross Haylett-Petty • Chris Heiberg • Matt Hodgson • Kane Koteka • Steve Mafi • Ben McCalman • Guy Millar • Matt Philip • Anaru Rangi • Harry Scoble • Brynard Stander • Heath Tessmann • Francois van Wyk • Rory Walton • Did not play: • Ollie Hoskins • Tom Sexton |
| Backs | Marcel Brache • Luke Burton • Kyle Godwin • Peter Grant • Dane Haylett-Petty • Jono Lance • Ryan Louwrens • Semisi Masirewa • Alby Mathewson • Ammon Matuauto • Luke Morahan • Albert Nikoro • Ian Prior • Junior Rasolea • Ben Tapuai • Did not play: • Brad Lacey |
| Coach | Michael Foley • David Wessels |
Highlanders squad :
| Forwards | Alex Ainley • Shane Christie • Liam Coltman • Ash Dixon • Elliot Dixon • Brendon Edmonds • Gareth Evans • Tom Franklin • Ross Geldenhuys • Siua Halanukonuka • Josh Hohneck • James Lentjes • Daniel Lienert-Brown • Craig Millar • Greg Pleasants-Tate • Dan Pryor • Mark Reddish • Aki Seiuli • Liam Squire • Joe Wheeler • Luke Whitelock • Did not play: • Jackson Hemopo |
| Backs | Marty Banks • Jamie Booth • Jason Emery • Matt Faddes • Malakai Fekitoa • Waisake Naholo • Patrick Osborne • Hayden Parker • Josh Renton • Aaron Smith • Ben Smith • Fletcher Smith • Lima Sopoaga • Fumiaki Tanaka • Rob Thompson • Te Aihe Toma • Ryan Tongia • Teihorangi Walden • Jack Wilson • Did not play: • Richard Buckman • Sio Tomkinson |
| Coach | Jamie Joseph |
Hurricanes squad :
| Forwards | Mark Abbott • Leni Apisai • Dane Coles • Geoffrey Cridge • Chris Eves • Michael Fatialofa • Vaea Fifita • Callum Gibbins • Reggie Goodes • Mike Kainga • Tony Lamborn • Motu Matu'u • Ben May • Ricky Riccitelli • Ardie Savea • Brad Shields • Blade Thomson • Jeffery Toomaga-Allen • Loni Uhila • Victor Vito • Did not play: • James Blackwell • James Broadhurst • Iopu Iopu-Aso • Christian Lloyd • Hugh Renton • Hisa Sasagi |
| Backs | Vince Aso • Beauden Barrett • Otere Black • Jamison Gibson-Park • Wes Goosen • Willis Halaholo • Cory Jane • Ngani Laumape • James Marshall • Nehe Milner-Skudder • TJ Perenara • Matt Proctor • Julian Savea • Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi • Jason Woodward • Did not play: • Pita Ahki • TJ Va'a |
| Coach | Chris Boyd |
Jaguares squad :
| Forwards | Matías Alemanno • Felipe Arregui • Rodrigo Báez • Facundo Bosch • Agustín Creevy • Santiago García Botta • Facundo Gigena • Juan Cruz Guillemaín • Ramiro Herrera • Facundo Isa • Marcos Kremer • Ignacio Larrague • Tomás Lavanini • Juan Manuel Leguizamón • Tomás Lezana • Pablo Matera • Julián Montoya • Lucas Noguera Paz • Javier Ortega Desio • Guido Petti • Enrique Pieretto • Leonardo Senatore • Roberto Tejerizo • Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro • Did not play: • Cristian Bartoloni |
| Backs | Gonzalo Bertranou • Emiliano Boffelli • Santiago Cordero • Jerónimo de la Fuente • Felipe Ezcurra • Lucas González Amorosino • Santiago González Iglesias • Juan Martín Hernández • Martín Landajo • Manuel Montero • Matías Moroni • Ramiro Moyano • Matías Orlando • Joaquín Paz • Nicolás Sánchez • Joaquín Tuculet • Segundo Tuculet • Did not play: • Gabriel Ascárate |
| Coach | Raúl Pérez |
Southern Kings squad :
| Forwards | Justin Ackerman • Jacobie Adriaanse • Louis Albertse • JC Astle • Martin Bezuidenhout • Thembelani Bholi • Tom Botha • Chris Cloete • Aidon Davis • Jacques Engelbrecht • Martin Ferreira • Schalk Ferreira • Liam Hendricks • Cornell Hess • JP Jonck • Sintu Manjezi • Edgar Marutlulle • Andisa Ntsila • Schalk Oelofse • Sti Sithole • Steven Sykes • CJ Velleman • Stefan Willemse • Did not play: • Philip du Preez • Tazz Fuzani • Tyler Paul • Junior Pokomela • Vukile Sofisa |
| Backs | Lukhanyo Am • JP du Plessis • Leighton Eksteen • Louis Fouché • Shane Gates • Siyanda Grey • James Hall • Dewald Human • Malcolm Jaer • Ntando Kebe • Kevin Luiters • Wandile Mjekevu • Charles Radebe • Jaco van Tonder • Jurgen Visser • Luzuko Vulindlu • Jeremy Ward • Stefan Watermeyer • Elgar Watts • Did not play: • Theuns Kotzé |
| Coach | Deon Davids |
Lions squad :
| Forwards | Ruan Ackermann • Fabian Booysen • Cyle Brink • Robbie Coetzee • Stephan de Wit • Ruan Dreyer • Lourens Erasmus • Andries Ferreira • Corné Fourie • Jaco Kriel • Robert Kruger • Ruaan Lerm • Malcolm Marx • Franco Mostert • Martin Muller • Julian Redelinghuys • Ramone Samuels • Pieter Scholtz • Dylan Smith • Warwick Tecklenburg • Clinton Theron • Akker van der Merwe • Jacques van Rooyen • Warren Whiteley • Did not play: • MB Lusaseni |
| Backs | JW Bell • Marnitz Boshoff • Andries Coetzee • Ruan Combrinck • Ross Cronjé • Ashlon Davids • Faf de Klerk • Stokkies Hanekom • Rohan Janse van Rensburg • Elton Jantjies • Sylvian Mahuza • Lionel Mapoe • Koch Marx • Howard Mnisi • Jacques Nel • Courtnall Skosan • Dillon Smit • Jaco van der Walt • Anthony Volmink • Harold Vorster • Did not play: • Sampie Mastriet |
| Coach | Johan Ackermann |
Rebels squad :
| Forwards | Cruze Ah-Nau • Steve Cummins • Colby Fainga'a • Scott Fuglistaller • Jamie Hagan • James Hanson • Sam Jeffries • Luke Jones • Patrick Leafa • Rob Leota • Sean McMahon • Tim Metcher • Tom Moloney • Jordy Reid • Culum Retallick • Siliva Siliva • Toby Smith • Adam Thomson • Lopeti Timani • Laurie Weeks • Did not play: • Ryan Cocker • Harley Fox |
| Backs | Paul Asquith • Cam Crawford • Jack Debreczeni • Tamati Ellison • Tom English • Mike Harris • Daniel Hawkins • Reece Hodge • Mitch Inman • Kotaro Matsushima • Ben Meehan • Sefa Naivalu • Jonah Placid • Dom Shipperley • Michael Snowden • Nic Stirzaker • Sione Tuipulotu • Did not play: • Jack Maddocks |
| Coach | Tony McGahan |
Reds squad :
| Forwards | Curtis Browning • Ben Daley • Kane Douglas • Sef Fa'agase • Saia Fainga'a • Liam Gill • Michael Gunn • Greg Holmes • Leroy Houston • Matt Mafi • Ben Matwijow • Cadeyrn Neville • Pettowa Paraka • Andrew Ready • Jake Schatz • Waita Setu • Rob Simmons • James Slipper • Sam Talakai • Taniela Tupou • Hendrik Tui • Lukhan Tui • Did not play: • Lolo Fakaosilea • Adam Korczyk • Caleb Timu |
| Backs | Tom Banks • Anthony Fainga'a • Chris Feauai-Sautia • Nick Frisby • Scott Gale • Alex Gibbon • Ayumu Goromaru • Sam Greene • Karmichael Hunt • Samu Kerevi • Chris Kuridrani • Junior Laloifi • Campbell Magnay • Jake McIntyre • Eto Nabuli • Duncan Paia'aua • Henry Taefu • Jack Tuttle • James Tuttle • Did not play: • Izaia Perese • Jamie-Jerry Taulagi |
| Coaches | Richard Graham • Matt O'Connor • Nick Stiles |
Sharks squad :
| Forwards | Lourens Adriaanse • Hyron Andrews • Ruan Botha • Dale Chadwick • Marcell Coetzee • Kyle Cooper • Keegan Daniel • Jean Deysel • Dan du Preez • Jean-Luc du Preez • Thomas du Toit • Stephan Lewies • Franco Marais • David McDuling • Tendai Mtawarira • Tera Mtembu • Giant Mtyanda • Coenie Oosthuizen • Etienne Oosthuizen • Chiliboy Ralepelle • Juan Schoeman • Philip van der Walt • Did not play: • Renaldo Bothma • Gerhard Engelbrecht • Francois Kleinhans • Khaya Majola • Jacques Potgieter • Tjiuee Uanivi |
| Backs | Garth April • Curwin Bosch • Michael Claassens • André Esterhuizen • Paul Jordaan • Patrick Lambie • Willie le Roux • Lwazi Mvovo • Odwa Ndungane • Joe Pietersen • JP Pietersen • Cobus Reinach • S'bura Sithole • Rhyno Smith • Stefan Ungerer • Heimar Williams • Did not play: • Johan Deysel • Marius Louw • Wandile Mjekevu • Inny Radebe |
| Coach | Gary Gold |
Stormers squad :
| Forwards | Schalk Burger • Nizaam Carr • Jan de Klerk • Pieter-Steph du Toit • Rynhardt Elstadt • Eben Etzebeth • JC Janse van Rensburg • Oli Kebble • Jean Kleyn • Vincent Koch • Siya Kolisi • Wilco Louw • Frans Malherbe • Bongi Mbonambi • Sikhumbuzo Notshe • Scarra Ntubeni • JD Schickerling • JP Smith • Kobus van Dyk • Chris van Zyl • Alistair Vermaak • Mike Willemse • Did not play: • David Ribbans • Jurie van Vuuren • Jacques Vermeulen |
| Backs | Kurt Coleman • Damian de Allende • Juan de Jongh • Daniël du Plessis • Jean-Luc du Plessis • Robert du Preez • Nic Groom • Huw Jones • Cheslin Kolbe • Johnny Kôtze • Dillyn Leyds • Godlen Masimla • Louis Schreuder • Jaco Taute • Brandon Thomson • Kobus van Wyk • Scott van Breda • Jano Vermaak • Leolin Zas • Did not play: • Ryno Eksteen • Cornal Hendricks • Justin Phillips • Seabelo Senatla • EW Viljoen |
| Coach | Robbie Fleck |
Sunwolves squad :
| Forwards | Taiyo Ando • Takuma Asahara • Tim Bond • Andrew Durutalo • Shota Horie • Yoshiya Hosoda • Keita Inagaki • Shinnosuke Kakinaga • Shokei Kin • Takeshi Kizu • Koo Ji-won • Naohiro Kotaki • Fa'atiga Lemalu • Tomás Leonardi • Shinya Makabe • Masataka Mikami • Liaki Moli • Futoshi Mori • Hitoshi Ono • Ed Quirk • Koki Yamamoto • Did not play: • Ryuhei Arita • Shohei Hirano • Tsuyoshi Murata • Kazuhiko Usami |
| Backs | Derek Carpenter • Atsushi Hiwasa • Daisuke Inoue • Kentaro Kodama • Viliami Lolohea • Mifiposeti Paea • Tusi Pisi • Yasutaka Sasakura • Kaito Shigeno • John Stewart • Yu Tamura • Harumichi Tatekawa • Riaan Viljoen • Akihito Yamada • Ryohei Yamanaka • Hajime Yamashita • Yuki Yatomi |
| Coach | Mark Hammett |
Waratahs squad :
| Forwards | Jack Dempsey • Dave Dennis • Ned Hanigan • James Hilterbrand • Jed Holloway • Michael Hooper • Tolu Latu • Sam Lousi • Dean Mumm • Wycliff Palu • Tatafu Polota-Nau • Hugh Roach • Tom Robertson • Benn Robinson • Paddy Ryan • Will Skelton • Angus Ta'avao • Jeremy Tilse • Did not play: • Ryan McCauley • Cameron Orr • Matt Sandell • Senio Toleafoa • Brad Wilkin |
| Backs | Kurtley Beale • Matthew Carraro • Israel Folau • Bernard Foley • Zac Guildford • Bryce Hegarty • Rob Horne • David Horwitz • Andrew Kellaway • Matt Lucas • Taqele Naiyaravoro • Nick Phipps • Reece Robinson • Jim Stewart • Did not play: • Henry Clunies-Ross • Andrew Deegan • Jake Gordon • Harry Jones |
| Coach | Daryl Gibson |

### Player statistics

The top ten points scorers during the 2016 Super Rugby season are:
| Top Ten points scorers |
| No | Player | Team | T | C | P | DG | Pts |
| 1 | Beauden Barrett | Hurricanes | 9 | 50 | 25 | 1 | 223 |
| 2 | Damian McKenzie | Chiefs | 10 | 43 | 21 | 0 | 199 |
| 3 | Elton Jantjies | Lions | 3 | 44 | 27 | 2 | 190 |
| 4 | Lima Sopoaga | Highlanders | 5 | 34 | 29 | 2 | 186 |
| 5 | Richie Mo'unga | Crusaders | 5 | 41 | 24 | 0 | 179 |
| 6 | Christian Lealiifano | Brumbies | 3 | 41 | 22 | 0 | 163 |
| 7 | Nicolás Sánchez | Jaguares | 2 | 24 | 27 | 1 | 142 |
| 8 | Ihaia West | Blues | 4 | 19 | 24 | 0 | 130 |
| 9 | Jean-Luc du Plessis | Stormers | 2 | 26 | 22 | 0 | 128 |
| 10 | Jack Debreczeni | Rebels | 2 | 25 | 20 | 0 | 120 |
| 10 | Bernard Foley | Waratahs | 1 | 35 | 15 | 0 | 120 |

## Referees

The following refereeing panel was appointed by SANZAAR for the 2016 Super Rugby season:
2016 Super Rugby referees :
| Argentina | Federico Anselmi |
| Australia | Nic Berry • Angus Gardner • Rohan Hoffmann • Will Houston • Andrew Lees |
| Japan | Shuhei Kubo |
| New Zealand | Nick Briant • Mike Fraser • Glen Jackson • Jamie Nutbrown • Ben O'Keeffe • Brendon Pickerill • Chris Pollock • Paul Williams |
| South Africa | Stuart Berry • Quinton Immelman • Craig Joubert • Jaco Peyper • Rasta Rasivhenge • Marius van der Westhuizen • Jaco van Heerden |

## Attendances

| Team | Main Stadium | Capacity | Total Attendance | Average Attendance | % Capacity |
| Blues | Eden Park | 50,000 | 125,465 | 15,683 | 33% |
| Chiefs | Waikato Stadium | 25,800 | | | |
| Hurricanes | Westpac Stadium | 34,500 | 180,490 | 18,049 | 55% |
| Crusaders | Rugby League Park | 18,000 | | | |
| Highlanders | Forsyth Barr Stadium | 30,728 | | | |
| Reds | Suncorp Stadium | 52,500 | 132,843 | 16,605 | 31% |
| Brumbies | Canberra Stadium | 25,011 | 109,217 | 12,135 | 48% |
| Waratahs | Sydney Football Stadium | 44,000 | 162,580 | 20,322 | 46% |
| Melbourne Rebels | AAMI Park | 29,500 | 73,557 | 10,508 | 35% |
| Force | nib Stadium | 20,500 | | | |
| Sharks | ABSA Stadium | 52,000 | | | |
| Bulls | Loftus Versfeld | 51,792 | | | |
| Lions | Ellis Park | 62,567 | | | |
| Southern Kings | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 48,000 | 49,658 | 6,207 | 12% |
| Cheetahs | Free State Stadium | 46,000 | | | |
| Stormers | Newlands Stadium | 51,900 | | | |
| Jaguares | José Amalfitani Stadium | 49,640 | 89,857 | 12,836 | 25% |
| Sunwolves | Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium | 27,188 | 111,758 | 13,969 | 37% |