| 2021 Super Rugby AU season | |
| Countries: | Australia |
| Tournament Format: | Round-robin and knockout |
| Count: | 1 |
| Matches: | 22 |
| Attendance: | 208962 |
| Tries: | 118 |
| Top Point Scorer: | James O'Connor, Reds (121) |
| Top Try Scorer: | Tom Banks, Brumbies & Alex Mafi, Reds (6) |
| Website: | Official site |
| Previous Year: | 2020 |
| Previous Tournament: | 2020 Super Rugby AU season |
The 2021 Super Rugby AU season (branded as Harvey Norman Super Rugby AU for sponsorship reasons) was a professional club rugby union tournament organised by Rugby Australia. Announced on 11 November 2020, the tournament was the second season of Super Rugby AU, featuring the same 5 teams from the inaugural 2020 season, and ran from 19 February to 8 May 2021.[1] The tournament was won by the, who defeated the 19–16 in the final at Suncorp Stadium, winning their first Super Rugby AU title, and first Super Rugby competition since 2011.[2]
The tournament ran parallel to New Zealand's 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season, and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman followed the conclusion of both seasons, a crossover tournament featuring each Australian team playing each New Zealand team once, followed by a final.[3]
The 2021 season of Super Rugby AU will see changes to kick-offs and restarts, with a free kick awarded if the a kickoff has not taken place 30 seconds following the opposition scoring, a restart is kicked out on the full or if teammates of the kicker are not behind the ball. The free kick will take place at half way. These rules are similar to those that are currently used in Rugby sevens. Also the 'Golden point' law brought in during the 2020 season is tweaked so that full-time will only occur after a try is scored, rather than any form of points. Penalties and drop goals will still count towards the score during extra time, but will not end the game, with play only ending if a try is scored or the 10-minute extra time period ends. All other law changes from the 2020 season will also occur in the 2021 season.[4]
The table below shows the progression of all teams throughout the 2021 Super Rugby AU season. Each team's tournament points on the standings log is shown for each round, with the overall log position in brackets.
| 2021 Super Rugby AU team progression | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | Qualifier | Final | ||||||||||||
| Brumbies | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 4 (2nd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 9 (1st) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 14 (1st) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 15 (1st) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 15 (2nd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 20 (2nd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 24 (2nd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 25 (2nd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 29 (2nd) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 29 (2nd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | Won | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | Lost |
| Force | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 0 (4th) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 0 (4th) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 4 (3rd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 5 (4th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 6 (4th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 6 (4th) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 6 (4th) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 10 (4th) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 14 (3rd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 18 (3rd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | Lost | style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;" | N/A |
| Rebels | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 0 (3rd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 1 (3rd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 2 (4th) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 6 (3rd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 10 (3rd) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 10 (3rd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 10 (3rd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 11 (3rd) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 12 (4th) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 16 (4th) | style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;" | N/A | style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;" | N/A |
| Reds | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 5 (1st) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 9 (2nd) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 9 (2nd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 13 (2nd) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 18 (1st) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 23 (1st) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 28 (1st) | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | 32 (1st) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 32 (1st) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 33 (1st) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | Bye | style="background:#E8FFD8;" | Won |
| Waratahs | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 0 (5th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 0 (5th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 1 (5th) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 1 (5th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 1 (5th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 1 (5th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 2 (5th) | style="background:#ECECEC;" | 2 (5th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 3 (5th) | style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;" | 3 (5th) | style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;" | N/A | style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;" | N/A |
| Key: | Win | Draw | Loss | Bye | DNQ |
|
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| Man of the Match: James O'Connor[5] Assistant Referees: |
| No. | Player | Team | Points | Average | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 121 | 13.44 | 1, 25, 22, 0 | ||
| 2 | 102 | 12.75 | 1, 8, 27, 0 | ||
| 3 | 84 | 8.40 | 2, 24, 9, 0 | ||
| 4 | 46 | 9.20 | 0, 5, 11, 1 | ||
| 5 | 39 | 6.50 | 1, 4, 8, 0 | ||
| 6 | 30 | 3.00 | 6, 0, 0, 0 | ||
| 30 | 3.33 | 6, 0, 0, 0 | |||
| 8 | 25 | 12.50 | 0, 5, 5, 0 | ||
| 25 | 3.13 | 0, 8, 3, 0 | |||
| 25 | 3.13 | 5, 0, 0, 0 |
| No. | Player | Team | Tries | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 0.60 | ||
| 6 | 0.67 | |||
| 3 | 5 | 0.56 | ||
| 4 | 4 | 0.50 | ||
| 4 | 0.50 | |||
| 4 | 0.80 | |||
| 4 | 0.50 | |||
| 4 | 0.80 | |||
| 9 | 3 | 0.38 | ||
| 3 | 0.30 | |||
| 3 | 0.30 | |||
| 3 | 0.33 | |||
| 3 | 0.30 | |||
| 3 | 0.38 |
| Player | Team | Red | Yellow | Round (vs. Opponent) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toni Pulu | 1 | 1 | Qualifier (vs.) Round 10 (vs.) | ||
| Allan Alaalatoa | 1 | 0 | Round 3 (vs.) | ||
| Tom Cusack | 1 | 0 | Round 7 (vs.) | ||
| Pone Fa'amausili | 1 | 0 | Round 10 (vs.) | ||
| Feao Fotuaika | 1 | 0 | Round 2 (vs.) | ||
| Ross Haylett-Petty | 1 | 0 | Round 4 (vs.) | ||
| Isi Naisarani | 1 | 0 | Round 10 (vs.) | ||
| Izaia Perese | 1 | 0 | Round 1 (vs.) | ||
| Andrew Ready | 1 | 0 | Round 3 (vs.) | ||
| James Hanson | 0 | 2 | Round 3 (vs.) Round 10 (vs.) | ||
| Tevita Kuridrani | 0 | 2 | Round 6 (vs.) Round 10 (vs.) | ||
| Trevor Hosea | 0 | 1 | Round 9 (vs.) | ||
| Kane Koteka | 0 | 1 | Round 8 (vs.) | ||
| Marika Koroibete | 0 | 1 | Round 9 (vs.) | ||
| Harry Lloyd | 0 | 1 | Round 6 (vs.) | ||
| Andy Muirhead | 0 | 1 | Round 3 (vs.) | ||
| Zane Nonggorr | 0 | 1 | Round 6 (vs.) | ||
| Jordan Petaia | 0 | 1 | Round 10 (vs.) | ||
| Luke Reimer | 0 | 1 | Final (vs.) | ||
| Rory Scott | 0 | 1 | Round 7 (vs.) | ||
| Hugh Sinclair | 0 | 1 | Round 6 (vs.) | ||
| James Slipper | 0 | 1 | Round 1 (vs.) | ||
| Darcy Swain | 0 | 1 | Final (vs.) | ||
| Lachlan Swinton | 0 | 1 | Round 9 (vs.) | ||
| Jeremy Thrush | 0 | 1 | Round 10 (vs.) | ||
| Rob Valetini | 0 | 1 | Final (vs.) |
The following 2021 Super Rugby AU squads have been named. Players listed in italics denote non-original squad members.
| Forwards | Allan Alaalatoa • Jahrome Brown • Tom Cusack • Folau Fainga'a • Nick Frost • Archer Holz • Tom Hooper • Fred Kaihea • Sefo Kautai • Harry Lloyd • Lachlan Lonergan • Connal McInerney • Will Miller • Cadeyrn Neville • Billy Pollard • Luke Reimer • Tom Ross • Pete Samu • Rory Scott • Scott Sio • James Slipper • Henry Stowers • Darcy Swain • James Tucker • Rob Valetini | |
| Backs | Lachlan Albert • Tom Banks • Issak Fines • Mack Hansen • Len Ikitau • Solomone Kata • Bayley Kuenzle • Noah Lolesio • Ryan Lonergan • Andy Muirhead • Reesjan Pasitoa • Irae Simone • Reece Tapine • Nic White • Tom Wright | |
| Coach | Dan McKellar |
| Forwards | Bo Abra • Tim Anstee • Ollie Callan • Victor Harris • Chris Heiberg • Greg Holmes • Feleti Kaitu'u • Kane Koteka • Fergus Lee-Warner • Tomás Lezana • Kieran Longbottom • Ryan McCauley • Santiago Medrano • Jackson Pugh • Andrew Ready • Tom Robertson • Brynard Stander • Jeremy Thrush • Sitaleki Timani • Angus Wagner • Jack Winchester | |
| Backs | Marcel Brache • Tomás Cubelli • Kyle Godwin • Richard Kahui • Rob Kearney • Tevita Kuridrani • Brad Lacey • Jono Lance • Grason Makara • Michael McDonald • Jack McGregor • Jake McIntyre • Domingo Miotti • Jordan Olowofela • Jonah Placid • Ian Prior • Toni Pulu • Byron Ralston • Jake Strachan • Henry Taefu | |
| Coach | Tim Sampson |
| Forwards | Albert Anae • Ignacio Calas • Ed Craig • Steve Cummins • Cabous Eloff • Pone Fa'amausili • Matt Gibbon • James Hanson • Richard Hardwick • Ross Haylett-Petty • Trevor Hosea • Isaac Aedo Kailea • Josh Kemeny • Rob Leota • Isi Naisarani • Tom Nowlan • Cameron Orr • Jeral Skelton • Lucio Sordoni • Jordan Uelese • Rhys van Nek • Michael Wells • Brad Wilkin | |
| Backs | Lachie Anderson • Carter Gordon • Dane Haylett-Petty • Reece Hodge • Lewis Holland • Stacey Ili • Marika Koroibete • Frank Lomani • Campbell Magnay • Tom Pincus • Joe Powell • Theo Strang • Matt To'omua • James Tuttle • Glen Vaihu • Ilikena Vudogo • Young Tonumaipea • George Worth | |
| Coach | David Wessels |
| Forwards | Richie Asiata • Angus Blyth • Matt Faessler • Feao Fotuaika • Ben Grant • Harry Hoopert • Alex Mafi • Fraser McReight • Josh Nasser • Zane Nonggorr • Brandon Paenga-Amosa • Lukhan Salakaia-Loto • Angus Scott-Young • Ryan Smith • Tuaina Taii Tualima • Taniela Tupou • Seru Uru • Sam Wallis • Harry Wilson • Liam Wright • Dane Zander | |
| Backs | Jock Campbell • Hudson Creighton • Lawson Creighton • Filipo Daugunu • Ilaisa Droasese • Josh Flook • Mac Grealy • Bryce Hegarty • Isaac Henry • Tate McDermott • James O'Connor • Hunter Paisami • Jordan Petaia • Moses Sorovi • Hamish Stewart • Kalani Thomas • Suliasi Vunivalu | |
| Coach | Brad Thorn |
| Forwards | Robbie Abel • Angus Bell • Darcy Breen • Sam Caird • Joe Cotton • Jack Dempsey • Max Douglas • Tetera Faulkner • George Francis • Charlie Gamble • Will Harris • Tom Horton • Harry Johnson-Holmes • Dave Porecki • Hugh Sinclair • Lachlan Swinton • Chris Talakai • Alefosio Tatola • Tiaan Tauakipulu • Carlo Tizzano • Jack Whetton • Jeremy Williams • Michael Wood • Sam Wykes | |
| Backs | Ben Donaldson • Tane Edmed • Lalakai Foketi • Jake Gordon • Jack Grant • Will Harrison • Jack Maddocks • Tepai Moeroa • Mark Nawaqanitawase • Alex Newsome • Izaia Perese • James Ramm • Triston Reilly • Henry Robertson • Joey Walton | |
| Coach | Jason Gilmore • Rob Penney • Chris Whitaker |
The following referees were selected to officiate the 2021 Super Rugby AU season:[11]