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The Super Rugby draw for next season has been revealed, with the unpopular conference-based format here to stay for another year and an interesting choice of opening fixture for the season.
Rather than start the season with a meeting between two powerhouse teams, 2017 will begin with two sides who failed to make the finals this year, with the Melbourne Rebels hosting the Blues on Thursday, February 23. Round 2 will also feature a Thursday night match, before the remainder of the season reverts to a Friday night start for each round.
Round 1 will pick up a day later thanks to a clash between the Highlanders and Chiefs on February 24, while the Queensland Reds will also get their season underway that Friday when they host the Sharks.
» To see the complete 2017 Super Rugby Draw, head over to our fixtures page
As for the remainder of the Australian teams, the Brumbies face a tough initiation with a first-up trip to New Zealand to face the Crusaders, while the Waratahs will kick their season off with an all-Australian clash against the Force at Allianz Stadium.
The defending champion Hurricanes start their season in Japan against the Sunwolves, and the rest of the opening weekend of matches will be rounded out with the Cheetahs hosting the Lions, the Kings hosting Argentina’s Jaguares and the Stormers taking on the Bulls at Newlands.
The competition will once again feature a mid-year break in June to accommodate the British and Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand. On top of their matches against the All Blacks, the Lions will also play each of New Zealand’s Super Rugby sides, and Round 16 has been split over a number of weeks in order to accommodate for those fixtures.
The finals will get underway on Friday, July 21, with the Super Rugby final wrapping up the competition on Saturday, August 5.
The draw has also revealed Super Rugby’s worst-kept secret: that the controversial conference-based system, which made its debut this year, is here to stay. The format will see 17 home-and-away rounds, with each side playing 15 matches – six against their own conference and nine against other teams – while also enjoying two byes.
In a statement, SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos said he was looking forward to the second instalment of the conference format.
“The new season is set to be another enthralling, action-packed one as we enter the second year of the 18-team conference-style tournament,” Marinos said.
“The tournament saw some fantastic rugby last year and we look forward in particular to the continued development of the new franchises that added exciting new territories and colour to the tournament.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.