2002 Super 12 season

The 2002 Super 12 season was the seventh season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2002, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi finals, with the first placed team playing the fourth and the second placed team playing the third. The winner of each semi final qualified for the final, which was contested by the Crusaders and the Brumbies at Jade Stadium, Christchurch. The Crusaders won 31 – 13 to win their fourth Super 12 title.

2002 Super 12
Countries	Australia  South Africa  New Zealand
Tournament format(s)	Round-robin and knockout
Champions	Canterbury Crusaders (4th title)
Matches played	69
Top point scorer(s)	Andrew Mehrtens (182) (Canterbury Crusaders)
Top try scorer(s)	Roger Randle (12) (Waikato Chiefs)
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Table

Key to colours

Top four teams advance to playoffs.

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	BP	Pts
1	Crusaders	11	11	0	0	469	264	+205	7	51
2	Waratahs	11	8	0	3	337	284	+53	7	39
3	Brumbies	11	7	0	4	374	230	+144	10	38
4	Highlanders	11	8	0	3	329	207	+122	6	38
5	Reds	11	7	0	4	336	287	+49	6	34
6	Blues	11	6	0	5	318	249	+69	5	29
7	Stormers	11	5	0	6	310	314	−4	7	27
8	Chiefs	11	4	0	7	323	341	−18	8	24
9	Hurricanes	11	5	0	6	232	317	−85	3	23
10	Sharks	11	4	0	7	221	309	−88	3	19
11	Cats	11	1	0	10	228	407	−179	2	6
12	Bulls	11	0	0	11	232	500	−268	1	1

Results

Round 1

	22 February 2002	Coastal Sharks	18 – 25	Stormers	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
		Tries: Stefan Terblanche (2) Con: Gaffie du Toit Pens: Gaffie du Toit (2)		Tries: Marius Goosen, Percy Montgomery, Pieter Rossouw Cons: Marius Goosen (2) Pen: Marius Goosen Drop: Bolla Conradie	Referee: Andre Watson

	22 February 2002	Wellington Hurricanes	7 – 60	Auckland Blues	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
		Try: Jason Spice Con: Daryl Lilley		Tries: Doug Howlett (4), Rupeni Caucaunibuca (2), Mark Mayerhofler, Troy Flavell Cons: Carlos Spencer (6), James Arlidge Pens: Carlos Spencer (2)	Attendance: 31,000 Referee: Paddy O'Brien

	23 February 2002	Canterbury Crusaders	30 – 28	Otago Highlanders	Jade Stadium, Christchurch
		Tries: Andrew Mehrtens, Joe Maddock Cons: Andrew Mehrtens Pens: Andrew Mehrtens (6)		Tries: Jeff Wilson, Ryan Nicholas, Willie Walker Cons: Tony Brown (2) Pens: Tony Brown (3)	Referee: Paul Honiss

	23 February 2002	Waikato Chiefs	25 – 42	NSW Waratahs	Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua

	23 February 2002	Northern Bulls	31 – 44	Golden Cats	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

	23 February 2002	ACT Brumbies	29 – 19	Queensland Reds	Canberra Stadium, Canberra

Round 2

	1 March 2002	Waikato Chiefs	27 – 34	Canterbury Crusaders	Rugby Park, Hamilton
		Tries: Mark Ranby, Roger Randle, Todd Miller Cons: David Hill (3) Pens: David Hill (2)		Tries: Aaron Mauger, Daryl Gibson, Joe Maddock Cons: Andrew Mehrtens (2) Pens: Andrew Mehrtens (4) Drop: Aaron Mauger	Attendance: 25,000^[1] Referee: Kelvin Deaker

	2 March 2002	ACT Brumbies	64 – 16	Golden Cats	Canberra Stadium, Canberra

	2 March 2002	Northern Bulls	18 – 37	Wellington Hurricanes	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

	2 March 2002	Otago Highlanders	45 – 5	Coastal Sharks	Carisbrook, Dunedin
		Tries: Anton Oliver, Craig Newby, Jeff Wilson, Joe McDonnell, Romi Ropati Cons: Tony Brown (4) Pens: Tony Brown (4)		Try: Nicky van der Walt	Referee: Wayne Erickson

	2 March 2002	Queensland Reds	34 – 23	Auckland Blues	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane

	2 March 2002	Stormers	25 – 26	NSW Waratahs	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town

Round 3

	8 March 2002	ACT Brumbies	38 – 8	Coastal Sharks	Canberra Stadium, Canberra

	8 March 2002	Otago Highlanders	40 – 8	Golden Cats	Carisbrook, Dunedin

	8 March 2002	Stormers	40 – 13	Wellington Hurricanes	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town

	9 March 2002	Northern Bulls	19 – 51	NSW Waratahs	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

	9 March 2002	Canterbury Crusaders	30 – 11	Auckland Blues	Jade Stadium, Christchurch

	9 March 2002	Queensland Reds	27 – 13	Waikato Chiefs	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane

Round 4

	15 March 2002	Wellington Hurricanes	40 – 17	Coastal Sharks	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
					Attendance: 28,000

	16 March 2002	Northern Bulls	35 – 45	ACT Brumbies	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

	16 March 2002	Stormers	20 – 21	Otago Highlanders	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town

	16 March 2002	NSW Waratahs	44 – 21	Golden Cats	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
					Attendance: 29,344^[2]

	17 March 2002	Queensland Reds	27 – 34	Canterbury Crusaders	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane

Round 5

	22 March 2002	Northern Bulls	17 – 54	Otago Highlanders	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

	22 March 2002	Wellington Hurricanes	30 – 21	Golden Cats	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
					Attendance: 30,000

	23 March 2002	Auckland Blues	37 – 30	Waikato Chiefs	Eden Park, Auckland
					Attendance: 28,000^[3]

	23 March 2002	Stormers	15 – 36	ACT Brumbies	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town

	23 March 2002	NSW Waratahs	42 – 8	Coastal Sharks	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
					Attendance: 28,058^[4]

Round 6

	29 March 2002	Auckland Blues	22 – 20	NSW Waratahs	North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
					Attendance: 22,000^[5]

	30 March 2002	Wellington Hurricanes	22 – 18	Queensland Reds	Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North

	30 March 2002	Otago Highlanders	24 – 29	Waikato Chiefs	Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill

	31 March 2002	Canterbury Crusaders	33 – 32	ACT Brumbies	Jade Stadium, Christchurch

Round 7

	5 April 2002	Otago Highlanders	19 – 10	Wellington Hurricanes	Carisbrook, Dunedin

	6 April 2002	Coastal Sharks	20 – 13	Auckland Blues	Kings Park Stadium, Durban

	6 April 2002	Queensland Reds	49 – 46	Stormers	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane

	6 April 2002	Canterbury Crusaders	49 – 15	Northern Bulls	Jade Stadium, Christchurch

	6 April 2002	Golden Cats	25 – 36	Waikato Chiefs	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Round 8

	12 April 2002	Golden Cats	12 – 24	Auckland Blues	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
					Attendance: 10,000

	12 April 2002	Canterbury Crusaders	41 – 21	Stormers	Jade Stadium, Christchurch
					Attendance: 27,000

	12 April 2002	Queensland Reds	48 – 12	Northern Bulls	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane

	13 April 2002	Coastal Sharks	21 – 18	Waikato Chiefs	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
					Attendance: 26,000

	13 April 2002	NSW Waratahs	31 – 13	Otago Highlanders	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
					Attendance: 35,254^[6]

	14 April 2002	ACT Brumbies	13 – 20	Wellington Hurricanes	Canberra Stadium, Canberra
					Attendance: 21,011

Round 9

	19 April 2002	Auckland Blues	65 – 24	Northern Bulls	Eden Park, Auckland
					Attendance: 26,640

	20 April 2002	Golden Cats	15 – 27	Queensland Reds	Ellis Park, Johannesburg

	20 April 2002	Waikato Chiefs	33 – 45	Stormers	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

	20 April 2002	Coastal Sharks	34 – 37	Canterbury Crusaders	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
					Attendance: 30,000

	20 April 2002	NSW Waratahs	19 – 11	ACT Brumbies	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
					Attendance: 41,645^[7]

Round 10

	26 April 2002	Auckland Blues	25 – 6	Stormers	Eden Park, Auckland

	26 April 2002	ACT Brumbies	18 – 25	Otago Highlanders	Canberra Stadium, Canberra

	26 April 2002	Golden Cats	30 – 37	Canterbury Crusaders	Ellis Park, Johannesburg

	27 April 2002	Coastal Sharks	29 – 30	Queensland Reds	Kings Park Stadium, Durban

	27 April 2002	Waikato Chiefs	53 – 24	Northern Bulls	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

	27 April 2002	NSW Waratahs	19 – 13	Wellington Hurricanes	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
					Attendance: 37,288^[8]

Round 11

	3 May 2002	Auckland Blues	13 – 20	Otago Highlanders	Eden Park, Auckland

	4 May 2002	Northern Bulls	10 – 23	Coastal Sharks	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

	4 May 2002	Golden Cats	25 – 36	Stormers	Ellis Park, Johannesburg

	4 May 2002	Waikato Chiefs	15 – 42	ACT Brumbies	Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua

	4 May 2002	Wellington Hurricanes	20 – 48	Canterbury Crusaders	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
					Attendance: 34,500

	5 May 2002	Queensland Reds	31 – 24	NSW Waratahs	Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane

Round 12

	10 May 2002	Waikato Chiefs	44 – 20	Wellington Hurricanes	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
					Attendance: 25,000

	10 May 2002	ACT Brumbies	46 – 25	Auckland Blues	Bruce Stadium, Canberra
		Tries: Graeme Bond, Andrew Walker, Stephen Larkham, Stirling Mortlock Cons: Andrew Walker (3) Pens: Andrew Walker (3), Stirling Mortlock (2)		Tries: Doug Howlett, Rico Gear, Samiu Vahafolau Cons: Carlos Spencer (2) Pens: Carlos Spencer (2)	Attendance: 23,623 Referee: Tappe Henning

	11 May 2002	Canterbury Crusaders	96 – 19	NSW Waratahs	Jade Stadium, Christchurch
		Tries: Caleb Ralph (4), Leon MacDonald (2), Marika Vunibaka (2), Scott Robertson (2), Aaron Mauger, Daryl Gibson, Greg Feek, Justin Marshall Cons: Andrew Mehrtens (13)		Tries: Des Tuiavii, Francis Cullimore, Marc Stcherbina Cons: Matt Burke (2)	Attendance: 36,000 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan

	11 May 2002	Otago Highlanders	40 – 26	Queensland Reds	Carisbrook, Dunedin
					Attendance: 26,100

	11 May 2002	Coastal Sharks	38 – 11	Golden Cats	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
					Attendance: 29,517

	11 May 2002	Stormers	31 – 27	Northern Bulls	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
					Attendance: 30,000

Finals

Semi finals

18 May 2002

Crusaders	34 – 23	Highlanders
Tries: Mark Robinson (2), Richie McCaw Cons: Andrew Mehrtens (2) Pens: Andrew Mehrtens (3) Drops: Andrew Mehrtens, Aaron Mauger		Tries: Jeff Wilson, Willie Walker Cons: Willie Walker (2) Pens: Willie Walker (3)

Jade Stadium, Christchurch Referee: Stuart Dickinson

18 May 2002

Waratahs	10 – 51	ACT Brumbies
Try: Scott Staniforth Con: Matt Burke Pen: Matthew Burke		Tries: Graeme Bond, Jeremy Paul, Justin Harrison, Owen Finegan, Pat Howard Cons: Julian Huxley (5), Stirling Mortlock Pens: Julian Huxley (2), Andrew Walker

Aussie Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 36,146^[9] Referee: Paddy O'Brien

Grand final

25 May 2002

Crusaders	31 – 13	ACT Brumbies
Tries: Vunibaka, Ralph (2) Con: Mehrtens (2) Pen: Mehrtens (3) Drop: Mehrtens		Try: Walker Con: Walker Pen: Walker (2)

Jade Stadium, Christchurch Referee: Andre Watson

Crusaders

Brumbies

Crusaders 15 Leon MacDonald 14 Marika Vunibaka 13 Mark Robinson 12 Aaron Mauger 11 Caleb Ralph 10 Andrew Mehrtens 9 Justin Marshall 8 Scott Robertson 7 Richie McCaw 6 Chris Jack 5 Norm Maxwell 4 Reuben Thorne (c) 3 Greg Feek 2 Mark Hammett 1 Greg Somerville Replacements: 16 David Hewett 17 Corey Flynn 18 Sam Broomhall 19 Johnny Leo'o 20 Ben Hurst 21 Daryl Gibson 22 Ben Blair Coach:   Robbie Deans

Brumbies 15 Mark Bartholomeusz 14 Graeme Bond 13 Stirling Mortlock 12 Pat Howard 11 Andrew Walker 10 Stephen Larkham 9 George Gregan (c) 8 Scott Fava 7 George Smith 6 Owen Finegan 5 Justin Harrison 4 Daniel Vickerman 3 Ben Darwin 2 Jeremy Paul 1 Bill Young Replacements: 16 Damian Flynn 17 Angus Scott 18 David Pusey 19 Peter Ryan 20 Travis Hall 21 Joel Wilson 22 Julian Huxley Coach:   David Nucifora

References

1. "Crusaders hang on".
2. "Waratahs boosted by season ticket sales". 21 November 2002.
3. "Blues ponder best use of Spencer brilliance".
4. "Waratahs boosted by season ticket sales". 21 November 2002.
5. "Blues to look into stadium bottleneck".
6. "Waratahs boosted by season ticket sales". 21 November 2002.
7. "Waratahs boosted by season ticket sales". 21 November 2002.
8. "Waratahs boosted by season ticket sales". 21 November 2002.
9. "Waratahs boosted by season ticket sales". 21 November 2002.