2015 Super Rugby final

The 2015 Super Rugby Final, was played between the Hurricanes and the Highlanders. It was the 20th final in the Super Rugby competition's history and the fifth under the expanded 15-team format. This was the first Super Rugby final between two New Zealand teams since 2006 when the Hurricanes were beaten by the Crusaders.

2015 Super Rugby Final

Event	2015 Super Rugby season
Hurricanes Highlanders 14 21
Date	4 July 2015
Venue	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Referee	Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Attendance	36,000
← 2014 2016 →

The match was won by the Highlanders who beat the Hurricanes by seven points. Upon winning the match, the Highlanders became the first team to win the competition having failed to win a conference. They also became the first team to win the competition having played in the qualifiers round.

In New Zealand, 583,620 people tuned in to watch

Road to the Final

Finals Series qualifying teams

Conference leaders
Pos	Team	W	D	L	PD	BP	Pts
1	Hurricanes	14	0	2	+170	10	66
2	Waratahs	11	0	5	+96	8	52
3	Stormers	10	1	5	+50	3	45
Wildcard teams
4	Highlanders	11	0	5	+117	9	53
5	Chiefs	10	0	6	+73	8	48
6	Brumbies	9	0	7	+108	11	47
Source:  ^[1]

Main article: 2015 Super Rugby season

The 2015 Super Rugby competition involved fifteen teams, five each from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.^[2] The 2015 season was the fifth year of an expanded 15 team format (12 teams competed between 1996 and 2005, before increasing to 14 between 2006 and 2010).^[2]

The competition began on 13 February with the regular season consisting of 120 matches over eighteen weeks. Each team played the others from their own conference (both home and away), plus four out of five teams from the other two countries (two at home and two away in each case). The top six teams after the regular season advanced to the finals.^[2]

The Hurricanes finished top of the New Zealand conference and topped the overall standings, with fourteen wins and just two losses during the season (one being to the Australian conference winner, the Waratahs). The South African conference winner was the Stormers, and the three wildcard teams making the playoffs were the Highlanders, Chiefs, and Brumbies.

The play-off fixtures were as follows:

	First round					Semifinals					Final
						27 June 2015
	20 June 2015					1	Hurricanes	29
	3	Stormers	19			6	Brumbies	9			4 July 2015
	6	Brumbies	39								Hurricanes		14
						27 June 2015					Highlanders		21
	20 June 2015					2	Waratahs	17
	4	Highlanders	24			4	Highlanders	35
	5	Chiefs	14

Qualifiers

	20 June 2015	Highlanders	24–14	Chiefs	Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
	19:35	Try: Waisake Naholo   24', 43' Con: Lima Sopoaga   44' (1/2) Pen: Lima Sopoaga   6', 57', 66', 80' (4/4) Drop: Waisake Naholo (0/1)	Report^[3] Scoreboard^[4]	Try: Brodie Retallick   60' Con: Andrew Horrell (0/1) Pen: Andrew Horrell   8', 28', 40' (3/5)	Attendance: 22,500 Referee: Chris Pollock

	20 June 2015	Stormers	19–39	Brumbies	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
	17:05	Try: Cheslin Kolbe   45' Con: Demetri Catrakilis   46' (1/1) Pen: Demetri Catrakilis   13', 34', 49', 60' (4/4)	Report^[5] Scoreboard^[6]	Try: Joe Tomane   4', 15', 25' Scott Sio   40' Ita Vaea   63' Jesse Mogg   79' Con: Christian Lealiifano   26', 40', 64' (3/6) Pen: Christian Lealiifano   51' (1/1) Cards: Henry Speight   74' Scott Fardy   75'	Referee: Jaco Peyper

Semi-finals

	27 June 2015	Hurricanes	29–9	Brumbies	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
	19:35	Try: Julian Savea   21' TJ Perenara   28' Ardie Savea   43' Matt Proctor   74' Con: Beauden Barrett   29' (1/2) James Marshall   44', 75' (2/2) Pen: Beauden Barrett (0/1) James Marshall   66' (1/2)	Report^[7] Scoreboard^[8]	Pen: Jesse Mogg   40' (1/1) Christian Lealiifano   50', 57' (2/2)	Attendance: 34,500 Referee: Glen Jackson

	27 June 2015	Waratahs	17–35	Highlanders	Allianz Stadium, Sydney
	19:55	Try: Rob Horne   11' Con: Bernard Foley (0/1) Pen: Bernard Foley   23', 31', 37', 51' (4/4) Cards: Jacques Potgieter   58' to 68'	Report Scoreboard^[9]	Try: Aaron Smith   19' Richard Buckman   33' Waisake Naholo   53' penalty try   58' Patrick Osborne   78' Con: Ben Smith (0/1) Lima Sopoaga   34', 59' (2/4) Pen: Lima Sopoaga   5' (1/3) Drop: Lima Sopoaga   75' (1/2)	Attendance: 32,632 Referee: Craig Joubert

Final

4 July 2015 19:35

Hurricanes	14–21	Highlanders
Try: Ma'a Nonu   36' Con: Beauden Barrett (0/1) Pen: Beauden Barrett   42', 54', 67' (3/5)	Report^[10] Scoreboard^[11]	Try: Elliot Dixon   40' Waisake Naholo   47' Con: Lima Sopoaga   40' (1/2) Pen: Lima Sopoaga   5', 29' (2/3) Drop: Lima Sopoaga (0/1) Marty Banks   78' (1/1)

Westpac Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 35,896 Referee: Jaco Peyper

Hurricanes

Highlanders

References

1. "Super Rugby - Official SANZAAR Site". SANZAR. from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
2. "About Super Rugby". SANZAR. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
3. "Highlanders move on to semi-finals". SANZAR. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
4. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Highlanders 24–14 Chiefs". South African Rugby Union. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
5. "Six-try Brumbies stun the Stormers". SANZAR. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
6. "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Stormers 19–39 Brumbies". South African Rugby Union. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
7. "Hurricanes surge into Super Rugby Final". SANZAR. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
8. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Hurricanes 29–9 Brumbies". South African Rugby Union. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
9. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Waratahs 17–35 Highlanders". South African Rugby Union. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
10. "Highlanders stun the 'Canes to claim title". SANZAR. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
11. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Hurricanes 14–21 Highlanders". South African Rugby Union. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.

Preceded by 2014 Super Rugby Final

Super Rugby Final 2015

Succeeded by 2016 Super Rugby Final