2007 Super 14 season
The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby. The visiting Bulls won the 2007 Super 14 Final, scoring a try in the 83rd minute and narrowly defeating the Sharks 20–19, thereby becoming the first South African side to win the Super Rugby title in the professional era.
| 2007 Super 14 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries | Australia South Africa New Zealand | ||
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout | ||
| Champions | Bulls (1st title) | ||
| Matches played | 94 | ||
| Tries scored | 440 (4.68 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Stephen Donald (164; Chiefs) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | JP Pietersen (12; Sharks) | ||
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Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season is the second of the expansion, which led to the name change to the Super 14. The 2007 season saw an old team emerge with a new name, as the Cats changed their name to the Lions effective 8 September 2006.
There was also some confusion over the inclusion of the Southern Spears franchise, who were in the end not included. The season is also notable of the New Zealand sides resting several All Blacks players in the first half of the season. There were 94 matches held over the 3½ months, with each team playing one full round robin against the 13 other teams, 2 semi-finals and a final. Every team will get one bye over the 14 rounds.