2014 Rugby Championship
The 2014 Rugby Championship was the third edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The tournament was won by New Zealand, with South Africa second, Australia third, and Argentina last.
| Date | 16 August 2014 – 4 October 2014 |
|---|---|
| Countries | Argentina Australia New Zealand South Africa |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | New Zealand (13th title) |
| Bledisloe Cup | New Zealand |
| Freedom Cup | New Zealand |
| Mandela Challenge Plate | South Africa |
| Puma Trophy | Australia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Tries scored | 50 (4.17 per match) |
| Attendance | 430,582 (35,882 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Nicolás Sánchez (52) |
| Most tries | Julian Savea (4) |
← 2013 2015 → | |
The Championship began on 16 August with Australia hosting the defending champions, New Zealand, at the Stadium Australia in Sydney and South Africa hosting Argentina at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. The tournament continued for seven weeks, which included two byes, and concluded on 5 October with South Africa versus New Zealand at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg and Argentina versus Australia at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
On 27 September, New Zealand clinched their third consecutive Championship after a bonus-point 34–13 win against Argentina in La Plata. The 2014 Rugby Championship was the first in which New Zealand failed to win all their matches – they drew with Australia in Week 1 and lost to South Africa in Week 6. It also saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17 in the last match of the tournament.