No test window at Super Rugby in 2019



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The Bulls will welcome the Stormers to Loftus Versfeld in the first Super Rugby match in South Africa next year. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky / BackpagePix

SYDNEY – In the first round of the 2019 Super Rugby tournament, matches will be played in five countries on the weekends of February 15th and 16th.

The imprint of the tournament is such that New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Argentina will host all games on the opening weekend.

The tournament will begin on Friday, February 15, when the Chiefs host the Highlanders in Hamilton, New Zealand, with the final scheduled for Saturday, July 6.

The updated calendar includes the match sites that have now all been confirmed by the teams and the respective kickoff times.

Sanzaar's general manager, Andy Marinos, said: "Since there will be no international matches in June 2019, due to the Rugby World Cup in Japan later in the year, the Super Rugby will run continuously for 21 weeks, from February to July.

"This is a huge advantage for next year's tournament, and the tournament will also start in the first round, with seven full laps to kick off Super Rugby."

In the first round, matches will be played in five countries. Hamilton (New Zealand) will be joined by Canberra (Brumbies v Rebels, Australia), Auckland (Blues v Crusaders, New Zealand), Sydney (Waratahs Hurricanes, Australia), Singapore (Sunwolves v Sharks), Pretoria (Bulls v Stormers, South Africa) and Buenos Aires (Jaguares v Lions, Argentina).

There are also several matches in regional areas, with a match 3 in Palmerston North (New Zealand) between the Hurricanes and Brumbies, a match 7 in Newcastle (Australia) between the Waratahs and Sunwolves,) will host the game Highlanders v Waratahs .

The format of the tournament consists of 15 teams and three conferences remains the same as last year.

Each team plays 16 regular season conference games, including eight games in their own conference (at home and away) and four games against teams from each of the other conferences (at home or at home). ;outside).

Each team also has two byes. This is a total of 120 regular season games, which will be followed by a series of seven-game, eight-team finals.

The series of finals will also remain unchanged, with each of the three winners of the conference qualifying and holding a quarter-final.

The team with the most tournament points that is not the conference winner, regardless of the conference, will host the fourth quarterfinal.

This joker team will be joined in the quarter-finals by the next four top-ranked joker teams, depending on the points of the tournament and the conference.

Super Rugby 2019 Conferences

Australia: Brumbies, Rebels, Reds, Waratahs, Sunwolves.

New Zealand: Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders, Hurricanes

South Africa: Bulls, Lions, Sharks, Stormers, Jaguars.

African News Agency (ANA)

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