The Super Rugby competition in rugby union, including teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and, in the past, from Argentina, Japan and South Africa, is based on a "franchise" system of teams. The original member countries – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (until 2020) – all have several regional franchises, while the expansion countries – Argentina, Fiji, Japan and the Pacific Islands – have/had one franchise each. The article covers specific detail as to the areas covered by each Super Rugby team. Bold denotes stadiums that are current primary stadiums for the franchises.
Argentina
Argentina had a single franchise, which participated in the South African Conference. It was included in Super Rugby for the 2016 Super Rugby season and represents all of Argentine Rugby Union; the team consists of players from various teams that participate in the Nacional de Clubes, which involves clubs from URBA and from the Torneo del Interior. Argentina has also a team in South African's Currie Cup and Súper Liga Americana de Rugby. The Jaguares weren't named in a Super Rugby tournament for the 2021 season and won't compete in 2021.
Australia
Waratahs
Brumbies
Reds
Force
Rebels
The Australian Super Rugby franchises have evolved from traditional state and territory representative sides. For most of the history of rugby in Australia, the domestic game has been structured around regional club competitions. The strongest of these are based in the state and territory capitals of Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. During the amateur era prior to 1996, these competitions fed into the representative teams of New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory, respectively, and those teams became Australia's three original Super Rugby franchises.
Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia had similar representative teams and club structures but the game was generally not as strong in those states due to Australian rules football being the dominant code. Western Australia obtained the country's fourth franchise with the Western Force joining in 2006 and Victoria's Melbourne Rebels joined in 2011 as the fifth franchise. At the end of 2017, however, the Western Force lost its licence and was removed from the competition because the ARU decided to reduce the number of Australian teams in Super Rugby from five to four.
Since 1968, several Australian provincial competitions were created that did not continue, including the Wallaby Trophy in the 1960s and 1970s and, more recently, the Ricoh National Championship, APC and ARC. The last continent-wide competition was the NRC, which was launched as a national competition (like the Currie Cup and the ITM Cup) from 2014 to 2020.
As well as Australian teams signing players from regional club competitions many players are signed straight from schoolboy rugby with strong competitions such as Queensland's GPS and New South Wales' AAGPS providing a large number of professional players.
While Australian Super Rugby teams do have general feeder areas, players from such areas can play for any side that offers them a contract. Examples include James O'Connor playing for the Western Force having played school rugby in Queensland and Matt Toomua playing for the ACT Brumbies having also played school rugby in Queensland.
Notes:
There are three regions that do not have a Super Rugby franchise. All regions have provincial club competitions with a representative teams in the Australian Rugby Shield, from 2000 to 2008, and in NRC Division 2, from 2018 to 2020. South Australia — a substantial market with Australian rules football as the main sport. Rugby Union South Australia has an arrangement with the Melbourne Rebels for its players to be eligible for that franchise's academy team. Tasmania — a small market and not geographically concentrated. Australian rules football is the main football code. Northern Territory — Australia's least populous state or territory, with no major league sporting teams based in it.
Super Rugby AU
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the shortened 2020 Super Rugby season, the Western Force returned to Super Rugby to participate in Super Rugby AU. Since departing Super Rugby the team had been participating in Global Rapid Rugby. The team was again confirmed in the 2021 Super Rugby AU season.