2015 Super Rugby final

{{Infobox rugby match

| title = 2015 Super Rugby Final

| image =

| event = 2015 Super Rugby season

| team1 = Hurricanes

| team1association = {{flagicon|NZL|rugby union|size=30px}}

| team1score = 14

| team2 = Highlanders

| team2association = {{flagicon|NZL|rugby union|size=30px}}

| team2score = 21

| details =

| date = 4 July 2015

| stadium = Westpac Stadium

| city = Wellington

| man_of_the_match1a =

| referee = Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

| attendance = 36,000

| weather =

| previous = 2014

| next = 2016

}}

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.

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. It was the Highlanders first Grand Final appearance since 1999, and the Hurricanes first Grand Final appearance since 2006.

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

Road to the Final

colspan="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="line-height:150%;"\| Conference leaders
class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:15px; text-align: center; line-height:120%; font-size:100%;" \|+ style="margin:5px; font-size:120%;"\|Finals Series qualifying teams
style="width:25px;"\|{{tooltip\|2=Position as seeded for the Super Rugby Finals Series\|Pos}} ! style="width:115px;"\|Team ! style="width:25px;"\|{{tooltip\|2=Won\|W}} ! style="width:25px;"\|{{tooltip\|2=Drew\|D}} ! style="width:25px;"\|{{tooltip\|2=Lost\|L}} ! style="width:35px;"\|{{tooltip\|2=Difference of points scored for and against\|PD}} ! style="width:25px;"\|{{tooltip\|2=Bonus points\|BP}} ! style="width:25px;"\|{{tooltip\|2=Points total in regular season standings\|Pts}}
1	style="text-align:left;" \|{{Rut\|Hurricanes\|fb=y}} \| 14	0	2	+170	10	66
2	style="text-align:left;" \|{{Rut\|Waratahs\|fb=y}} \| 11	0	5	+96	8	52
3	style="text-align:left;" \|{{Rut\|Stormers\|fb=y}} \| 10	1	5	+50	3	45
colspan="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" \| Wildcard teams
4	style="text-align:left;" \|{{Rut\|Highlanders\|fb=y}} \| 11	0	5	+117	9	53
5	style="text-align:left;" \|{{Rut\|Chiefs\|fb=y}} \| 10	0	6	+73	8	48
6	style="text-align:left;" \|{{Rut\|Brumbies\|fb=y}} \| 9	0	7	+108	11	47
colspan=9 style="font-size:85%;" \|Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150615003046/http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/ SANZAR] {{cite web \|url=http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/ \|title=Super Rugby - Official SANZAAR Site \|publisher=SANZAR \|accessdate=6 August 2017 \|url-status=live \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615003046/http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/ \|archivedate=15 June 2015}}

The 2015 Super Rugby competition involved fifteen teams, five each from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. 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).{{cite web|title=About Super Rugby|url=http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/about-super-rugby/|website=SANZAR|accessdate=21 December 2015}}

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.

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:

{{6TeamBracket-info

| RD1-text1 = 20 June 2015

| RD1-seed1 = 3

| RD1-team1 = {{Rut|Stormers|fb=y}}

| RD1-score1 = 19

| RD1-seed2 = 6

| RD1-team2 = {{Rut|Brumbies|fb=y}}

| RD1-score2 = 39

| RD1-text2 = 20 June 2015

| RD1-seed3 = 4

| RD1-team3 = {{Rut|Highlanders|fb=y}}

| RD1-score3 = 24

| RD1-seed4 = 5

| RD1-team4 = {{Rut|Chiefs|fb=y}}

| RD1-score4 = 14

| RD2-text1 = 27 June 2015

| RD2-seed1 = 1

| RD2-team1 = {{Rut|Hurricanes|fb=y}}

| RD2-score1 = 29

| RD2-seed2 = 6

| RD2-team2 = {{Rut|Brumbies|fb=y}}

| RD2-score2 = 9

| RD2-text2 = 27 June 2015

| RD2-seed3 = 2

| RD2-team3 = {{Rut|Waratahs|fb=y}}

| RD2-score3 = 17

| RD2-seed4 = 4

| RD2-team4 = {{Rut|Highlanders|fb=y}}

| RD2-score4 = 35

| RD3-text1 = 4 July 2015

| RD3-team1 = {{Rut|Hurricanes|fb=y}}

| RD3-score1 = 14

| RD3-team2 = {{Rut|Highlanders|fb=y}}

| RD3-score2 = 21

}}

=Qualifiers=

{{rugbybox collapsible

| date = 20 June 2015

| time = 19:35

| home = {{Rut|Highlanders}}

| score = 24–14

| report = Report{{cite web | url=http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/highlanders-move-on-to-semi-finals/ | title=Highlanders move on to semi-finals | work=SANZAR | date=20 June 2015 | accessdate=27 June 2015}}
Scoreboard{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=136884 | homeid=23304 | awayid=23284 | leagueid=2174 | hometeam=Highlanders | homescore=24 | awayscore=14 | awayteam=Chiefs | matchdate=20 June 2015 | date=31 May 2016}}

| away = {{Rut|Chiefs}}

| try1 = Waisake Naholo {{try|24|43}}

| con1 = Lima Sopoaga {{kick|44}} (1/2)

| pen1 = Lima Sopoaga {{kick|6|57|66|80}} (4/4)

| drop1 = Waisake Naholo (0/1)

| cards1 =

| try2 = Brodie Retallick {{try|60}}

| con2 = Andrew Horrell (0/1)

| pen2 = Andrew Horrell {{kick|8|28|40}} (3/5)

| drop2 =

| cards2 =

| stadium = {{Rus|Forsyth Barr Stadium}}

| attendance = 22,500

| referee = Chris Pollock

}}

{{rugbybox collapsible

| date = 20 June 2015

| time = 17:05

| home = {{Rut|Stormers}}

| score = 19–39

| report = Report{{cite web | url=http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/six-try-brumbies-stun-the-stormers/ | title=Six-try Brumbies stun the Stormers | work=SANZAR | date=21 June 2015 | accessdate=27 June 2015}}
Scoreboard{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=136874 | homeid=23224 | awayid=23324 | leagueid=2174 | hometeam=DHL Stormers | homescore=19 | awayscore=39 | awayteam=Brumbies | matchdate=20 June 2015 | date=31 May 2016}}

| away = {{Rut|Brumbies}}

| try1 = Cheslin Kolbe {{try|45}}

| con1 = Demetri Catrakilis {{kick|46}} (1/1)

| pen1 = Demetri Catrakilis {{kick|13|34|49|60}} (4/4)

| drop1 =

| cards1 =

| try2 = Joe Tomane {{try|4|15|25}}
Scott Sio {{try|40}}
Ita Vaea {{try|63}}
Jesse Mogg {{try|79}}

| con2 = Christian Lealiifano {{kick|26|40|64}} (3/6)

| pen2 = Christian Lealiifano {{kick|51}} (1/1)

| drop2 =

| cards2 = Henry Speight {{Sent off|0|74}}
Scott Fardy {{yel|75}}

| stadium = {{Rus|Newlands Stadium}}

| attendance =

| referee = Jaco Peyper

}}

=Semi-finals=

{{rugbybox collapsible

| date = 27 June 2015

| time = 19:35

| home = {{Rut|Hurricanes}}

| score = 29–9

| report = Report{{cite web | url=http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/hurricanes-surge-into-super-rugby-final/ | title=Hurricanes surge into Super Rugby Final | work=SANZAR | date=27 June 2015 | accessdate=27 June 2015}}
Scoreboard{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=136894 | homeid=23314 | awayid=23324 | leagueid=2174 | hometeam=Hurricanes | homescore=29 | awayscore=9 | awayteam=Brumbies | matchdate=27 June 2015 | date=31 May 2016}}

| away = {{Rut|Brumbies}}

| try1 = Julian Savea {{try|21}}
TJ Perenara {{try|28}}
Ardie Savea {{try|43}}
Matt Proctor {{try|74}}

| con1 = Beauden Barrett {{kick|29}} (1/2)
James Marshall {{kick|44|75}} (2/2)

| pen1 = Beauden Barrett (0/1)
James Marshall {{kick|66}} (1/2)

| drop1 =

| cards1 =

| try2 =

| con2 =

| pen2 = Jesse Mogg {{kick|40}} (1/1)
Christian Lealiifano {{kick|50|57}} (2/2)

| drop2 =

| cards2 =

| stadium = {{Rus|Westpac Stadium}}

| attendance = 34,500

| referee = Glen Jackson

}}

{{rugbybox collapsible

| date = 27 June 2015

| time = 19:55

| home = {{Rut|Waratahs}}

| score = 17–35

| report = Report
Scoreboard{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=136904 | homeid=23334 | awayid=23304 | leagueid=2174 | hometeam=Waratahs | homescore=17 | awayscore=35 | awayteam=Highlanders | matchdate=27 June 2015 | date=31 May 2016}}

| away = {{Rut|Highlanders}}

| try1 = Rob Horne {{try|11}}

| con1 = Bernard Foley (0/1)

| pen1 = Bernard Foley {{kick|23|31|37|51}} (4/4)

| drop1 =

| cards1 = Jacques Potgieter {{sin bin|58|68}}

| try2 = Aaron Smith {{try|19}}
Richard Buckman {{try|33}}
Waisake Naholo {{try|53}}
penalty try {{try|58}}
Patrick Osborne {{try|78}}

| con2 = Ben Smith (0/1)
Lima Sopoaga {{kick|34|59}} (2/4)

| pen2 = Lima Sopoaga {{kick|5}} (1/3)

| drop2 = Lima Sopoaga {{kick|75}} (1/2)

| cards2 =

| stadium = {{Rus|san=Sydney Football Stadium (1988)|s=Allianz Stadium|sl=Sydney|slan=Sydney}}

| attendance = 32,632

| referee = Craig Joubert

}}

Final

{{Rugbybox

| date = 4 July 2015

| time = 19:35

| home = {{Rut|Hurricanes}}

| score = 14–21

| report = Report{{cite web| url=http://www.sanzarrugby.com/superrugby/news/highlanders-stun-the-canes-to-claim-title | title=Highlanders stun the 'Canes to claim title | work=SANZAR | date=4 July 2015 | access-date=5 July 2015}}
Scoreboard{{SA Rugby Match Centre | id=136914 | homeid=23314 | awayid=23304 | leagueid=2174 | hometeam=Hurricanes | homescore=14 | awayscore=21 | awayteam=Highlanders | matchdate=4 July 2015 | date=5 May 2016}}

| away = {{Rut|Highlanders}}

| try1 = Ma'a Nonu {{try|36}}

| con1 = Beauden Barrett (0/1)

| pen1 = Beauden Barrett {{kick|42|54|67}} (3/5)

| drop1 =

| cards1 =

| try2 = Elliot Dixon {{try|40}}
Waisake Naholo {{try|47}}

| con2 = Lima Sopoaga {{kick|40}} (1/2)

| pen2 = Lima Sopoaga {{kick|5|29}} (2/3)

| drop2 = Lima Sopoaga (0/1)
Marty Banks {{kick|78}} (1/1)

| cards2 =

| stadium = {{Rus|Westpac Stadium}}