The 2003 Super 12 season was the eighth season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2003, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi finals, with the first placed team playing the fourth and the second placed team playing the third. The winner of each semi final qualified for the final, which was contested by the Blues and the Crusaders at Eden Park, Auckland. The Blues won 21–17 to win their third Super 12 title, and their first since 1997, it was their first Grand Final appearance since 1998.
| 2003 Super 12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries |  Australia South Africa New Zealand | ||
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout | ||
| Champions | Auckland Blues (3rd title) | ||
| Matches played | 69 | ||
| Attendance | 1,686,678 (24,445 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Carlos Spencer (143) (Auckland Blues) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Doug Howlett (12) (Auckland Blues) | ||
| |||
Table
edit| Top four teams advance to playoffs. |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blues
|
11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 393 | 185 | +208 | 9 | 49 |
| 2 | Crusaders
|
11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 360 | 263 | +97 | 8 | 40 |
| 3 | Hurricanes
|
11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 324 | 277 | +47 | 7 | 35 |
| 4 | Brumbies
|
11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 358 | 313 | +45 | 7 | 31 |
| 5 | Waratahs
|
11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 313 | 344 | −31 | 7 | 31 |
| 6 | Bulls
|
11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 320 | 354 | −34 | 5 | 30 |
| 7 | Highlanders
|
11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 287 | 246 | +41 | 5 | 29 |
| 8 | Reds
|
11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 281 | 318 | −37 | 6 | 26 |
| 9 | Stormers
|
11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 255 | 353 | −98 | 3 | 23 |
| 10 | Chiefs
|
11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 257 | 274 | −17 | 9 | 17 |
| 11 | Sharks
|
11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 239 | 306 | −67 | 5 | 17 |
| 12 | Cats
|
11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 259 | 398 | −139 | 4 | 12 |
Results
editRound 1
edit| 21 February 2003 19:35 |
| Waikato Chiefs | 16–29 | Otago Highlanders |
| Try: Paul Miller Con: Glen Jackson Pen: Glen Jackson (3) | Try: Aisea Tuilevu Pen: Willie Walker (8) |
| Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Attendance: 12,000 |
| 21 February 2003 19:40 |
| NSW Waratahs | 18–31 | Auckland Blues |
| Try: Morgan Turinui Duncan McRae Con: Matt Burke (1/2) Pen: Matt Burke (3) | Try: Rupeni Caucaunibuca (2) Joe Rokocoko David Gibson Con: Orene Ai'i (1/4) Pen: Orene Ai'i (3) |
| Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 27,247 |
| 21 February 2003 17:05 |
| Golden Cats | 26–34 | Northern Bulls |
| Try: Gcobani Bobo Friedrich Lombard Con: André Pretorius (2/2) Pen: André Pretorius (4) | Try: Joost van der Westhuizen Con: Louis Koen (1/1) Pen: Louis Koen (6) Drop: Louis Koen (3) |
| Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Attendance: 9,937 |
| 21 February 2003 19:10 |
| Stormers | 40–18 | Coastal Sharks |
| Con: Chris Rossouw (3/5) Pen: Chris Rossouw (3) | Pen: Butch James |
| Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 44,533 |
| 22 February 2003 19:35 |
| Canterbury Crusaders | 37–21 | Wellington Hurricanes |
| Try: Dan Carter (2) Caleb Ralph Marika Vunibaka Aaron Mauger Con: Leon MacDonald (3/5) Pen: Leon MacDonald (2) | Try: Ma'a Nonu Joe Ward Con: Riki Flutey (1/2) Pen: Riki Flutey (3) |
| Jade Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 30,000 |
| 22 February 2003 18:40 |
| Queensland Reds | 19–22 | ACT Brumbies |
| Try: Chris Latham Con: Julian Huxley (1/1) Pen: Julian Huxley (4) | Try: Joe Roff Con: Stirling Mortlock (1/1) Pen: Stirling Mortlock (5) |
| Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 18,000 |
Round 2
edit| 28 February 2003 19:35 |
| Canterbury Crusaders | 34–6 | Queensland Reds |
| Pen: Elton Flatley(2) |
| Jade Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 23,000 Referee: Mark Lawrence |
Round 3
edit| 7 March 2003 18:00 |
| Otago Highlanders | 29–22 | Northern Bulls |
| Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill Attendance: 14,500 |
| 7 March 2003 20:00 |
| Wellington Hurricanes | 33–18 | Stormers |
| Westpac Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 25,600[1] |
| 8 March 2003 19:35 |
| Auckland Blues | 39–5 | Canterbury Crusaders |
| North Harbour Stadium, Auckland Attendance: 23,000 |
Round 4
edit| 14 March 2003 19:35 |
| Canterbury Crusaders | 36–29 | Waikato Chiefs |
| Jade Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Steve Walsh |
| 14 March 2003 19:10 |
| Coastal Sharks | 20–35 | Wellington Hurricanes |
| Kings Park Stadium, Durban Attendance: 32,000 |
| 15 March 2003 19:40 |
| NSW Waratahs | 26–16 | Northern Bulls |
| Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 28,587 |
| 15 March 2003 17:05 |
| Golden Cats | 33–21 | Otago Highlanders |
| Ellis Park, Johannesburg Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Stuart Dickinson |
Round 5
edit| 21 March 2003 19:10 |
| Coastal Sharks | 19–23 | Otago Highlanders |
| Kings Park Stadium, Durban Attendance: 26,550 |
| 22 March 2003 17:05 |
| Golden Cats | 21–28 | Wellington Hurricanes |
| Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Attendance: 15,000 |
Round 6
edit| 29 March 2003 20:10 |
| NSW Waratahs | 23–35 | Queensland Reds |
| Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 35,612 |
| 29 March 2003 17:00 |
| Otago Highlanders | 16–17 | Canterbury Crusaders |
| Carisbrook, Dunedin Attendance: 29,376[2] |
| 29 March 2003 19:05 |
| Wellington Hurricanes | 24–14 | Waikato Chiefs |
| Westpac Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 29,700[1] |
Round 7
edit| 4 April 2003 20:00 |
| Queensland Reds | 23–26 | Wellington Hurricanes |
| Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 22,450 |
| 5 April 2003 19:40 |
| NSW Waratahs | 34–31 | Canterbury Crusaders |
| Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 32,960 |
Round 8
edit| 11 April 2003 19:35 |
| Wellington Hurricanes | 42–26 | NSW Waratahs |
| Westpac Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 30,400[1] |
| 12 April 2003 19:35 |
| Canterbury Crusaders | 65–34 | Golden Cats |
| Jade Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 25,600 |
Round 9
edit| 18 April 2003 19:35 |
| Canterbury Crusaders | 23–18 | Coastal Sharks |
| Jade Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 23,000 |
| 19 April 2003 17:30 |
| Waikato Chiefs | 40–9 | Golden Cats |
| Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua Attendance: 7,000 |
| 19 April 2003 19:35 |
| Wellington Hurricanes | 37–15 | Otago Highlanders |
| Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth Attendance: 15,647 |
Round 10
edit| 26 April 2003 15:00 |
| Northern Bulls | 32–31 | Canterbury Crusaders |
| Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Attendance: 24,107 |
Round 11
edit| 3 May 2003 19:35 |
| Wellington Hurricanes | 27–35 | ACT Brumbies |
| Westpac Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 34,500[1] |
Round 12
edit| 10 May 2003 17:35 |
| Queensland Reds | 28–23 | Otago Highlanders |
| Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 21,100 |
Finals
editSemi finals
edit| 16 May 2003 19:35 |
| Canterbury Crusaders | 39–16 | Wellington Hurricanes |
| Jade Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 33,500 |
Grand final
edit| 24 May 2003 19:35 |
| Auckland Blues | 21–17 | Canterbury Crusaders |
| Try: Braid Howlett Con: Spencer (1/2) Pen: Spencer (3) | Try: Hammett (2) Ralph Con: Carter (0/1) Mehrtens (1/2) |
| Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 45,000[3] |
         Blues
|
    Crusaders
|
Attendances
edit| Team | Main stadium | Capacity | Total attendance | Average attendance | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blues |
Eden Park | 50,000 | 236,000 | 29,500 | 66% |
| Chiefs |
Waikato Stadium | 25,800 | 49,000 | 9,800 | 37% |
| Hurricanes |
Westpac Stadium | 34,500 | 145,847 | 24,307 | 77% |
| Crusaders |
Jade Stadium | 36,500 | 150,100 | 25,016 | 68% |
| Highlanders |
Carisbrook | 29,000 | 111,876 | 18,646 | 68% |
| Reds |
Ballymore Stadium | 18,000 | 92,127 | 18,425 | 100% |
| Brumbies |
Canberra Stadium | 25,011 | 107,681 | 21,536 | 86% |
| Waratahs |
Sydney Football Stadium | 44,000 | 183,128 | 30,521 | 69% |
| Sharks |
Kings Park Stadium | 52,000 | 154,300 | 30,860 | 59% |
| Bulls |
Loftus Versfeld | 51,762 | 137,376 | 27,475 | 53% |
| Cats |
Ellis Park | 62,567 | 150,174 | 25,029 | 46% |
| Stormers |
Newlands Stadium | 51,900 | 178,558 | 29,759 | 57% |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Wellington Regional Stadium Trust (Inc) Annual Report 2003" (PDF). Sky Stadium.
- ^ "Rugby".
- ^ "Blues are Super 12 champs - Sport News".