(Redirected from Tri Nations Series)
The Tri Nations Trophy
The 'Tri Nations' is an annual international
rugby union series held between
Australia's '''
Wallabies''',
New Zealand's '''
All Blacks''' and
South Africa's '''
Springboks'''. The series is played on a home-and-away basis. Originally the three nations played each other twice but that was changed to three times, beginning in
2006. The competition is organized by
SANZAR, a consortium formed by the rugby governing bodies of
Australia's ARU,
New Zealand's NZRFU and
South Africa's SARU.
The first tournament was contested in 1996 and was won by the All Blacks. Since the inception of the Tri Nations series the games played between Australia and New Zealand also determine the winner of the
Bledisloe Cup each year.
History
Beginnings
Australia and New Zealand first played each other in 1903. South Africa toured both nations in 1921 but there was never any formal competition in place, unlike the
Home Nations (now known as the
Six Nations Championship) in the northern hemisphere. For years the southern nations longed for a competition like the Home Nations.
[1] The three nations met sporadically with Australia and New Zealand meeting regularly to contest the
Bledisloe Cup. The birth of the
Rugby World Cup in
1987 was a step closer to the modern-day Tri Nations Series—due to
apartheid South Africa would not compete in the World Cup until
1995.
Professionalism
The final acceptance of professionalism launched the Tri Nations concept.
Nearing the completion of the
1995 Rugby World Cup, multi-million pound negotiations between the South African, New Zealand and Australian unions took place to form
SANZAR. The new union soon announced a ten-year deal worth £360 million. The competition was established to create an equivalent to the Five Nations in Europe.
[2] The opening tournament of 1996 was dominated by the All Blacks who stormed to victory undefeated, leaving the Springboks and the Wallabies with just one win each—against each other. The opening exchange was between New Zealand and Australia, New Zealand winning by over 40 points and, although they won all four of their games, the later matches were a lot closer in their scorelines. The launch of the Tri Nations was considered a huge success.
A similar story unfolded the following year. The All Blacks maintained their dominance over the new competition and again went undefeated. Australia and South Africa found themselves in similar position again with just one win each. The 1998 series was something of a turnaround for all nations with South Africa winning the tournament and Australia finishing second. Two-time winner New Zealand finished at the bottom with no wins. In the following tournament New Zealand again became Tri Nations champions and defending champions South Africa fell to the bottom.
To the present
Australia, the World Champions at the time, won their first Tri Nations championship in 2000. That tournament is also notable for Australia’s opening match against New Zealand at
Stadium Australia where 109,874 spectators attended.
[3] Jonah Lomu scored a try in injury time to grab the win for the All Blacks. The game was hailed as one of the greatest ever,
and the end competition thought by some to be the best Tri Nations ever at the time.
[4]
Australia continued their reign as Tri Nations champions by successfully defending the trophy the following year. Their run ended in 2002 when the All Blacks won the championship again. New Zealand successfully defended it in 2003 as well. South Africa won the 2004 tournament where the three nations finished with two wins each. The Springboks emerged as winners due to their superior table points. The trophy returned to New Zealand in 2005 and the Wallabies failed to win a game. In 2006 New Zealand retained the trophy with 2 games still to be played. In 2007, the Tri Nations was shortened to two games against either team, because, it clashed with the Rugby World Cup, in France. The Tri Nations championship and the Bledisloe Cup came down to the final match, between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park. New Zealand ran out easy winners, and lifted both the trophies. There was some controversy as all the teams fielded less than full strength squads in anticipation of the World Cup.
Expansion
The competition was expanded in 2006 and sees each of the three nations play each other three times, although the 2007 series reverted to a double round-robin to reduce fixture congestion in a
World Cup year. The expanded format has, thus far. Historically there have been persistent rumours about the inclusion of Argentina
[5] into this competition but no official word has ever been released. As well as Argentina, there have also been rumors about a Pacific Islands team being inclued too.
[6]
Argentina is the only top nation that has no regular competition, and some, among them current Pumas captain
Agustín Pichot,
[7] have even spoke of them joining the Six Nations. However an ambassador said "We belong in a tournament in the southern hemisphere and not in an expanded Six Nations". The inclusion of Argentina does have some support from some bodies, SARU deputy chief executive saying "We would support (their) request to play in the Tri-Nations,”. Springbok coach Jake White also said that "I think it would add a new dimension to the tournament and perhaps refresh it."
In a newer development, ''
The Sunday Times'' reported in February 2007 that the
International Rugby Board (IRB), the world governing body for the sport, has been brokering a deal with SANZAR to admit Argentina to the Tri Nations as early as 2008.
[8] ''The Sunday Times'' reported that many players and fans in the SANZAR countries disliked the expansion to a triple round-robin, noting that former All Blacks scrum-half
Justin Marshall accused SANZAR of overkill in 2006. Also, the piece added that South Africa is highly dissatisfied with the current Tri Nations format, as it requires that the Boks tour for a month while the Wallabies and All Blacks fly in and out of South Africa in a week. The addition of Argentina would even out travel commitments for all teams involved. ''The Sunday Times'' noted that there are two main stumbling blocks to adding Argentina:
★ Division of broadcast revenue, which is currently shared equally by the three SANZAR countries.
★ The biggest stumbling block may be the
Argentine Rugby Union (UAR). ''The Times'' noted that some UAR members are "deeply attached to amateurism", adding that the IRB had a blueprint on the table for a South American provincial competition similar to SANZAR's
Super 14, featuring six Argentine provincial sides and one each from Uruguay and Chile, but UAR had yet to approve it.
Competition
The order of fixtures has changed several times in the history of the series. In the past each team played the others twice. After some tweaking of the schedule it was decided to start the series with two fixtures in either South Africa or New Zealand and move the series to the country that did not host the opening rounds. Under this setup Australia's home fixtures were always the middle two in the series.
The recent reworking of the calendar took effect with the
2006 event. This was the result of a new television deal between SANZAR and broadcasters in the
United Kingdom and the SANZAR countries. Each team plays the other three times. In 2006 the series opened in New Zealand and the first four rounds alternated between New Zealand and Australia. The fifth round was in Australia. After a one-week break the series returned to New Zealand and then finished with South Africa's three home fixtures. Each team has two home fixtures against one team and only one home fixture against the other.
The competition begins in July. Originally it had started late in July but, with the expansion of the series, the start date has moved to early in the month. It typically ends early in September. The Tri Nations opens after the completion of the
Super 14 competition for the year because players from the SANZAR countries are involved in both.
The winner is determined by a points system:
★ 4 points for a win
★ 2 points for a draw
★ 0 points for a loss
"Bonus points" may also be earned in any given match and count toward deciding the series winner. A team may earn one bonus point in each of the following ways (to a total of two points):
★ By scoring four or more tries in the match, regardless of the final result of the match.
★ By losing by seven points (a converted try) or fewer.
A victorious team can collect either 4 or 5 points, depending on whether or not it scored 4 tries. A losing team may collect from 0 to 2 points. At the end of the series the team with the most points is declared the winner. If teams end level on points the first tiebreaker is point differential, followed by number of tries during the series. However, the Tri Nations has yet to finish in a tie for the top spot.
Results
Main articles: Tri Nations Series champions
| Year | Winner | Games
played | Games
won | Games
drawn | Games
lost | Points
for | Points
against | Points
difference | Bonus
points | Table
points |
|---|
| 1996 | | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 60 | (+) 59 | 1 | '17' |
| 1997 | | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 159 | 109 | (+) 50 | 2 | '18' |
| 1998 | | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 54 | (+) 26 | 1 | '17' |
| 1999 | | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 103 | 61 | (+) 42 | 0 | '12' |
| 2000 | | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 104 | 86 | (+) 18 | 2 | '14' |
| 2001 | | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 81 | 75 | (+) 6 | 1 | '11' |
| 2002 | | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 65 | (+) 32 | 3 | '15' |
| 2003 | | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 65 | (+) 77 | 2 | '18' |
| 2004 | | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 110 | 98 | (+) 12 | 3 | '11' |
| 2005 | | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 111 | 86 | (+) 25 | 3 | '15' |
| 2006 | | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 179 | 112 | (+) 67 | 3 | '23' |
| 2007 | | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 59 | (+) 41 | 1 | '13' |
All time table
Records and statistics
Try scorers
This lists try scorers up to and including the final match of the 2007 Tri Nations Series.
''Sixteen'':
Christian Cullen (NZ)
''Thirteen'':
Doug Howlett (NZ),
Joe Rokocoko (NZ)
''Nine'':
Justin Marshall (NZ)
''Eight'':
Joe Roff (Aus)
''Seven'':
Matt Burke (Aus),
Chris Latham (Aus),
Stirling Mortlock (Aus),
Lote Tuqiri (Aus),
Breyton Paulse (SA)
''Six'':
Stephen Larkham (Aus),
Ben Tune (Aus),
Richie McCaw (NZ),
Marius Joubert (SA)
''Five'':
Mat Rogers (Aus),
Tana Umaga (NZ),
Jeff Wilson (NZ),
Jaque Fourie (SA),
''Four'':
Matt Giteau (Aus),
George Gregan (Aus),
Frank Bunce (NZ),
Jonah Lomu (NZ),
Jean de Villiers (SA),
Fourie du Preez (SA),
Bryan Habana (SA),
Percy Montgomery (SA),
Bob Skinstad (SA),
Joost van der Westhuizen (SA)
''Three'':
Mark Gerrard (Aus),
Jason Little (Aus),
Jeremy Paul (Aus),
George Smith (Aus),
Pita Alatini (NZ),
Daniel Carter (NZ),
Rico Gear (NZ),
Aaron Mauger (NZ),
Keven Mealamu (NZ),
Taine Randell (NZ),
Carlos Spencer (NZ),
Mark Andrews (SA),
Robbie Fleck (SA),
Pieter Rossouw (SA),
Brent Russell (SA)
''Two'':
Mark Chisholm (Aus),
Tim Horan (Aus),
Toutai Kefu (Aus),
Clyde Rathbone (Aus),
Wendell Sailor (Aus),
Phil Waugh (Aus), Penalty tries (NZ),
Leon MacDonald (NZ),
Luke McAlister (NZ),
Mils Muliaina (NZ),
Piri Weepu (NZ),
Tony Woodcock (NZ),
James Dalton (SA),
Jannie de Beer (SA),
Os du Randt (SA),
Werner Greeff (SA),
Victor Matfield (SA),
Werner Swanepoel (SA),
Joe van Niekerk (SA)
''One'': Penalty try (Aus),
Adam Ashley-Cooper (Aus),
Tom Bowman (Aus),
Brendan Cannon (Aus),
Mark Connors (Aus),
Rocky Elsom (Aus),
Scott Fava (Aus),
Nathan Grey (Aus),
Dan Herbert (Aus),
Stephen Hoiles (Aus),
Greg Holmes (Aus),
Lloyd Johansson (Aus),
David Knox (Aus),
Daniel Manu (Aus),
Drew Mitchell (Aus),
Nathan Sharpe (Aus),
Scott Staniforth (Aus),
Zinzan Brooke (NZ),
Craig Dowd (NZ),
Jason Eaton (NZ),
Nick Evans (NZ),
Mark Hammett (NZ),
Alama Ieremia (NZ),
Chris Jack (NZ),
Ian Jones (NZ),
Michael Jones (NZ),
Josh Kronfeld (NZ),
Brendon Leonard (NZ),
Kees Meeuws (NZ),
Andrew Mehrtens (NZ),
Glen Osborne (NZ),
Scott Robertson (NZ),
Sitiveni Sivivatu (NZ),
Reuben Thorne (NZ),
Neemia Tialata (NZ),
Isaia Toeava (NZ),
Richard Bands (SA),
Russell Bennett (SA),
Warren Brosnihan (SA),
Schalk Burger (SA),
Jacques Cronjé (SA),
Neil de Kock (SA),
Thinus Delport (SA),
Naka Drotske (SA),
Gaffie du Toit (SA),
Johan Erasmus (SA),
Adrian Garvey (SA),
Pieter Hendriks (SA),
Butch James (SA),
Enrico Januarie (SA),
Andre Joubert (SA),
Ruben Kruger (SA),
Japie Mulder (SA),
André Pretorius (SA),
Andre Snyman (SA),
Joel Stransky (SA),
Gary Teichmann (SA),
Stefan Terblanche (SA),
Jaco van der Westhuyzen (SA),
Wikus van Heerden (SA),
Pedrie Wannenburg (SA),
Ashwin Willemse (SA),
Chester Williams (SA)
Top point scorers
This lists the top ten point scorers up to and including the final match of the 2007 Tri Nations Series.
#
Andrew Mehrtens (NZ) - '328' (1 try, 34 conv, 82 pen, 3 drop)
#
Matt Burke (Aus) - '271' (7 tries, 19 conv, 65 pen, 1 drop)
#
Daniel Carter (NZ) - '230' (3 tries, 25 conv, 54 pen, 1 drop)
#
Percy Montgomery (SA) - '195' (4 tries, 23 conv, 40 pen, 3 drop)
#
Stirling Mortlock (Aus) - '188' (7 tries, 21 conv, 37 pen)
#
Carlos Spencer (NZ) - '153' (3 tries, 21 conv, 32 pen)
#
Braam van Straaten (SA) - '94' (5 conv, 28 pen)
#
Christian Cullen (NZ) - '80' (16 tries)
#
Matt Giteau (Aus) - '75' (4 tries, 8 conv, 12 pen, 1 drop)
#
Jannie de Beer (SA) - '69' (2 tries, 13 conv, 9 pen, 2 drop)
See also
★
All Blacks
★
Springboks
★
Wallabies
★
Six Nations Championship
References
1. History of the Tri Nations
2. About the Tri Nations
3. Lomu clinches Tri-Nations epic
4. Tri Nations rugby, 2000
5. Argentina accuse New Zealand of dirty tricks
6. IRB boss wants Argentina in Tri-Nations
7. "Six Nations would be magnificent seven with us, pleads Pichot", ''Western Mail'', 19 June 2006.
8. Ambitious Argentina poised to secure TriNations place
External links
★
Tri Nations News
★
The Rugby Forum - World Class Tri-Nations Rugby discussion
★
Tri Nations News from rugby.com.au
★
FOX Sports Australia Rugby Union Tri-Nations section
★
Tri nations news from Planet Rugby
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