Match of the day: The FIRST Final

WATCH as we bring you the first-ever Super Rugby Final.

It took place at Ellis Park on 22 May 1993 – when Transvaal beat Auckland 20-17.

The misanthropes and belittlers will tell you it was NOT Super Rugby, that Super Rugby only started with the professional era in 1996.

To vindicate our claim that we are justified in adding the epithet ‘Super’, we will point to the name of the competition – Super 10. This was followed by Super 12, Super 14, Super 15 and Super Rugby (Super 18).

However, we are also going to list the teams of the day to ensure the disputants can understand the quality of the sides in the Final.

These two teams formed the backbone of the South African and New Zealand teams that met in the World Cup Final two years later – Japie Mulder, Hennie le Roux, Francois Pienaar, Hannes Strydom, Kobus Wiese, Balie Swart, Rudolf Straeuli and Johan Roux (SA), Zinzan Brooke, Robin Brooke, Olo Brown, Sean Fitzpatrick and Craig Dowd (NZ).

Eleven of the players in the Auckland team accompanied the All Black team on the year-end tour to Britain – Shane Howarth, Va’aiga Tuigamala, Eroni Clarke, Lee Stensness, Craig Dowd, Olo Brown, Sean Fitzpatrick, Robin Brooke, Ian Jones, Richard Fromont and
Zinzan Brooke.

Transvaal 20 Auckland 17

Scorers:

For Transvaal:
Tries: Schmidt 2, Pienaar
Con: Van Rensburg
Pen: Van Rensburg

For Auckland:
Tries: Tuigamala, Stensness
Cons: Fox 2
Pen: Fox

Teams

Transvaal: Theo van Rensburg, Pieter Hendriks, Bernard Fourie, Japie Mulder, Chris Dirks, Hennie le Roux, Johann Roux, Deon Lötter, Francois Pienaar (captain), Ian Macdonald, Kobus Wiese, Hannes Strydom, Johan le Roux, Uli Schmidt, Balie Swart

Auckland: Shane Howarth, Terry Wright, Eroni Clarke, Lee Stensness, Va’aiga Tuigamala, Grant Fox, Nu Nu’uali’itia, Michael Jones, Brendan Jackson (replaced by Zinzan Brooke), Mark Carter, Robin Brooke, Richard Fromont, Olo Brown, Sean Fitzpatrick (captain), Craig Dowd

Sources: Real Rugby & @rugby365com

Transvaal Super 10 highlights