Back 2006 Super 14-seisoen Afrikaans Saison 2006 von Super 14 German Súper Rugby 2006 Spanish Saison 2006 de Super 14 French Super 14 2006 Galician Super 14 2006 Italian Супер рагби 2006. Serbian
| 2006 Super 14 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries |  Australia South Africa New Zealand | ||
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and Knockout | ||
| Champions | Crusaders (6th title) | ||
| Matches played | 94 | ||
| Attendance | 2,321,833 (24,700 per match) | ||
| Tries scored | 447 (4.76 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Dan Carter (221; Crusaders) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Lome Fa'atau (10; Hurricanes) | ||
| |||
The 2006 Super 14 season started on 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the Western Force and the Cheetahs, join the Super 12/14. The addition of two new teams led to the name change from the Super 12. It was also the first year for a new Super 14 trophy.
The season saw the first joint commercial by the three SANZAR unions since 1996. The commercial was filmed in Ukraine and is set in a laundromat. The ad was attempting to draw interest, with the motto More teams, more games and more excitement at the end of the commercial. One player from each of the 14 teams was present, except for the Waratahs. A local extra named "Ouri" filled the role of Mat Rogers who injured his back in a test match for the Wallabies against Wales.
By the end of round twelve, critics began speculating that the pre-season favourites, the Crusaders, were losing their form after a draw against the winless Western Force and then a shock loss to the Stormers.[1] However they bounced back against the Bulls with a four-try bonus point victory. After a few results fell in their favour they were able to comfortably beat the Brumbies, and finished for the second consecutive season on top of the ladder. The Crusaders won the Super 14 after defeating the Hurricanes in Christchurch in the final, 19–12 in misty conditions. There was 94 matches held over three and a half months, with each team playing one full round robin against the 13 other teams and the playoffs involving two semi-finals and a final. Every team got one bye over the 14 rounds.