2014 Rugby Championship
| Date | 16 August 2014 – 4 October 2014 |
|---|---|
| Countries |
 Argentina Australia New Zealand South Africa
|
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
New Zealand (3rd title)
|
| Bledisloe Cup |
New Zealand
|
| Freedom Cup |
New Zealand
|
| Mandela Challenge Plate |
South Africa
|
| Puma Trophy |
Australia
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Tries scored | 50 (4.17 per match) |
| Attendance | 430,582 (35,882 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Nicolás Sánchez (52) |
| Most tries |
Julian Savea (4) |
|
← 2013
2015 →
|
|
The 2014 Rugby Championship was the third edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The tournament was won by New Zealand, with South Africa second, Australia third, and Argentina last.
The Championship began on 16 August with Australia hosting the defending champions, New Zealand, at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney and South Africa hosting Argentina at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. The tournament continued for seven weeks, which included two byes, and concluded on 5 October with South Africa versus New Zealand at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg and Argentina versus Australia at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
On 27 September, New Zealand clinched their third consecutive Championship after a bonus-point 34–13 win against Argentina in La Plata. The 2014 Rugby Championship was the first in which New Zealand failed to win all their matches – they drew with Australia in Week 1 and lost to South Africa in Week 6. It also saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17 in the last match of the tournament.
The format for the 2014 tournament was the same as that for the 2012 and 2013 editions. Each side played the other once at home, and once away; giving a total of six matches each, and twelve in total. A win earns a team four points, a draw two points, and a loss no points. A bonus point can be earned one of two ways: by scoring four tries or more in a match, or by losing within seven points. The competition winner is the side with the most points at the end of the tournament, however if two sides finish equal on points the side with the most wins is placed higher.
The first match of the championship was between New Zealand (also known as the All Blacks) and Australia (the Wallabies) in Sydney, Australia. The fixture doubled as a Bledisloe Cup match, and ended as a 12–12 draw. The All Blacks started stronger, and led 9–3 at half time, but Australia were much better in the second half. New Zealand had two players temporarily sent-off after being awarded yellow cards, but Australia were unable to capitalize on that advantage during their late dominance. All points were scored from penalties – four from each side. The draw ended a 17-match winning streak by the All Blacks. The following week both side met in their second Bledisloe Cup match of the Championship (the third is played following the tournament), but this time at Eden Park in New Zealand. The match was comfortably won by New Zealand 51–20, whose scored six tries to Australia's two. The All Blacks were regarded as the more physical of the two teams, and scored two tries from mauls. The win meant that New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup (Australia needed to win the three-match series to regain the cup).
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