Super Rugby Trophy

The Super Rugby Trophy is a sterling silver trophy awarded to the winner of the Super Rugby, a rugby union competition, final.[1] Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith in Nelson, New Zealand, made the trophy by hand.[2] The same workshop made the gold ring in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.[2] Three different silversmiths constructed the trophy. This required soldering together a number of silver sheets as well as sanding, buffing and polishing. The trophy is 49 cm high and weighs 2.7 kg.

The trophy was unveiled in Wellington for the first time on Tuesday, 7 February 2006. The public was able to view the trophy for the first time on 10 February when the Blues played the Hurricanes in the Super 14's opening match in Auckland. The 2006 Super 14 season was the first season that the trophy was used.

The trophy has the Super 14 logo on a globe, on a four-sided twisted spiral. Fraser Holland, the New Zealand Rugby Union sponsorship and marketing manager, oversaw the construction of the trophy. He said that the SANZAR unions were happy to have a new trophy to launch the expanded competition.

"We also wanted to move away from the traditional cup-style trophy and have a dynamic trophy to reflect the spirit of the Super 14. I think the designers have certainly achieved that - it's a superbly crafted, iconic trophy with a definite international look about it," Holland said.

The Super Rugby trophy, the trophy is a rotating trophy, held only during the offseason and returned to the competition organisers in time for it to be awarded to the next season's champions. The trophy was first awarded to the Crusaders after winning the 2006 Super 14 Final.

On 30 June 2011, SANZAR unveiled the new trophy that will be presented to the winners of the Super Rugby final scheduled for Saturday, 9 July 2011.[3]

The trophy, which will be in use from 2011 and beyond, was crafted from solid stainless steel and polished to a mirror finish. It has a height of 65 cm and a mass of 18 kilograms.[4]

The trophy was designed by the company responsible for the 2000 Olympic Torch, Blue Sky Design of Sydney. The trophy was manufactured by Box and Dice Pty Ltd also based in Sydney.[5]

SANZAR CEO, Greg Peters, said "The shape of the trophy is centred around three curved legs, each representing the Conferences involved in the Super Rugby competition."[6]

According to Peters, "The champions trophy is the 'big one', and will become the ultimate symbol of Super Rugby supremacy in the years to come."[7]

The colour on each leg corresponds to the Conferences with gold for Australia, black for New Zealand, and green for South Africa.[8]

The Reds of Australia, the Stormers of South Africa and the Crusaders of New Zealand were the winners of their respective conferences and were each presented with a scaled-down copy of the trophy.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New trophy unveiled for Rebel Sport Super 14". Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold and Silversmith. February 7, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2011. The new Super 14 trophy, unveiled in Wellington, New Zealand, today, is made of sterling silver and features a globe incorporating the new Super 14 logo sitting atop a four-sided twisting spire.
  2. 1 2 "New trophy unveiled for Rebel Sport Super 14". Jens Hansen Contemporary Gold and Silversmith. February 7, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2011. The trophy was handmade by one of New Zealand’s leading gold and silversmith workshops, Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith from Nelson, New Zealand, who achieved fame when they designed and made the famous gold ring for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
  3. ↑ "New S15 trophy unveiled". Sport24. June 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011. The new trophy that will be presented to the inaugural Vodacom Super Rugby champions on 9 July 2011 has been unveiled by SANZAR.
  4. ↑ "New S15 trophy unveiled". Sport24. June 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011. The trophy is made from solid stainless steel, stands 65 cm tall, weighs 18 kilograms and will be the symbol of Vodacom Super Rugby success from 2011 and beyond.
  5. ↑ "New S15 trophy unveiled". Sport24. June 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011. The trophy was designed by leading Sydney-based consultancy, Blue Sky, and manufactured by Box & Dice, a specialised prototype and production company, also based in Sydney. The two companies have worked on a number of multi-award winning design projects, amongst them the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch.
  6. ↑ "New S15 trophy unveiled". Sport24. June 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011. "The shape of the trophy is centred around three curved legs, each representing the Conferences involved in the Super Rugby competition," said SANZAR CEO, Greg Peters.
  7. ↑ "New S15 trophy unveiled". Sport24. June 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011. "The champions trophy is the 'big one', and will become the ultimate symbol of Super Rugby supremacy in the years to come".
  8. ↑ "New S15 trophy unveiled". Sport24. June 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011. Bold colours on each leg correspond to the Conferences with gold for Australia, black for New Zealand, and green for the South African Conference.
  9. ↑ "New S15 trophy unveiled". Sport24. June 30, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011. "Already, the respective Conference winners – the Reds (Australia), Stormers (SA) and Crusaders (NZ) have been presented with similar, scaled-down trophies for their achievements during the regular season," Peters said.

External links

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