1996-2020 SUPER RUGBY IS TURNING 25 - GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS THE 25 TH YEAR OF SUPER RUGBY. IT HAS BEEN THROUGH MANY DIFFERENT FORMS, DELIVERING THE INCREDIBLE, THE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE AND AT TIMES, THE SOMEWHAT FORGETTABLE. WE HAVE SEEN SOME TEAMS COME AND GO; CAREERS LAUNCHED AND CAREERS KILLED. THERE HAVE BEEN LOCAL HEROES, FOREIGN STARS AND AS BEFITS A TOURNAMENT THAT HAS SPANNED ACROSS THE GLOBE, IT HAS JUMPED FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS.

10 MOST INFLUENTIAL PLAYERS

10: WILL GENIA

When he was in his absolute prime, Will Genia made games all about him. He personally dragged the Reds to the playoffs in 2010 and a year later, he pretty much won them a title.

That try he scored in the final was incredible – he ran through the entire Crusaders team.

9: AARON CRUDEN

The Chiefs were mostly hopeless for all of Super Rugby. Then Aaron Cruden pitched up in 2012 and they won a title. That says it all. They won another the following year with Cruden at No 10 and never failed to make the playoffs when he was around.

And the fact he’s back this year for one more campaign...makes the Chiefs way more dangerous.

8: VICTOR MATFIELD

A huge man who remains to this day arguably the greatest lineout forward there has ever been. He was at the core of the Bulls’ great period between 2007 and 2010 – captaining them to three titles.

7: DANIEL CARTER

The last years of Dan Carter’s Super Rugby career were disrupted by injury and by the lack of killer instinct shown by the Crusaders.

But he steered them to back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 and was at his peak in 2008 when they cruised to their seventh title.

6: STIRLING MORTLOCK

For quite some period between the late 1990s and early-mid 2000s, the Brumbies were a fearsome team. They won two titles and had two other appearances in the final.

They played a distinctive style of football and much of that was typified by Stirling Mortlock who was always there, thundering through the midfield and strangely kicking goals.

5: BEN SMITH