Voting opens for inaugural Super Rugby Legends XV
- Sanzaar Media
- Feb 10
- 6 min read
The time has come for fans to begin selecting the inaugural Super Rugby Legends XV – a celebration of the legendary players who helped define the first 30 years of Super Rugby.
The first phase of voting has now wrapped up, with fans from each of the 11 Super Rugby Pacific clubs selecting the best-ever XV to have pulled on their respective club colours.
From today, the second phase of voting begins as these club legends go head-to-head, one position every week, to earn a place in the Super Rugby Legends XV.
The first position in contention is Loosehead Prop, with voting opening at 5pm AEDT/7pm NZT today, closing on Saturday night and the inductee announced on competition social media channels on Sunday.
For each position a wildcard player representing the clubs that helped shape Super Rugby but are no longer part of the competition will be added to the list of nominees.
Os du Randt from the Cheetahs is the wildcard player at Loosehead Prop and will join the likes of Wyatt Crockett, Matt Dunning and Tony Woodcock in the vote.
In a quirk of the Club Legends XV, several players were selected by two of the clubs they played for, so this week fans have the chance to vote for James Slipper for his time at the Queensland Reds, or in recognition of his contribution at the ACT Brumbies.
Fans can vote at this website, with voting opening each Monday and closing on Saturdays at midnight AEDT. The winner in each position will be revealed via competition channels on Sunday evenings.
Below are the Club Legends XVs, as selected by the fans.
Western Force Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Pek Cowan
Hooker — Brendan Cannon
Tighthead prop — Tom Robertson
Lock — Nathan Sharpe
Lock — Jeremy Williams
Blindside flanker — Matt Hodgson
Openside flanker — David Pocock
No. 8 — Ben McCalman
Halfback — Ian Prior
Fly Half — Matt Giteau
Left wing — Nick Cummins
Inside centre — James O'Connor
Outside centre — Kyle Godwin
Right wing — Drew Mitchell
Fullback — Dane Haylett-Petty
ACT Brumbies Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — James Slipper
Hooker — Jeremy Paul
Tighthead prop — Allan Alaalatoa
Lock — Justin Harrison
Lock — Radike Samo
Blindside flanker — Owen Finegan
Openside flanker — George Smith
No. 8 — Rob Valetini
Halfback — George Gregan
Fly Half — Stephen Larkham
Left wing — Joe Roff
Inside centre — Matt Giteau
Outside centre — Stirling Mortlock
Right wing — Henry Speight
Fullback — Andrew Walker
Queensland Reds Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — James Slipper
Hooker — Stephen Moore
Tighthead prop — Taniela Tupou
Lock — John Eales
Lock — James Horwill
Blindside flanker — Scott Higginbotham
Openside flanker — Fraser McReight
No. 8 — Toutai Kefu
Halfback — Will Genia
Fly Half — Quade Cooper
Left wing — Digby Ioane
Inside centre — Tim Horan
Outside centre — Jason Little
Right wing — Ben Tune
Fullback — Chris Latham
NSW Waratahs Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Matt Dunning
Hooker — Tatafu Polota-Nau
Tighthead prop — Sekope Kepu
Lock — Dan Vickerman
Lock — Will Skelton
Blindside flanker — Phil Waugh
Openside flanker — Michael Hooper
No. 8 — Wycliff Palu
Halfback — Chris Whittaker
Fly Half — Bernard Foley
Left wing — Drew Mitchell
Inside centre — Nathan Grey
Outside centre — Adam Ashley-Cooper
Right wing — Lote Tuqiri
Fullback — Matt Burke
Moana Pasifika Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — James Lay
Hooker — Samiuela Moli
Tighthead prop — Sekope Kepu
Lock — Tom Savage
Lock — Sam Slade
Blindside flanker — Miracle Faiilagi
Openside flanker — Solomone Funaki
No. 8 — Ardie Savea
Halfback — Jonathan Taumateine
Fly Half — Patrick Pelligrini
Left wing — Kyren Taumoefolau
Inside centre — Danny Toala
Outside centre — Lalomilo Lalomilo
Right wing — Timoci Tavatavanawai
Fullback — William Havili
Fijian Drua Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Jone Koroi
Hooker — Tevita Ikanivere
Tighthead prop — Manasa Saulo
Lock — Te Ahiwaru Cikidaveta
Lock — Leone Rotuisolia
Blindside flanker — Raikabula Momoedonu
Openside flanker — Rusiate Nasove
No. 8 — Nemani Nagusa
Halfback — Peni Matawalu
Fly Half — Caleb Muntz
Left wing — Vinaya Habosi
Inside centre — Kalaveti Ravouvou
Outside centre — Iosefo Masi
Right wing — Selestino Ravutaumada
Fullback — Vuate Karawalevu
Highlanders Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Carl Hoeft
Hooker — Anton Oliver
Tighthead prop — Carl Hayman
Lock — Brad Thorn
Lock — Tom Donnelly
Blindside flanker — Taine Randell
Openside flanker — Josh Kronfeld
No. 8 — Nasi Manu
Halfback — Aaron Smith
Fly Half — Tony Brown
Left wing — Waisake Naholo
Inside centre — John Leslie
Outside centre — Malakai Fekitoa
Right wing — Jeff Wilson
Fullback — Ben Smith
Crusaders Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Wyatt Crockett
Hooker — Codie Taylor
Tighthead prop — Owen Franks
Lock — Brad Thorn
Lock — Sam Whitelock
Blindside flanker — Reuben Thorne
Openside flanker — Richie McCaw
No. 8 — Kieran Read
Halfback — Justin Marshall
Fly Half — Dan Carter
Left wing — Jack Goodhue
Inside centre — Aaron Mauger
Outside centre — Jack Goodhue
Right wing — Sevu Reece
Fullback — Will Jordan
Hurricanes Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Bull Allen
Hooker — Dane Coles
Tighthead prop — Tyrel Lomax
Lock — Jason Eaton
Lock — Jeremy Thrush
Blindside flanker — Jerry Collins
Openside flanker — Ardie Savea
No. 8 — Rodney So'oialo
Halfback — TJ Perenara
Fly Half — Beauden Barrett
Left wing — Jonah Lomu
Inside centre — Ma'a Nonu
Outside centre — Conrad Smith
Right wing — Tana Umaga
Fullback — Christian Cullen
Chiefs Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Ben Tameifuna
Hooker — Samisoni Taukei'aho
Tighthead prop — Sona Taumalolo
Lock — Tupou Vaa'i
Lock — Brodie Retallick
Blindside flanker — Liam Messam
Openside flanker — Sam Cane
No. 8 — Sione Lauaki
Halfback — Brad Weber
Fly Half — Aaron Cruden
Left wing — Sitiveni Sivivatu
Inside centre — Sonny Bill Williams
Outside centre — Richard Kahui
Right wing — Lelia Masaga
Fullback — Damian McKenzie
Blues Club Legends XV
Loosehead prop — Tony Woodcock
Hooker — Keven Mealamu
Tighthead prop — Olo Brown
Lock — Patrick Tuipulotu
Lock — Ali Williams
Blindside flanker — Jerome Kaino
Openside flanker — Michael Jones
No. 8 — Zinzan Brooke
Halfback — Ofisa Tonu'u
Fly Half — Carlos Spencer
Left wing — Jonah Lomu
Inside centre — Sam Tuitupou
Outside centre — Rene Ranger
Right wing — Doug Howlett
Fullback — Mils Muliaina
The season kicks-off with the Highlanders hosting the reigning champions; and contains several intriguing derbies as the NSW Waratahs host the QLD Reds and the Western Force host the ACT Brumbies; while in New Zealand there is a massive North Island derby as the Blues host the Chiefs.
Fixtures (All times local - home team)
Friday
Highlanders v Crusaders @ Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin (7.05pm)
NSW Waratahs v Queensland Reds @ Allianz Stadium, Sydney (7.35pm)
Saturday
Fijian Drua v Moana Pasifika @ Churchill Park, Lautoka (3.35pm)
Blues v Chiefs @ Eden Park, Auckland (7.05pm)
Western Force v ACT Brumbies @ HBF Park, Perth (4.35pm)
BYE: Hurricanes
Super Rugby Pacific has also announced it will introduce two new major accolades to the end-of-season awards program in 2026, with Rookie of the Year and a Team of the Year to be presented alongside the competition’s most prestigious individual honour, Player of the Year.
On the back of Moana Pasifika’s Ardie Savea being crowned the inaugural Player of the Year last season, these new additions to the program strengthen Super Rugby Pacific’s commitment to recognising excellence, while celebrating emerging talent and top performers across all positions on the field.
The Rookie of the Year will be determined by Player of the Year votes, with all players who begin the 2026 season with four or less Super Rugby Pacific appearances (or equivalent top-flight professional rugby competition) eligible for the honour.
The Team of the Year will also be informed by the top-ranked players in the final Player of the Year count, with competition management able to exercise its discretion for players who appear across multiple playing positions in 2026.
“These new accolades represent a significant step towards delivering a robust awards program that recognises the world-class talent on display in our competition each season,” Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said.
“Rookie of the Year will shine a spotlight on the emerging players who make an immediate impact, while the Team of the Year will allow us to recognise consistency and excellence across every position on the field.”
In addition to the new accolades, the Player of the Year voting process has been bolstered for the upcoming season, with a panel of respected rugby media identities from across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji assembled to contribute votes on each game.
For each regular season fixture, a media panel member will submit 3-2-1 votes for their top three players, to be counted alongside the 3-2-1 votes submitted by the respective captains and coaches.
Members of the media panel are Tim Horan (Stan Sport), Jeff Wilson (Sky), Jason Pine (NewsTalk ZB), Jordan Oppert (TVNZ), Chris Reive (New Zealand Herald), Iain Payten (The Sydney Morning Herald), Ben Smith (The West Australian), Murray Wenzel (AAP), Caden Helmers (The Canberra Times), Sam Wykes (ABC), Ned Lester (RugbyPass), Nigel Yalden (MediaWorks NZ), Guy Heveldt (Sport Nation NZ), Jamie Wall (RNZ) and Rohit Deo (Fiji Times).
Player of the Year votes from each round will be announced on the competition website and social media channels each Tuesday, until the voting goes behind closed doors following Round 10.
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