Super Rugby Unlocked, which was officially known as Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked for sponsorship reasons, was one of the finest rugby tournaments in South Africa. Although it only ran for one season, it showcased South African rugby at its finest and was contested by some of the best players on the planet.
Read on to discover even more about Super Rugby Unlocked. On this page, you’ll find a history of the tournament, more information about the teams that featured and the tournament’s results from 2020.
The Highlanders will be without under-fire All Blacks star Shannon Frizell for their opening Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash against the Reds in Dunedin on Friday.
The NSW Waratahs have further bolstered their playing roster with the re-signing of Wallabies loose forward Ned Hanigan for the 2022 Super Rugby season.
The Super Rugby Unlocked tournament was born in 2020, when the Super Rugby season was shut down because the coronavirus pandemic prevented international travel. As a result, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand all created their own national tournament.
In South Africa, this took the form of the Super Rugby Unlocked tournament. Organised by the South African Rugby Union, the tournament partially combined the Currie Cup and domestic Super Rugby tournaments. As a result, the seven-team competition featured the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers from Super Rugby, as well as the Cheetahs, Griquas and Pumas.
As part of the tournament, the seven teams faced each other once, either at home or away. The top-placed team at the end of the seven-week round-robin was awarded the Super Rugby Unlocked title. In 2020, this was the Bulls.
| Round 7 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-  Bulls | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 178 | 92 | 86 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 23 |
-  Stormers | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 140 | 112 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
-  Sharks | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 128 | 122 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
-  Cheetahs | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 126 | 106 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
-  Lions | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 119 | 103 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
-  Pumas | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 119 | 179 | -60 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
-  Griquas | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 123 | 219 | -96 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Round 7 |
|---|
| - Bulls |
| - Stormers |
| - Sharks |
| - Cheetahs |
| - Lions |
| - Pumas |
| - Griquas |
Although Super Rugby Unlocked only ran for one season, the tournament was a huge success and many of South Africa’s top rugby stars featured in the competition.
For example, former South African fly-half Morné Steyn represented the Bulls in the competition and Rugby World Cup-winning hooker Bongi Mbonambi represented the Stormers in the tournament.
Other famous faces who appeared in Super Rugby Unlocked include Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Lukhanyo Am.
Bulls 
Stormers 
Sharks 
Cheetahs 
Lions 
Pumas 
Griquas 