Super Rugby Australia will finish in September

Super Rugby Australia kicks off tonight with the Waratahs taking on the Reds in the opening match.

You can look out for Filipo Daugunu who will start for the Reds while Mark Nawaqanitawase will start for the Waratahs.

Western Force is one of the five Australian Super Rugby teams in the competition although they have been officially removed from the regular Super Rugby competition.

Due to travel restrictions, the Sunwolves who are part of the Australian Conference in the regular Super Rugby competition were unable to compete in Super Rugby Australia.

Super Rugby Australia will run for 12 weeks.

There is a 10-week round-robin competition and two-week finals series meaning there will be 22 matches altogether.

The competition will finish in September.

The Reds will take on the Waratahs at 9.05 tonight while the Brumbies will face the Rebels at 9.15pm tomorrow.

Super Rugby Australia competition format

• Australia’s four Super Rugby clubs (Brumbies, Rebels, Reds and Wararahs) plus Western Force.

• 12 weeks: 10-week round-robin, two week finals series (22 matches).

• Eight matches per club in round-robin – four home, four away and two byes each.

• Two matches per weekend – 7.05pm Friday and 7.15pm Saturday.

• Match venues: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; GIO Stadium, Canberra; AAMI Park, Melbourne; HBF Park, Perth; Sydney venue TBC.

• Law trials: Goal-line dropout when attacking player held up over the line; goal-line drop out when a kick into in-goal is forced by defending team; marks only allowed in the in-goal area; the ability for teams to replace red carded players after 20 minutes; 50/22 - a kick taken from within the defending team’s 50m area that travels into touch within the opposition’s 22m area having first bounced in the field of play results in a line-out throw to the kicking team; 22/50 - A kick taken from within the defending team’s 22m area that travels into touch within the opposition’s 50m area having first bounced in the field of play results in a line-out throw to the kicking team; Super Time point tiebreaker [extra-time to be played in event of a draw at full-time; first points scorer to win]