The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queenslan/Reds, New South Wales/Waratahs, ACT/Brumbies, and Western Australia/Force), five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces (the resulting teams are Auckland/Blues, Waikato/Chiefs, Wellington/Hurricanes, Canterbury/Crusaders, and Otago/Highlanders), and five teams from South Africa (Free State/Cheetahs, Western Cape/Stormers, Kwazulu Natal/Sharks, Gauteng/Lions, Northern Gauteng/Bulls). The fourteen sides all play against one another once in the regular season, with no divisional or pool system. With each team granted one bye week, this phase of the competition runs for fourteen weeks.