The match, held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg was the 22nd final in the Super Rugby competition's history, and attracted a record crowd attendance of 62,000.

[1] The Crusaders won the final, defeating the Lions by eight points, and stretched their record number of Super Rugby title wins to eight.

A strong Crusaders defence, several errors committed by the Lions and a red card were the losers' downfall in the highly anticipated Super Rugby final held on South African soil for the first time since 2010.

The Lions, as the top-placed team in 2017 season standings, played all their matches in the finals series at home in Johannesburg.

The Crusaders had comfortably beat local New Zealand rivals the Highlanders and Chiefs in their respective quarterfinal and semifinal playoffs at home in Christchurch before travelling to Johannesburg for the final.