Changes are set to take place in Super Rugby Pacific for the 2025 season, introducing an extended 16-round regular season, Sunday afternoon games, and a revamped six-team finals format.
The new season will kick off on Friday, February 14, 2025, which is a week earlier than in previous years, in order to accommodate the extra round of matches.
The schedule will include family-friendly afternoon fixtures, with three games slated for Sunday afternoons, and there is a possibility of adding more Sunday matches in the future.
Key features of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific format include:
– A total of 11 teams competing, comprising the ACT Brumbies, Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Fijian Drua, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, and Western Force.
– Each team will participate in 14 regular season matches, consisting of seven home games and seven away games, with two allocated byes.
– Teams will face four rivals twice, emphasizing competitive matchups, while the remaining six teams will be played once.
– The top six teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for a three-week Finals Series.
– The first week of the Finals Series will feature Qualifying Finals where the matchups will be 1 vs. 6, 2 vs. 5, and 3 vs. 4, with higher-seeded teams hosting these matches.
– The three winners from the Qualifying Finals will advance to the Semi-Finals.
– They will also be joined by the highest-seeded losing team, referred to as the ‘lucky loser,’ who will drop one seed for the Semi-Final draw.
– In the Semi-Finals, matches will be arranged as 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3, again with higher-seeded teams hosting.
– The winners of the Semi-Finals will compete in the Grand Final, which will be held at the venue of the higher-seeded team.
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley expressed excitement over the new structure and features, noting the emphasis on providing an enjoyable experience for fans. He anticipates the addition of Sunday fixtures will enhance family participation and looks forward to the competitive nature of the new Finals Series, designed to reward top-performing teams.