Changes are set for the Super Rugby Pacific next season, featuring an extended 16-round regular season, Sunday afternoon matches, and an enhanced six-team finals format.
The 2025 season is scheduled to kick off on Friday, February 14, a week earlier than usual, to accommodate the additional regular season round. The new schedule includes family-friendly afternoon games with three Sunday fixtures planned, and there is potential for further Sunday matches in the future.
Key features of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition include:
– 11 participating teams: ACT Brumbies, Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Fijian Drua, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, and Western Force.
– Each team will play 14 matches during the regular season, including seven home and seven away games, with two allocated byes.
– Teams will face four rivals twice and will play the six other teams once.
– The top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will advance to a three-week Finals Series.
– In the first week of the Finals Series, the matchups will see the 1st seed against the 6th seed, the 2nd seed against the 5th seed, and the 3rd seed against the 4th seed, with the higher-seeded teams hosting the games.
– The three victors from the Qualifying Finals will move on to the Semi-Finals, along with the highest-seeded losing team, dubbed the “lucky loser,” who will be seeded accordingly for the Semi-Final draw.
– Semi-Final matchups will feature the 1st seed against the 4th seed and the 2nd seed against the 3rd seed, also hosted by the higher-seeded teams.
– The winners from the Semi-Finals will meet in the Grand Final, hosted by the higher-seeded team.
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley expressed enthusiasm for the new structure, highlighting the focus on fan experience. He noted that the addition of Sunday afternoon games aims to make it more accessible for families to enjoy the matches, with plans to expand this offering in the years to come. Mesley also emphasized the excitement surrounding the new Finals Series, which aims to create competitive matchups while rewarding top-performing teams.