Changes are set for Super Rugby Pacific in the upcoming season, featuring an expanded 16-round regular season, Sunday afternoon games, and a revamped six-team finals format.
The 2025 season is scheduled to commence on Friday, February 14, a week earlier than in previous years, to accommodate the extra round of matches.
The season will feature family-oriented afternoon fixtures, including three Sunday games, with potential for further Sunday matches in the future.
Key highlights of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition format include:
– Participation of 11 teams: ACT Brumbies, Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Fijian Drua, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, and Western Force.
– Each team will compete in 14 regular-season matches, comprising seven home games and seven away games, along with two byes.
– Teams will face four opponents twice, emphasizing competitive rivalries, and will compete against the remaining six teams once.
– The top six teams at the conclusion of the regular season will advance to a three-week Finals Series.
– The first week of the Finals Series will feature Qualifying Finals where the matchups will be 1 versus 6, 2 versus 5, and 3 versus 4, with higher-seeded teams hosting.
– Winners from the Qualifying Finals will progress to the Semi-Finals alongside the highest-seeded losing team, referred to as the “lucky loser,” who will drop one seed for the Semi-Final arrangement.
– The Semi-Finals will consist of 1 versus 4 and 2 versus 3, again with higher-seeded teams hosting.
– The two victorious teams from the Semi-Finals will meet in the Grand Final, hosted by the higher-seeded team.
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley expressed excitement about the revamped structure and new features, emphasizing that fan experience remains a priority. He noted that the addition of Sunday games will enhance family accessibility to the event and the new Finals Series is designed to foster competitive matchups while rewarding top-performing teams.