Changes are set for Super Rugby Pacific in the upcoming season, featuring an extended 16-round regular season, Sunday afternoon matches, and a more competitive six-team finals format.
The 2025 season will kick off on Friday, February 14, which is a week earlier than in previous years, to incorporate an additional round of Super Rugby Pacific matches.
The schedule will include family-friendly afternoon games, with three Sunday afternoon fixtures planned, along with potential for more Sunday games in the future.
Key features of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition format include:
– Participation from 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 and seven away games, with two bye weeks.
– Teams will face four rivals twice, enhancing competitive matchups, while playing the remaining six teams once.
– The top six teams at the end of the regular season will earn a place in the three-week Finals Series.
– The first week of the Finals Series will feature Qualifying Finals: 1 vs. 6, 2 vs. 5, and 3 vs. 4, with hosts determined by seeding.
– Winners from the Qualifying Finals will progress to the Semi-Finals, joined by the highest-seeded losing team, known as the ‘lucky loser’.
– Semi-Finals will be organized as 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3, again with higher-seeded teams hosting.
– The two Semi-Final victors will advance to the Grand Final, hosted by the highest-seeded team.
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley expressed enthusiasm about the new structure, emphasizing a focus on fans and anticipating a competitive Finals Series that rewards top-performing teams.
The Finals Series layout is as follows:
FINALS WEEK ONE – QUALIFYING FINALS
1st seed vs. 6th seed
2nd seed vs. 5th seed
3rd seed vs. 4th seed
FINALS WEEK TWO – SEMI-FINALS
1st seed vs. 4th seed
2nd seed vs. 3rd seed
FINALS WEEK THREE – GRAND FINAL
1st seed vs. 2nd seed