Significant changes are set for Super Rugby Pacific in the upcoming season, featuring an expanded 16-round regular season, Sunday afternoon matches, and an enhanced six-team finals structure.
The 2025 season is scheduled to kick off on Friday, February 14, starting a week earlier than in previous years to accommodate the new format. The revised schedule will include family-friendly afternoon games, with three Sunday fixtures initially planned and the possibility of adding more in the future.
A total of 11 teams—ACT Brumbies, Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Fijian Drua, Highlanders, Hurricanes, Moana Pasifika, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, and Western Force—will take part in the competition. Each team will play 14 matches during the regular season, comprising seven home and seven away games, along with two byes.
Teams will face four opponents twice, emphasizing rivalries while playing against the remaining teams once. The top six teams at the conclusion of the regular season will qualify for a three-week Finals Series.
In the first week of the Finals, the matchups will be 1 vs. 6, 2 vs. 5, and 3 vs. 4, with higher-seeded teams as hosts. The winners from these games will advance to the semi-finals alongside the highest-seeded losing team, known as the “lucky loser,” who will drop one seed for this stage. The semi-finals will match 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3, again with higher seeds hosting. The two victorious teams will progress to the Grand Final, which will be held at the venue of the higher-seeded finalist.
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley expressed excitement about the new structure and features, highlighting the focus on fans. He remarked that the introduction of Sunday fixtures aims to make the sport more accessible for families and looks forward to refining this aspect in subsequent seasons. He also emphasized the anticipation surrounding the new Finals Series, which aims to create competitive matchups while rewarding top-performing teams.