Changes are on the horizon for Super Rugby Pacific as the league prepares for the 2025 season, which will feature an expanded 16-round regular season, Sunday afternoon matches, and a revised six-team finals format.
The upcoming season is set to kick off on Friday, February 14, 2025, a week earlier than in previous years, to accommodate the new round of competition.
The schedule will include family-oriented afternoon games, with three Sunday fixtures planned and room for more in the future.
Key elements of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific 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, featuring seven home and seven away games, along with two bye weeks.
– Teams will face four opponents twice, emphasizing rivalry matchups, while competing against the remaining six teams once.
– The top six teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for a three-week Finals Series.
– In the first week of the Finals, the matchups will see the 1st seed facing the 6th, the 2nd seed against the 5th, and the 3rd seed challenging the 4th, with higher-seeded teams hosting.
– The winners of the Qualifying Finals will advance to the Semi-Finals, joined by the highest-seeded losing team, referred to as the ‘lucky loser,’ who will drop one seed for the Semi-Final matchups.
– Semi-Finals will be played between the 1st seed and the 4th seed, and the 2nd seed versus the 3rd seed, with the higher seeds hosting.
– The two victors of 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 revised structure and starting date, emphasizing fan engagement and the family-friendly nature of Sunday games. He highlighted the anticipation surrounding the new Finals Series, which aims to foster competitive play while rewarding top-performing teams.