New format and Sunday footy feature in Super Rugby changes for 2025

By Christopher Reive

Changes are coming to Super Rugby Pacific.

In 2025, the competition will move to a six-team playoff format, introduce more afternoon games, feature an additional round, and start a week earlier - on February 14.

The move comes as Super Rugby welcomes a new chief executive, Sydney-based Jack Mesley, who commenced the role in July.

“The fans are always front of mind and while the full draw will be released in the coming days, we wanted to give them an early insight into what they can look forward to in 2025,” Mesley said.

All six teams who qualify for the post-season will feature in the quarterfinals, with the three winners and the highest-seeded loser making up the four teams in the semifinals.

That lucky loser will drop one seeding for the semifinals, which means the top seed after round-robin play is guaranteed a home semifinal.

The competition will be comprised of 11 teams, with the Melbourne Rebels no longer involved, with each side playing 14 games – seven home and away – with two bye rounds.

Rivalries will be heavily featured on the schedule when it is released, with teams to play four teams twice - with a focus on rivalry match-ups - and the six remaining teams once.

The schedule will feature more afternoon games, including three Sunday afternoon fixtures, and will explore additional Sunday fixtures moving forward.

In the 2024 season, three Sunday fixtures appeared on the calendar – two of which were in Super Round in Melbourne. The other saw the Highlanders take on the Fijian Drua in Dunedin in the penultimate round.

“The introduction of three Sunday afternoon fixtures will make it easier for families to experience the excitement of the Super Rugby Pacific, and we can look to build on that offering in future seasons,” Mesley said.

“We’re particularly excited about the new Finals Series, which is designed to produce highly competitive matchups while still rewarding the teams that finish at the top of the table.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission