2026 Super Rugby Pacific season

2026 Super Rugby Pacific season
Countries	Australia Fiji New Zealand Pacific Islands
Number of teams	11
Date	13 February – 20 June 2025
Matches played	83
Official website
super.rugby
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The 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season is the 31st season of the Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and a combined team from Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific Island nations. It is the 30th anniversary of the competition, having been established in 1996. ^[1] The fixtures were released on 28 August 2025, and features the return of Super Round in Christchurch, New Zealand. ^[2]

The defending champions are the Crusaders. ^{[3] [4]}

Format

Unchanged from last season (2025), eleven teams compete in a round-robin format, playing fourteen matches each (seven home, seven away), with two byes. ^[1] Teams face four "rivals" twice and six others once. The top six advance to the Qualifying Finals: 1st vs 6th, 2nd vs 5th, and 3rd vs 4th. Winners and the highest-seeded losing team move to the semi-finals. Newly introduced for 2026, ^[1] rather than losing one seeding rank as in the previous season, the highest-ranked losing team enters as the fourth seed, playing away in the Semi-finals, and, if they advance, in the Final. ^{[1] [5]}

Standings are based on competition points: four for a win, two for a draw, and none for a loss. Bonus points are awarded for scoring three or more tries than the opponent or losing by seven points or fewer. ^[6]

Teams and personnel

Further information: Super Rugby franchise areas

Overview

Union	Team	Stadia information		Coach	Captain
		Stadia	Capacity
Australia	Brumbies	GIO Stadium , Canberra	25,011	Stephen Larkham [7]	TBD
	Force	HBF Park , Perth	20,500	Simon Cron [8]	TBD
		HIF Health Insurance Oval , Joondalup	16,000
	Reds	Suncorp Stadium , Brisbane	52,500	Les Kiss [9]	TBD
	Waratahs	Allianz Stadium , Sydney	52,500	Dan McKellar [10]	TBD
Fiji	Drua	Churchill Park , Lautoka	11,000	Glen Jackson [11]	TBD
		4R Electrical Govind Park , Ba	13,500
		TBD
New Zealand	Blues	TBD		Vern Cotter [12]	TBD
	Chiefs	FMG Stadium Waikato , Hamilton	25,800	Jono Gibbes [13]	TBD
	Crusaders	Apollo Projects Stadium , Christchurch	17,104	Rob Penney [14]	TBD
		One NZ Stadium , Christchurch	30,000
	Highlanders	Forsyth Barr Stadium , Dunedin	30,748	Jamie Joseph [15]	TBD
	Hurricanes	Sky Stadium , Wellington	34,500	Clark Laidlaw	TBD
		TBD
Pacific Islands [a]	Moana Pasifika	North Harbour Stadium , Albany	14,000	Tana Umaga [18]	TBD
		Teufaiva Sport Stadium , Nuku'alofa	10,000

Locations

Brumbies Force Reds Waratahs Drua Auckland Chiefs Crusaders Highlanders Hurricanes Super Rugby teams in Auckland: Blues Moana Pasifika 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season (Oceania)

Blues Moana Pasifika 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season (Auckland)

Regular season

Ladder

2026 Super Rugby Pacific ladder

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Blues	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Finals series
2	Brumbies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Chiefs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Crusaders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Drua	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Force	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Highlanders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Hurricanes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Moana Pasifika	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Waratahs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Source: Super Rugby

Competition rules [6]
Competition points breakdown: * 4 competition points for a win * 2 competition points for a draw * 1 competition bonus point for a loss by seven points or less * 1 competition bonus point for scoring at least three tries more than the opponent in a match
Tiebreaker rules: If, at any stage, teams have the same number of competition points, the following tiebreaker rules apply (in this order) to determine their standing: * Most wins from all matches * Highest difference between total points for and total points against from all matches (points difference) * Most tries scored from all matches * Highest difference between total tries for and total tries against from all matches * Coin toss

Round-by-round

The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:

Team progression
Team	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16	QF	SF	Final
Blues								Bye							Bye
Brumbies								Bye						Bye
Chiefs					Bye							Bye
Crusaders							Bye							Bye
Drua				Bye									Bye
Force						Bye					Bye
Highlanders								Bye								Bye
Hurricanes	Bye							Bye
Moana Pasifika								Bye						Bye
Reds		Bye								Bye
Waratahs			Bye						Bye
Key:	Win	Draw	Loss	Bye	DNQ = Did not qualify

Matches

Further information: List of 2026 Super Rugby Pacific matches

Home \ Away	BLU	BRU	CHI	CRU	DRU	FOR	HIG	HUR	MOA	RED	WAR
Blues	—		14 Feb	7 Mar	28 Mar		17 Apr	16 May	15 Mar	25 Apr
Brumbies	28 Feb	—	20 Mar		18 Apr	9 May			30 May	7 Mar	27 Mar
Chiefs	30 May		—	28 Feb	26 Apr		15 May	18 Apr	6 Mar		4 Apr
Crusaders	8 May	22 Feb	22 May	—	3 Apr		14 Mar	29 May			24 Apr
Drua		14 Mar			—	11 Apr	2 May	28 Feb	14 Feb	21 Mar	16 May
Force	21 Feb	14 Feb	28 Mar	18 Apr	23 May	—				16 May	30 May
Highlanders		10 Ap	21 Febr	13 Feb		7 Mar	—	20 Mar	26 Apr		9 May
Hurricanes	11 Apr	25 Apr		1 May		13 Mar	23 May	—	20 Feb	28 Mar
Moana Pasifika	2 May		11 Apr	21 Mar		27 Feb	27 Mar	9 May	—	23 May
Reds		2 May	8 May	11 Apr	29 May	4 Apr	27 Feb			—	14 Mar
Waratahs	21 Mar	22 May			20 Feb	1 May		6 Mar	17 Apr	13 Febr	—

Source: Super Rugby
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Finals series

	Qualifying finals				Semi-finals				Final
	TBD
					TBD
	TBD								TBD
					TBD
	TBD

Qualifying finals

TBD

	v

TBD

	v

TBD

	v

TBD

	v

Semi-finals

TBD

	v

TBD

	v

Final

TBD

	v

See also

2025–26 United Rugby Championship

Notes

1. Although based in Auckland, New Zealand, the Moana Pasifika holds no official relationship with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and was established to "create opportunities" to players from Pacific Islands countries. ^[16] They often play one or two matches per season in Tonga and/or Samoa. Futhermore, the team is owned by Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMAG), a medical provider based in New Zealand. ^[17]

References

1. "Super Rugby celebrates 30th anniversary, unveils 2026 season draw". super.rugby. SANZAAR. 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 28 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
2. Thorpe, Mike (11 August 2025). "Christchurch's new stadium to debut with Super Rugby Pacific Super Round 2026" . The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment.
3. "Live: Crusaders v Chiefs – Super Rugby Pacific final". Stuff. Stuff Ltd. 21 June 2025. Archived from the original on 21 June 2025.
4. "Super Rugby Pacific: Crusaders beat Chiefs to win title" . The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. 21 June 2025.
5. Mitchell, Brittany (27 August 2025). "Fan backlash sees Super Rugby Pacific finals 'lucky loser' rules changed". ESPN . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
6. "Tournament Format – Super Rugby Pacific". SANZAAR. 2024.
7. Williamson, Nathan (30 September 2024). "ACT Brumbies re-sign coach Stephen Larkham until 2026". Rugby.com.au . Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024.
8. "Simon Cron extends Force stint through 2026". ESPN . 13 February 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024.
9. Williamson, Nathan (20 July 2023). "Les Kiss named Queensland Reds coach". Rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. The Queensland Reds have confirmed their new head coach, signing Les Kiss on a three-year deal.
10. "McKellar confirmed as Waratahs coach on three-year deal". ESPN. 5 July 2024. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024.
11. "Kiwi Glen Jackson appointed head coach of Fijian Drua". Stuff . Stuff Ltd. 21 May 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024.
12. "Blues coach Vern Cotter rewarded with new contract after ending 21-year drought". Stuff. Stuff Ltd. 25 November 2024. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024.
13. Francis, Ben (21 July 2025). "Super Rugby Pacific: Jono Gibbes confirmed as Chiefs coach, replacing Clayton McMillan". The New Zealand Herald . New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025.
14. Porter, Joe (30 July 2025). "Rob Penney re-commits as Crusaders coach but set to lose Scott Barrett for Super Rugby". Radio New Zealand . Archived from the original on 30 July 2025.
15. Kirkness, Luke (10 August 2023). "Super Rugby: Jamie Joseph returns to Highlanders as head of rugby following stint as Japan coach". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Jamie Joseph is returning to the Highlanders as their head of rugby on a four-year deal.
16. McKay, Brett (17 February 2022). "By introducing the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika, Super Rugby 2022 centres the Pacific". ABC News . Archived from the original on 24 March 2022.
17. Manukuo, Matt (26 July 2024). "'It's more than just rugby': New owners reveal plans to unlock Pacific sporting power". Pacific Media Network . Archived from the original on 13 January 2025.
18. Hamilton, Tom (27 October 2023). "'I feel the pull of this calling': Tana Umaga on his rugby life, legacy and Pasifika challenge". ESPN. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. That's where Moana Pasifika comes in. Umaga signed a three-year deal with the Super Rugby Pacific franchise in July 2023, charged with heralding in the next batch of Pacific Islands internationals.

External links

• Official Super Rugby websites:
  • SANZAAR Super Rugby
  • Australia Super Rugby
  • New Zealand Super Rugby