'The fans are always front of mind': Super Rugby Pacific revamps finals format

Six of 11 teams will qualify for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific finals as organisers revealed a new competition structure on Friday.

The demise of the Melbourne Rebels was the impetus for the changes, with a generous eight of 12 teams previously making the playoffs cut.

That meant teams with losing records were qualifying for the finals, such as the 5-9 Rebels in their last campaign this year.

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The qualifying finals will be 1 vs 6, 2 vs 5 and 3 vs 4 with the higher seeded teams to host.

The 2025 season will begin on February 14, a week earlier than previous years, to accommodate an extra round.

Teams will play seven home games and seven away in addition to two byes.

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There will also be three Sunday afternoon games in the regular season.

Teams will play four teams twice, with a focus on 'rivalry matchups,' and the six remaining teams once.

"We're thrilled to reveal the revamped structure, some new features and the start date for the next season of Super Rugby Pacific," the competition's new chief executive, Jack Mesley, said.

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"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.

"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.

"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."

2025 SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC FINALS SERIES

• In week one of the finals series, qualifying finals will be 1 vs 6, 2 vs 5 and 3 vs 4 with the higher seeded teams to host.
• The three winners of the qualifying finals will progress to the semi-finals.
• They will be joined by the highest seeded losing team (the 'lucky loser'), who will drop one seeding for the semi-final draw
• Semi-finals will be 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 with the higher seeded teams to host.
• The two winners of the semi-finals will progress to the grand final, which will be hosted by the higher seeded team.