The Queensland Reds take on the Highlanders from NZ earlier this year at Suncorp. Picture: ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
The demise of the Melbourne Rebels has prompted a rescheduling of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition which has just been announced.
The new format will feature a “lucky loser” finals series with the competition reduced to 11 teams after the Rebels were cut.
The revamped format features an extended 16-round regular season, more day (Sunday afternoon) games and a six-team finals system.
The 2025 season will begin on Friday, February 14, a week earlier than in previous years.
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley says they are “thrilled” by the changes.
“The fans are always front of mind,” he says.
“While the full draw will be released soon, we wanted to give them an early insight into what they can look forward to in 2025.”
He believes that the Sunday afternoon timeslot will make it easier for families to attend games.
“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.”
Other changes will be each team playing 14 regular season games (seven at home) with two byes.
Teams will play just four teams twice (with a focus on derbies) and the other teams just once.
The top six teams on the table at the end of the regular season will qualify for the three-week finals to be joined by the highest-seeded losing team (‘lucky loser’).
The Auckland-based Blues won the 2024 title with a 41-10 win over their neighbours, the Waikato-based Chiefs.
The 11 teams are: ACT Brumbies (Canberra), Blues (Auckland), Chiefs (Hamilton, NZ), Crusaders (Christchurch), Fijian Drua (Suva), Highlanders (Dunedin), Hurricanes (Wellington), Moana Pasifika (Auckland), NSW Waratahs (Sydney), Queensland Reds (Brisbane) and Western Force (Perth).
The draw for the 2024 competition is expected to be released soon, say the organisers.
Click HERE for a explanatory video of the new six-team finals format
