Super Rugby paid tribute to club rugby in the latest round of Super Rugby Pacific with tributes to volunteers, coaches, match officials and players at the grassroots level.
Super Rugby Pacific players wore the socks of their individual clubs amid a social media publicity campaign and pre-game activities.
Across the week all clubs will be using their social media channels to promote their players’ connections to club rugby and to showcase stories of the heroes at the heart of their communities.
“Every professional player in our competition started at a local club,” Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley points out.
SUPER RUGBY REPORTS: BRUMBIES VS REDS
The ACT Brumbies’ unbeaten run to the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season came to end in Canberra on Saturday at the hands of Queensland.
Former NRL Titan Carter Gordon scored a try on fulltime to give the Reds a 34-31 win after the game’s kick-off was delayed by more than an hour due to lightning.
The Brumbies led by 11 points with five minutes to go and looked like they would claims a fourth consecutive win before Filipo Daugunu scored in the 78th minute and then Gordon.
A former Wallabies playmaker, it was Gordon’s first game since 2024 when he left for the NRL.
The Brumbies still lead the competition but the Chiefs, Hurricanes and blues (all NZ) round off the top four with the Reds and NSW rounding up the top six
FORCE VS HIGHLANDERS
In a rare daylight game in Dunedin on Saturday, the Highlanders scored a 39-31 win over the Western Force in a game which saw the lead change hands six times.
Quick hands, support in deep and spreading the ball wide were hallmarks of the Highlanders games as the hosts denied the West Australians rare back-to-back wins in New Zealand for the first time since 2008.
But winger Caleb Tangitau broke Force fans’ hearts with his second try of the second-half as the sunlight lit up the enclosed Forsyth Barr Stadium.
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WARATAHS VS HURRICANES
The Hurricanes badly deflated NSW’s bubble with a 59-19 win in Sydney on Friday who lost centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (hamstring) injury just before kick-off.
Not even a third straight try-scoring double from winger Max Jorgensen could save the Tahs from a ninth straight defeat to the Hurricanes.
Kiwi centre Billy Proctor scored a second-half hat-trick and winger Bailyn Sullivan matched Jorgensen’s two tries.
OTHER GAMES
The (Auckland-based) Blues reignited their season with a 29-13 win over the (Christchurch-based) Crusaders at Eden Park on Saturday.
The (Waikato) Chiefs celebrated the return of All Black playmaker Damian McKenzie with a 57-24 win over Moana Pasifika in Hamilton on Friday to kick off the Super Rugby round.
SIX NATIONS
The elite European competition has been upended after Italy upset England 23-18 in Rome over the weekend.
It was Italy’s first ever win over England who were reduced to 13 men with two of their players sent to the sin-bin.
It was a maiden defeat in 32 meetings with the Azzurri dating back to 1992; if England also lose to France in Paris this Saturday, they will end the Six Nations with just one victory for the first time.
The result is also intensifying pressure on English coach Steve Borthwick with the inaugural Nations Championship looming.
In Edinburgh, wingers Darcy Graham and Kyle Steyn scored two tries each as Scotland beat France 50-40 for a bonus-point win that ensures the Six Nations title will be decided in the final round this weekend.
On Friday, Ireland scraped past Wales 27-17 to stay in the title race thanks to the Scottish result.
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