Super Rugby Pacific confirms expanded 2027 season and different Finals Series format

01 Jul 2026

Super Rugby Pacific has confirmed a refreshed competition format for 2027, with more rugby, higher stakes, and even more on the line across the season.

The action kicks off on Friday 12 February, with all ten teams set to battle it out across an expanded 17-week regular season. With one fewer bye and an extra week added, each side will play 16 matches, giving fans more opportunities than ever to see their teams in action.

There’ll be plenty riding on every performance early in the season too. Following Round 9, squads for the first-ever Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test will be named, turning the opening two months into a high-pressure race for national selection.

The Finals Series has also been reworked to reward performance at the top of the ladder. The top six teams will still qualify, but finishing in the top two now carries even greater advantage, with those teams earning a week off and progressing straight through to the Semi-finals.

Teams placed third and fourth will host sudden-death Elimination Finals against the fifth and sixth-ranked teams. The winners of those clashes will then head on the road for the Semi-finals, with every game becoming a do-or-die step towards the title.

The 2027 Super Rugby Pacific Grand Final is scheduled for Saturday 26 June.

Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley says the new format has been designed to maximise the competition window while delivering more meaningful moments across the season.

“We’re delighted to have developed a structure that pushes the limits of our competition window to deliver more games and give every fan more opportunities to see their favourite teams in action,” says Mesley.

“At the same time, our new-look Finals Series ensures teams will be more desperate than ever to finish in the top two to secure a week off, and the top four to host a home Final, while every Finals game will be a genuine do-or-die contest on the road to the championship.

“The introduction of the Anzac Bledisloe to our calendar will help ensure every match means more, with Test jerseys up for grabs from the moment we kick off in February.

“We’re already looking forward to the storylines, drama and excitement that this new structure will help deliver for Super Rugby Pacific in 2027.”

Further details on the 2027 draw will be confirmed in the coming weeks.