The 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season will feature an extended 16-round regular season as part of several changes to the competition. These adjustments include the introduction of Sunday afternoon games and a revised finals format, aiming to increase the competitiveness of the tournament. The new season will kick off on Friday, February 14, starting a week earlier than usual to accommodate the additional round of matches.
The season draw emphasizes family-friendly afternoon fixtures, with three Sunday afternoon games scheduled as a trial to consider adding more in future seasons.
A total of 11 teams, including Fijian Drua, will participate in 14 regular-season games, split evenly between seven home and seven away matches, with two byes for each team. Teams will face four opponents twice, focusing on traditional rivalries, while the remaining six teams will be played once.
At the end of the regular season, the top six teams will qualify for the Finals Series, which will span three weeks. In the first week, the qualifying finals will see matchups between 1st vs. 6th, 2nd vs. 5th, and 3rd vs. 4th, with the higher-seeded teams hosting the games.
The three winners from the qualifying finals will move on to the semi-finals, along with the highest-seeded losing team from week one, which will drop one place in the seeding for the next round. The semi-finals will feature 1st vs. 4th and 2nd vs. 3rd, again with the higher-seeded teams hosting. The winners of the semi-finals will face off in the Grand Final, hosted by the team with the higher seeding.
Super Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley expressed excitement about the revamped structure, highlighting the appeal of the new Sunday afternoon fixtures, which are intended to make the competition more accessible for families. He also hinted at the possibility of expanding this offering in future seasons.
### 2025 Super Rugby Pacific Finals Series Format:
**Week One – Qualifying Finals:**
– 1st seed vs. 6th seed
– 2nd seed vs. 5th seed
– 3rd seed vs. 4th seed
**Week Two – Semi-Finals:**
– 1st seed vs. 4th seed
– 2nd seed vs. 3rd seed
**Week Three – Grand Final:**
– 1st seed vs. 2nd seed
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