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After a few years of contraction and format tinkering, Super Rugby Pacific has finally settled into a rhythm and now feels rejuvenated.
This year’s competition promises to be one of the most hotly contested editions yet, with the Crusaders restored to their former glory, the New Zealand squads looking fierce and the Australians set to be more competitive against their Tasman rivals. It will be a big year too for Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua as they look to move into the top echelon of the league.
If you’ve been drifting away from the Southern Hemisphere’s premier tournament, here are four reasons why 2026 is the year to check back in.
In 2026, Super Rugby Pacific has sharpened its teeth. SANZAAR has moved to implement a revised competition structure. With a tighter regular season, there is simply no room to start slowly, rotate heavily or build into the season.
The 2025 finals format, which allowed the highest-seeded losing team to potentially host a semi-final, undermined the competitiveness of Super Rugby. It felt less like sporting meritocracy and more like a participation award.
Competition organisers have listened. While the six-team format remains to keep the stakes high across the 11-team table, the "lucky loser" mechanic has been abolished.
Under the 2026 structure, the highest-ranked losing side from the opening weekend no longer enjoys the luxury of home-ground advantage in the semis. They now enter the final four as the bottom seed, forced to travel and earn their spot in the final the hard way.
It restores the sanctity of the regular season finish and ensures the path to silverware is based on wins, not lucky quirks.
If you want to spot the next generation of rugby's global superstars, look no further than Super Rugby Pacific. This competition remains the world's best proving ground for talent destined for the Test arena.
The talent pipeline in this part of the world remains the envy of the global game, and in 2026 there are some players across the pacific that will become household names by the end of the season. For Northern Hemisphere viewers, this is an opportunity to get a glimpse of young guns who could be lining up later for their country in the Nations Championship.
The talent factory in Christchurch looks particularly strong, while the Waratahs have bolstered their squad and the Highlanders have pulled off some handy recruitment in the offseason. The Reds now look set for a title push under Les Kiss in his last year with emerging talent from Queensland pathways. Then there are always some burgeoning superstars lying in wait in the Moana Pasifika and Drua squads.
Super Rugby Pacific features some of the best club teams on the planet. The intensity, the skill and the sheer physicality on display showcases the depth of talent across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific.
The north v south island derbies, plus the Brumbies v Reds and the thrilling Pacific clashes are blockbusters every year.
The Blues v Crusaders rivalry has regained its 1990s-era venom, while the Waratahs, bolstered by returning veterans, are poised to make the "State of the Union" clash with the Reds a real contest.
With the Crusaders looking to re-establish their dynasty under the roof of their brand-new stadium in Christchurch, the gap at the top has narrowed. We are no longer looking at a one-horse race, the other New Zealand teams are coming for the champions.
If you want to understand where modern attacking rugby is heading, Super Rugby Pacific is the laboratory. The speed of the ball in play, the willingness to counter from deep and a desire to take every attacking opportunity remain the hallmarks of the Pacific game. In 2025, the competition averaged 57.8 points per game, making it the second-highest scoring season in its history.
In a professional era that often feels over-coached and rigid, the Drua and Moana provide the necessary antidote: pure, unadulterated attacking rugby played by some of the most gifted athletes on the planet. Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua collectively led the competition in offloads per game, clean breaks, and defenders beaten last year.
If you want to remember why you fell in love with the game in the first place, watch a Fijian Drua or Moana Pasifika home game. Its electric.