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2027 Super Rugby Pacific season

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2027 Super Rugby Pacific season
Dates12 February – 26 June 2027
Countries
Tournament format(s)Round-robin and knockout
Official websitesuper.rugby/superrugby
← 2026 (Previous) (Next) 2028 →

The 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season is the 32nd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand. The tournament format and Grand Final date were announced in July 2026, with the tournament being reduced to ten teams following the departure of the Moana Pasifika.

The defending champions are the Hurricanes, who won their second title in 2026.

Background and competition

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Reduction to ten teams

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In April 2026, Moana Pasifika, an Auckland-based Super Rugby team since 2022,[1] announced they would disband at the end of the 2026 season due to ongoing financial and operational difficulties,[2] with the club reportedly carrying millions of dollars in debt and annual operating costs of around NZ$7 million.[3] New Zealand Rugby (NZR) officially confirmed the team's withdrawal on 24 June 2026, although a return in 2028 was left open as a possibility.[4]

The club's departure reduced Super Rugby Pacific to ten teams for 2027, the competition's smallest size since the Super 10 era.[5] It also marked the second franchise to fold in three years, following the Melbourne Rebels in 2024.[6] Reports suggested the reduced competition could enable a full 18-round home-and-away season and potentially lead to relaxed player eligibility rules between Australian and New Zealand teams.[5]

In July 2026, SANZAAR confirmed the increase in matches and a restructuring of finals.[7]

Format

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The 2027 season features an expanded regular season and a revised finals format designed to increase the importance of every match. The competition is scheduled to begin on 12 February 2027,[7] with all ten teams playing 16 regular season matches across a 17-week schedule, two more games than in 2026 due to an extra competition week and the reduction of byes from two to one. A key addition to the calendar is the inaugural Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup Test, with national squads selected following round nine.[7] This was stated to make the opening half of the season especially important for players aiming to earn international selection.[7]

The top six teams qualify for the finals.[7] However, the teams finishing first and second receive a bye directly to the semi-finals, while third hosts sixth and fourth hosts fifth in sudden-death elimination finals.[7] The winners then travel to face the top two teams in the semi-finals, with the victors advancing to the Grand Final on 26 June.[7] This revised format was geared to reward strong regular season performances by offering greater advantages to the highest-ranked teams while delivering more matches and higher stakes throughout the season.[7]

Unchanged since the inaugural season of the Super Rugby Pacific, standings were based on competition points: four for a win, two for a draw, and zero for a loss. Bonus points were awarded for scoring three or more tries than the opponent or for losing by seven points or fewer.[8]

Teams and personnel

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Overview

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Union Team Stadia information Coach Captain
Stadia Capacity
Australia Brumbies GIO Stadium, Canberra 25,011 Stephen Larkham[9] TBD
Force HBF Park, Perth 20,500 Simon Cron[10] TBD
Reds Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 52,500 Vern Cotter[11] TBD
Waratahs Allianz Stadium, Sydney 42,500 Michael Cheika[12] TBD
Fiji Drua Churchill Park, Lautoka 11,000 Brad Mooar[13] TBD
New Zealand Blues Eden Park, Auckland 50,000 Jason Holland[14] TBD
Chiefs FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton 25,800 Jono Gibbes[15] TBD
Crusaders One NZ Stadium, Christchurch 30,000 Scott Hansen[16] TBD
Highlanders Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin 30,748 Jamie Joseph[17] TBD
Hurricanes Hnry Stadium, Wellington 34,500 Clark Laidlaw[18] TBD

Personnel changes

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Team Outgoing coach Date of vacancy Incoming coach
Drua Glen Jackson[19] June 2026 Brad Mooar[13]
Reds Les Kiss Vern Cotter[11]
Blues Vern Cotter Jason Holland[14]
Crusaders Rob Penney Scott Hansen[16]
Waratahs Dan McKellar 29 June 2026[20] Michael Cheika[12]

Locations

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Home locations of all the 2027 Super Rugby teams

Regular season

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Standings

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2027 Super Rugby Pacific standings
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Blues 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Semi-finals
2 Brumbies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Chiefs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Elimination finals
4 Crusaders 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Drua 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Force 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Highlanders 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Hurricanes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 Reds 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Waratahs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 12 February 2027. Source: Super Rugby

Round-by-round

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The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:

Team progression
Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 EF SF Final
Blues
Brumbies
Chiefs
Crusaders
Drua
Force
Highlanders
Hurricanes
Reds
Waratahs
Key: Win Draw Loss Bye DNQ = Did not qualify

Finals

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Elimination finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
11/12 June
 
 
 
 
18/19 June
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26 June
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18/19 June
 
 
 
 
11/12 June
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Elimination finals

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11/12 June
3rd/4thvTBD
11/12 June
3rd/4thvTBD

Semi-finals

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18/19 June
1st/2ndvTBD
18/19 June
1st/2ndvTBD

Final

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26 June
TBDvTBD

References

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  1. ↑ "Tana Umaga sounds wider warning to rugby after collapse of Moana Pasifika". Stuff. Stuff Ltd. 18 April 2026. The iconic former All Blacks captain, a proud Samoan, questioned what World Rugby would do to support pathways for Pacific players into professional rugby, something Moana has facilitated while based in Auckland since 2022.
  2. ↑ Pandaram, Jamie (15 April 2026). "Moana Pasifika confirm Super Rugby exit with players to be left jobless". Code Sports.
  3. ↑ Pandaram, Jamie (14 April 2026). "Super Rugby franchise Moana Pasifika to be axed after players told team will be folded". Code Sports.
  4. ↑ Ewart, Richard (presenter) (25 June 2026). "Could Moana Pasifika's phoenix rise from the Super Rugby ashes in two years' time?". Pacific Beat. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Pacific.
  5. 1 2 Payten, Iain (15 April 2026). "'Make it simple': Calls for streamlined Super Rugby format after Pasifika's collapse". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment.
  6. ↑ Ransom, Ian (15 April 2026). "Super Rugby set to lose second team in three years with Moana disbandment". Reuters.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Expanded season and high-stakes Finals Series confirmed for 2027". super.rugby. SANZAAR. 1 July 2026. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Tournament Format – Super Rugby Pacific". SANZAAR. 2024.
  9. ↑ "Former Wallaby Stephen Larkham extends with Brumbies". ESPN. 4 March 2026. Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has re-signed with the club, extending his contract until the end of the 2028 season.
  10. ↑ Morton, Finn (15 May 2026). "Force coach Simon Cron signs new deal with club 'seeing real progress'". RugbyPass. Western Force head coach Simon Cron has signed a contract extension for the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season, the club confirmed on Friday. Cron has been in the role for the last three-and-a-half years, laying the foundations during a period of growth and progress.
  11. 1 2 "Vern Cotter named Queensland Reds Coach for 2027–2028". reds.rugby. Queensland Rugby Union. 27 January 2026.
  12. 1 2 Payten, Iain (19 August 2026). "'Wake-up call for us': Waratahs brace for change after Cheika return is confirmed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 Williamson, Nathan (27 July 2026). "Fijian Drua appoint Crusaders assistant Brad Mooar as head coach". Rugby.com.au.
  14. 1 2 "Jason Holland signs three-year deal as Blues head coach". Radio New Zealand. 21 March 2026.
  15. ↑ Goile, Aaron (21 July 2025). "'It wasn't planned': How Jono Gibbes, eventually, became the Chiefs' chosen one". Waikato Times. Gibbes had long been touted as the man to be taking over from the departing Clayton McMillan, and the Chiefs confirmed the appointment on Monday, with the 48-year-old having been signed on a two-year deal through to 2027, officially starting next Friday.
  16. 1 2 van Royen, Robert (27 May 2026). "Super Rugby Pacific: Scott Hansen replaces Rob Penney as Crusaders coach in 2027". Stuff. Stuff Ltd.
  17. ↑ Kirkness, Luke (10 August 2023). "Super Rugby: Jamie Joseph returns to Highlanders as head of rugby following stint as Japan coach". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Jamie Joseph is returning to the Highlanders as their head of rugby on a four-year deal.
  18. ↑ "Super Rugby Pacific: Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw extends deal through to 2027 season". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. 19 March 2026.
  19. ↑ Williamson, Nathan (14 April 2026). "Fijian Drua confirm departure of coach Glenn Jackson at end of season". Rugby.com.au.
  20. ↑ Pandaram, Jamie (29 June 2026). "NSW Waratahs coach Dan McKellar quits role with a year on his contract". Code Sports. News Corp Australia.
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2027 Super Rugby Pacific season
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