The Crusaders are continuing to experiment with their lineup this week as they host the fourth-place Rebels in Christchurch, but are boosted by the return of two of their most experienced players.
Named to make his debut off the bench, Werchon's Mazda ute - complete with a plastic crown melted to the dashboard and The Goat number plate - was stuck in traffic.
Follow all the action from Super Rugby Pacific, one of the most exciting rugby union tournaments in the southern hemisphere. Launched in 2022 after the success of Super Rugby Aotearoa, Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, this updated Super Rugby format is packed with talented sides and top-level players.
Looking forward to the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific season? Here at RugbyPass, you’ll discover everything there is to know about this tournament, including the latest matches, news and results. Browse below to find out more.
Introduced in 2022, Super Rugby Pacific is one of the newest international rugby competitions. Although it’s officially a Super Rugby tournament, Super Rugby Pacific was created following a restructure that included a new format and new teams. This updated tournament is contested by 12 teams: five from Australia and five from New Zealand, as well as Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika.
Although a relatively new tournament, the origins of Super Rugby Pacific date back to 1996, when the first Super 12 competition was held. This inaugural season involved 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Ten years later in 2006, the tournament expanded for the first time and was renamed Super 14. There was an additional expansion in 2011 and the season became known as Super 15. Following this, Super Rugby briefly contained 18 teams between 2016 and 2017, before reverting back to being a 15-team tournament in 2018. This format remained until the coronavirus pandemic limited international travel.
In Super Rugby Pacific, 12 teams compete in 14 games. Instead of being split into regional pools, each side faces the other teams once (either at home or away). The remaining three games for each side are then played on a regional basis, with an emphasis on derbies.
At the end of the regular Super Rugby Pacific season, the top eight sides qualify for the play-offs, where the first-ranked team play the eighth-ranked team, the second-ranked play the seventh-ranked, the third-ranked play the sixth-ranked and the fourth-ranked play the fifth-ranked. The higher ranked team hosts each play-off match.
