Four of the best performances from round three of Super Rugby Pacific

The defending champions are on the board after another tight round of Super Rugby Pacific.

The Blues squeaked past the Hurricanes 33-29 in Wellington while the Reds, Chiefs and Waratahs stayed unbeaten.

The Fijian Drua are in trouble after an 0-3 start while so are Moana Pasifika, despite being a much improved outfit.

Here are the four of the best performances from round three of Super Rugby Pacific.

Ricky Riccitelli (Blues)

Was a model of consistency in a turbulent and vital win for the Blues over the Hurricanes in Wellington.

While some of his more high-profile teammates Reiko Ioane (yellow card) and Hoskins Sotutu (red card) did their best to self-implode, Riccitelli was reliable and robust.

The former Hurricanes hooker scored a try against his old franchise with a typically determined charge and presided over a lineout that was accurate and initially a source of strength. Most impressively Riccitelli made 19 tackles as the tide turned against the visitors.

Will Riccitelli enter the All Blacks conversation? He wasn’t selected for the All Blacks XV tour of Europe but with injuries to Asafo Aumua and George Bell his impressive record is worth noting.

In 42 matches for the Blues, he’s won 32 times and scored 16 tries. With the Hurricanes he had 50 wins in 72 games and scored five tries.

Blues winger Mark Tele’a scored his ninth try against the Hurricanes. Doug Howlett holds the Blues record for most tries scored against the Hurricanes with 10.

Josh Jacomb (Chiefs) 

An early try collecting a deflected pass, a 40m penalty kick with less than ten minutes remaining to stretch the Chiefs lead to eight, and a dropped kicked conversion on full time were just three excellent things Jacomb did for the Chiefs in a 49-34 win over the Brumbies.

Given the reins at first five-eighth at the start of the season, Jacomb is steady, smart, slippery, and interchangeable with Damian McKenzie giving the Chiefs a compelling point of difference on attack.

Jacomb told RugbyPass last year that he would have “laughed in your face” if he’d been given a Super Rugby contract. When asked about his approach to the game he responded.

“Being a triple threat as a 10 is desirable. That is a good run, pass and kick. If you can do those things to a good level, that’s a major advantage. My biggest work-on is decision making. I’ll get better at that with more time in the saddle. Picking the right moments to utilise each threat is crucial.”

An honorable mention for Quinn Tupaea. He has scored three tries in two weeks and is in career-best form.

Tate McDermott (Reds)

The Reds were stretched to the limit in defeating the Force in Perth. Not only did the visitors require a try with the last play to prevail but the top five individual tacklers in the game were all Reds with Ryan Smith topping the count with 21.

McDermott, who played 79 minutes, had a profound impact in a tight contest. He had a hand in both tries to centre Josh Flook while his kicking game carved off valuable territory for the Reds and challenged the Force in the air.

McDermott is at his best when challenging the line with his running game. There were two line breaks from the Wallaby.

Langi Gleeson (Waratahs)

The Warathas were horrific in 2024 finishing the season at the bottom of the standings with just two victories from 14 matches but they have already matched that record after just two matches in 2025.

A greater steel in the forward pack is evident with a penalty try from a lineout drive crucial in Friday’s 29-24 win over the Fijian Dura.

Wallaby loose forward Langi Gleeson appears rejuvenated too. He scored two tries and had 11 carries and tackles against the Dura after a strong opening to the season against the Highlanders.