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Super Rugby Pacific announce new law innovatons for 2026 season
By Henry Lee
With under two weeks remaining until the start of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, the competition has announced some new law innovations and changes to help improve the state of the game.
The competition has introduced five key law changes, after gaining support from the key stakeholders, clubs, and match officials.
Super Point has also been confirmed for the 2026 season, which sees the two teams play up to ten extra minutes in search of a winner, unless the match remains tied after the ten minutes, in which case the result is recorded as a draw.
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The six-team finals series format, which was in its first year in 2025, has been slightly adjusted from last season.
In 2026, the “lucky loser”, or highest ranked losing team from the Qualifying finals, will now progress through to the semi-finals as the fourth seed, instead of just losing one position on the table.
This ensures the “lucky loser” will not host a semi-final, as the Chiefs did in 2025.
The rules and guidelines issued around the use of the TMO have been confirmed for another season, continuing its attempt at improving the flow of the game and allowing the on-field officials to make more decisive decisions.
Super Rugby Pacific has confirmed that the TMO will only intervene if the on-field referee has missed a clear and obvious infringement in the lead-up to a try, or if the referee misses serious foul play.
“In Super Rugby Pacific the TMO will only intervene unprompted if the referee has overlooked an act of serious foul play (yellow card level or above), or a clear and obvious infringement leading to a try,” Super Rugby said in a press release.
“The assistance of the TMO at any other time can only be instigated by the referee, which both empowers the on-field match officials and improves the flow of the game.
“Over the last four years, more than four minutes of ‘dead time’ has been eradicated from Super Rugby Pacific games – a result of law innovation combined with strong intent from match officials.”
New law changes:
- It will no longer be mandatory for the referee to issue a yellow or red card to a player on the defending team when awarding a penalty try. Any sanction will be at the discretion of the referee. (Law 8.3)
- Accidental offsides and teams delaying playing the ball away from a ruck will result in free kicks rather than scrums. (Law 10.5 and Law 15.17)
- After the referee has called “use it” at the ruck, no additional players from the team in possession may join the ruck. (Law 15.17)
- Teams will be permitted to pass the ball back into their half before kicking a 50:22. (Law 18.8a)
- Players will be allowed to take quick taps within one metre either side of the of the mark, or anywhere behind the mark, if they are within that two-metre channel running parallel to the touchlines. (Law 20.2)
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley explains that the competition deserves to be fan-focused in its attempt to drive the game forward in this part of the world.
“These innovations for 2026 reflect the ongoing commitment of Super Rugby Pacific to deliver the most entertaining and engaging rugby competition in the world,” Mesley said on a Super Rugby press release.
“From the members and fans, to the players and coaches, and the referees themselves, we continue to experience resounding support for the measured steps that we’re taking to refine the game.
“We want to be a competition that encourages quick taps and faster restarts, that cuts down on unnecessary stoppages, and that embraces positive, attacking rugby.
“Super Rugby Pacific will continue to work closely with World Rugby and our stakeholders to evolve the game and produce the best version of rugby, and to strongly advocate that the innovations that are clearly working in Super Rugby Pacific be adopted more widely.”
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