1
Super Rugby Pacific has turned the ship around in the right direction
It’s not often I agree with administrators.
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But, on this occasion, I’m reasonably happy to concur with the sentiments of Super Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley.
In an interview last week Mesley said “this is the best season across some of our core measures in Super Rugby history.’’
He didn’t really say what those were, with much of his commentary on the start of the 2025 more around ‘feels’ than facts.
But he was dead right about one thing.
“We want jeopardy in our competition, right? We want ladder movement. We don’t want teams to stay in the same ladder position that they were in last year.
“We want unexpected results. We want every fan to be sitting here on a Friday at lunchtime going ‘I’m a chance this weekend’.’’
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Super Rugby Pacific
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Chiefs
5
4
1
0
18
2
Crusaders
4
3
1
0
14
3
Reds
4
3
1
0
14
4
Brumbies
5
3
2
0
14
5
Waratahs
4
3
1
0
13
6
Highlanders
4
2
2
0
10
7
Hurricanes
5
2
3
0
9
8
Force
5
2
3
0
9
9
Blues
5
1
4
0
7
10
Fijian Drua
5
1
4
0
7
11
Moana Pasifika
4
1
3
0
6
I’m compelled to watch rugby every weekend, because I get paid to write about it. But this year I actually want to watch it and there’s a world of difference between those two scenarios.
I wanted to know if the Reds could beat the Waratahs this weekend. I was eager to see if the Highlanders would continue to do themselves proud, and I’d wanted to see the Chiefs really put a score on the Blues.
Super Rugby Pacific is right to give referees the licence to run the game, rather than delegating authority to the Television Match Official. It is right that the governing body is trying to limit the presence of water-bottle runners on the paddock; it is right to try and play on when a lineout throw isn’t straight instead of halting proceedings for yet another scrum.
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Those things don’t produce upsets or close matches, but they contribute to less aggravations among the viewing public and help minimise the impact and length of stoppages.
This is a promising season and the word “best’’ is a big one, no matter what metrics you’re judging it by.
The first season of Super Rugby would take some topping. We nearly all ended up as Blues fans that year and revelled in their win over the Sharks in the final.
For me, Super Rugby’s best years were around the turn of the millennium, when the Crusaders and Brumbies held sway. The speed with which possession was recycled at the breakdown and the minutes the ball was in play remains my benchmark for flowing rugby.
And if we’re ever putting the words “best’’ and “season’’ in the same sentence, then nothing tops what the Crusaders did in 2011. No, they didn’t win the final that year, but that campaign remains the stuff of legend.
I’m not sure we’re seeing anything quite that remarkable in 2025 and there might be some who, uncharitably or otherwise, suggest the parity in evidence this season is a result of widespread mediocrity rather than quality.
Whatever the case, this season is watchable and intriguing and you can’t say that every year.
I’m not too hung up on how many people are in the stands at each match. These are straightened financial times and as long as people are watching – and viewing figures suggest they definitely are – and they’re heavily invested in the outcome of games, then your competition’s in good heart.
I don’t know who’s going to win each weekend and that’s undoubtedly a good thing.
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The ship was always heading in the right direction Hamish its just that all you ever did was stay in your room watching All Black defeats over the last hundred years so you could write your terrible articles. If you bothered going up to the deck and having a look the rugby has been great for years.
You need promotion relegation then. You cannot always rely on 4 teams being the right number for Australia, it could mean that they are too strong in future. Or that Fijian Drua doesn’t always has the players to knock of the best.
Oh, so you want a made up fantasy league like the NFL, rather than a quantifiable competition like NPC, and to a lesser degree, then NRL. Meaningless rather than meaningful, you don’t want the best of NSW taking on the best of Queensland, or the Blues region versus the Chiefs region.
There is still huge room for improvement in the way rugby is played and officiated, it is an incredibly young professional sport. Some of these introduced concepts are tricks taken from others and have done a lot to engage and increase Super Rugby’s appeal, but there has been a hint of whether the game is selling it’s soul to get back on the table.
Have you used you’re own license for viewing “feels rather than facts” here Hamish?
I agree, the rugby isn’t as good as it has been at times in the recent past, but it is more engaging. Which I think is due to a whole factor of fortunate and one off reasons, along with targeted ones.
Definitely best season for several years. Lots of young NZ talent coming through and skill level and intensity has increased. No real weak NZ team and pretty even overall. The Aussies consolidating to 4 teams should have happened years ago and will make Wallabies a lot stronger. Moana and Drua are getting stronger and making the championship a true authentic Pacific competition. We certainly dont need SA teams back now. Keeping as many players from leaking to Europe or Japan should be the aim
I’d take the Sharks, Stormers, Bulls, and Lions back in a second. Super Rugby Pacific is improving and the conference system sucked ass and never should have been implemented but if you think the quality of rugby is better without the South African franchises, you are kidding yourself.
And there is nothing authentic about Moana Pacifika, it is a sixth NZ franchise. Almost all of the players are NZ citizens, born and raised in NZ, were developed by NZ secondary schools and play in the NPC. The players just happen to be of Pacific heritage (just as there are a very large number of Pacific heritage players on the original five NZ franchises). Moana Pacifika is a marketing ploy for Auckland’s second SRP franchise.
Fiji Drua are legitimately a Pacific island team. Most players are born in Fiji, the players live and train in Fiji, and they play their home matches in Fiji.
I wonder whether even more consolidation is in order. If going back to a 12 team competition is unrealistic in the foreseeable future (and you have to think with the lack of talk it is going to be for the new/next 5 year cycle) then conformity with NZ matching Aus with four teams might be on the cards, or possibly less disruptively (all considered) Australia going down to 3 teams and incorporating Drua and Moana into a 5 v 5 comp, might be more workable?
The later change could possibly even be advantageous if it makes more use of Twiggies desire to have his region at the forefront (setting up their rival competition again).