The Super Rugby factor proving a huge hit with fans

Super Rugby Pacific is winning over fans with the increased speed of the game capturing crowds and television audiences, according to an analysis of the 2025 season.

With the final round completed and qualifying finals this weekend, data shows the competition produced tighter contests, with winning margins of seven points or less in 43.1 per cent of games.

The average points per game is up to 57.8 from 53.7 in 2024, with tries per game up to 8.2 from 7.3 the previous season.

Other notable on-field statistics were a historically low average of 2.1 penalty goal attempts per game, and those kickers averaged 42 seconds compared to 1 minute 8 seconds in 2024.

Scrums have also become quicker, with the mark to “crouch” down to 29 seconds from 45, while static time per game is down by almost a minute, at 55.09 minutes.

The pace of the game seems to have appealed to fans, with total match attendance across the competition increased six per cent year-on-year, defying a reduction in total regular season games from 84 to 77.

In Australia, pay-TV broadcaster Stan Sport announced a 27 per cent increase in average audience across the regular season, while average free-to-air audiences on Nine grew by 13 per cent.

Australia has two teams in the revamped six-team finals with the ACT Brumbies moving through in third spot and Queensland in fifth.

Both sides broke long-standing hoodoos in 2025, with the Brumbies winning at Eden Park for the first time since 2013 and the Reds ending a 13-year drought against the Highlanders in New Zealand.

Super Rugby Pacific game metrics

* Game Length (excluding half-time): 1h30m11s (2025), 1h31m7s (2024)

* Static Time (excluding half-time): 55m09s (2025), 56m04s (2024)

* Penalty Kick Time: 42s (2025), 1m8s (2024)

* Conversion Kick Time: 55s (2025), 1m9s (2024)

* Scrums (mark to “crouch”): 29s (2025), 45s (2024)

* Lineout (mark to formed): 18s (2025), 25s (2024)

* Points per game: 57.8 (2025), 53.7 (2024)

* Tries per game: 8.2 (2025), 7.3 (2024)