Super Rugby 2026 to start in Dunedin
- Dave Worsley
- Aug 29
- 2 min read
The release of the Super Rugby Pacific draw for 2026 has set up some special games for 30 years of Super Rugby.
The draw features 77 round robin matches held across a 16-round regular season before culminating in the six-team Finals Series.
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The action begins on Friday 13 February with the Crusaders kicking off their title defence in a southern derby against the Highlanders in Dunedin, before Australia’s oldest rivalry takes centre stage as the NSW Waratahs host the Queensland Reds.
The opening round continues on Saturday 14 February as the Fijian Drua meet Moana Pasifika in Lautoka, the Blues and Chiefs clash in Auckland and there’s a throwback to the Western Force’s first-ever Super Rugby game as they tackle the ACT Brumbies in Perth.
Super Rugby Pacific will touch down in Tonga for only the second time when Moana Pasifika take on the Chiefs at Teufaiva Stadium in Round 9.
Super Round then makes its return over the Anzac weekend in Round 11, with ten teams descending on Ōtautahi Christchurch for the highly anticipated opening of One New Zealand Stadium.
The opening night party on Friday 24 April will see the Crusaders take on the Waratahs, while the competition’s burgeoning Anzac Day rivalries reignite the following day as the Hurricanes face the Brumbies and the Blues tackle the Reds.
The three-day festival of rugby concludes on Sunday 26 April with a double-header featuring the Highlanders against Moana Pasifika and the Chiefs facing Fijian Drua.
Off the field, fan feedback has helped inform a tweak of the ‘lucky loser’ mechanic introduced to the competition's Finals Series last season.
In 2025 the ‘lucky loser’ was penalised one seeding, which saw the top-ranked Chiefs defeated in a Qualifying Final but still host a Semi-Final fixture the following weekend.
However in 2026 the highest ranked losing team from the Qualifying Finals will progress as fourth seed, ensuring they play away from home in the Semi-Finals and also the Grand Final should they qualify.
View the full draw HERE
