Top-two to be guaranteed semi-finals under new Super Rugby format

Hurricanes players celebrating their 2026 title win.
Hurricanes players celebrating their 2026 title win.HAGEN HOPKINS / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Super Rugby teams will play two more regular-season games ⁠in 2027, with the top two advancing straight to the semi-finals as ‌part of a revamped competition structure announced by organisers ‌on Wednesday.

Each team will play 16 ‌games in an extended 17-week regular season, ‌with the sides finishing third to sixth ‌going into a playoff for the right to meet the top two in the semis.

Last ‌season, all six teams played in ⁠qualifying finals, ‌with the three winners joined by the highest-ranked loser.

"We’re ​delighted to have developed a structure that pushes the limits of ​our competition window to deliver more games and give every fan more opportunities to ⁠see their favourite ​teams in action," Super Rugby CEO Jack Mesley said.

"At the same time our new-look Finals Series ensures teams will be more ‌desperate than ever to finish in the top two to secure a week off, and the top four to host a home final, while every finals game will be a genuine do-or-die contest on the road to the championship."

The 2027 season will begin on February 12 and conclude ‌on June 26. It will feature ​10 teams after the disbanding of Moana ‌Pasifika, with five franchises from New Zealand, four from Australia and one from Fiji.

The Wellington-based Hurricanes won their second Super Rugby title with a 60-5 thrashing ⁠of the Waikato ⁠Chiefs last month.

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