Every round 2 match will be played in Melbourne in the new Super Rugby Pacific draw

The NRL has Magic Round in Brisbane and now rugby officials have taken a page from their playbook with a big new addition for the 2022 season.

The Queensland Reds are the reigning Super RugbyAU champions. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Melbourne will host a full round of Super Rugby for the first time in 2022 as part of a 91-match fixture for the all-new Super Rugby Pacific competition.

Opening borders have allowed officials to schedule a full season of home-and-away games for the 12 teams from Australia and New Zealand as well as new teams Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua.

As part of the new “Super Round Melbourne”, all teams will play six matches across round 2 at AAMI Park where the Rebels played only four games in a shortened 2021 season because of Covid-19 border restrictions.

There will be three straight days of double-headers across the weekend of February 25-27 as a reward for rugby fans in Melbourne who have seen just five live games in the past two seasons.

The Melbourne Rebels were on the road for nearly all of 2020 and 2021. Picture: AAP Image/Scott Barbour

“It will be a rugby extravaganza at our first-ever Super Round in round 2 in Melbourne, with all six games at AAMI Park over one weekend,” Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos said.

“We will also host an Anzac, Heritage, Cultural and Women in Rugby Round as we acknowledge, recognise and celebrate the communities who make our game so great, and I’m excited to see this play out during match days.”

Each team will play 14 matches during the regular season – 11 round-robin fixtures plus the introduction of three additional rivalry matches in which each team plays a home-and-away series against three other teams.

The rivalry rounds ensure the defending champion Queensland Reds will play the Brumbies, whom they defeated in the Super Rugby AU final this year, twice as well as the NSW Waratahs and Rebels.

The Rebels will play the Reds and Western Force twice as well as new team Fijian Drua.

2022 Super Rugby Pacific fixtures locked in 🔒

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The Reds open their season on February 19 against the Chiefs at Suncorp Stadium.

Reds general manager Sam Cordingley new teams Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua would add excitement to the competition.

“We all know how much the Pasifika nations provide world rugby and certainly our team as well, so it’s great they they’ve got representation,” Cordingley said.

“They’ll be particularly dangerous sides. Next year what they’ll lack in cohesion, they’ll make up in passion, so I’d imagine they’ll do some damage throughout the competition.”

Cordingley said Queensland had pushed to host the “Super Round” but that it was understandable it went to the Victorian capital.

“Queensland would have been a great place for it but I think where it’s landed in Melbourne is good.

“They’ve been hit pretty hard with Covid and all their restrictions, so ‘Magic Round’ being down there is a good result for the Victorian community and Victorian rugby.

“There would have been a number of teams that would have thought it would have been great ((to host Super Round). Auckland would have been a great city, Brisbane, New South Wales ... I’m sure in the future we’ll all get our chance at that round.”

The finals series kick-off in the first week of June.

Each team will get one bye across either rounds 7, 8 or 9, giving teams a chance to recharge for their finals push.

The season is set to span 18 weeks from the opening match on Friday, February 18 between the Moana Pasifika and Brumbies at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

MELBOURNE ROUND

Super Round: Round 2, Friday-Sunday 25-27 February @ AAMI Park Melbourne Park.

Moana Pasifika v Waratahs; Highlanders v Blues; Hurricanes v Chiefs; Crusaders v Reds; Rebels v Brumbies; Fijian Drua v Force.