Does it pass the pub test? Super Rugby finals system to be reviewed

Super Rugby Pacific bosses will factor in the “pub test” when they conduct a post-season review of the competition’s contentious new play-offs system, which sees the Chiefs host the Brumbies in a semi-final on Saturday despite losing at the weekend.

The Super Rugby Pacific finals were cut back from eight teams to six this year but the adjusted play-offs structure has drawn criticism. With three qualifying finals in week one, the highest-ranked “lucky” losers still progress, and that turned out to be minor premiers the Chiefs, who were rolled on Saturday by the Blues, the lowest-ranked side in the play-offs.

Under the Super Rugby Pacific finals system, the Chiefs also retained the right to host a semi-final because the penalty for losing was dropping only one seeding position, as a reward for being minor premiers.

The Brumbies, who finished third and beat the fourth-placed Hurricanes to progress, must this week travel to New Zealand, where no overseas side has ever won a Super Rugby semi-final.

The tournament rules were in place from the start of the year but given the highest-seed losing to the lowest seed in Super Rugby finals is so rare, fans – and even some officials – were still caught by surprise by the fine print. The lowest-ranked team in Super Rugby finals had only ever beaten the minor premiers twice before in 30 years – when Super Rugby only had a four-team play-offs series, and Queensland lost semi-finals in 1996 (Natal) and 1998 (Crusaders).

Super Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley said he was aware of the criticism, and it would be factored into a post-season review.

Noah Lolesio of the Brumbies passes during the Super Rugby Pacific Qualifying Final match between Brumbies and Hurricanes.Credit: Getty Images

“We will definitely do a review. Clearly with the in-practice versus on-paper, you always learn things, and by seeing people’s response to it,” Mesley said.

“Part of that review will be us looking at how complicated was the structure? There was also discussion last week around the scheduling, and can we do it in a way that makes the most of every match?

“So we will do a full review. Super Rugby has had a lot of changes over its 30 years, so I am conscious of the fact we would need very good reasons to change it because we constantly change Super Rugby, which makes it difficult for people to stay abreast of and to stay focused on.

“But having said that, if through the review it comes out that it doesn’t make sense, then we will have those discussions, and we will do that in partnerships with the clubs and the broadcasters. And we will obviously also take into consideration that public response, too.

“I watched the first final [Chiefs v Blues] on Saturday down in Canberra at a club, and you could hear there was a bit of discussion around, ‘Hang on, how does this work’? So I think we do need a bit of a pub test considered in there as well.”

Between 2010 and 2015, Super Rugby had a top six but gave the top two a week off, and they met the winners of two qualifying finals in week two. That system could be an option in the future, but broadcasters are generally loath to reduce the number of games.

Others have called for a re-jig where the “lucky loser” stays alive, but automatically falls to fourth seed for the semi-finals.

After a season where Super Rugby Pacific saw a welcome return of jeopardy in most games, Mesley said it was great to see a major upset in the first week of the finals.

With nothing to be gained by complaining, the Brumbies have diplomatically said they’re OK with having to travel to Hamilton.

And Mesley pointed out the task might have been harder under a finals system where the top two got the first week off.

“Going into this weekend, the Brumbies-Chiefs – both teams had tough games and, yes, it’s in Hamilton but if the Chiefs were fresh, it would be an even tougher assignment wouldn’t it?,” Mesley said.

The Crusaders host the Blues in the other semi-final, and while the odds are firmly in favour of the home teams, if two upsets occur, the Brumbies could remarkably host the final a week later. All of Australia’s four Super Rugby titles were won in home games, but Australian teams have lost four from four finals on the road.

Watch all the action from the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match, live and on demand.