The 2023 Super Rugby Pacific draw Season (known as Harvey Norman Super Rugby Pacific in Australia, Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific in Fiji and DHL Super Rugby Pacific in New Zealand) is the 28th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga.
The tournament will feature a similar schedule to the 2022 season, with 91 matches played in a round-robin followed by knockout format. The season is expected to run from 24 February, with the final to be played on 18 June, culminating before the start of the 2023 mid-year international window. The defending champions are the Crusaders, who won their 11th title in 2022.
The Drua will play all their home matches in Fiji in 2023. Having been based in Australia for the 2022 season, due to complications surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, splitting their matches between Churchill Park, Lautoka and HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
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Similarly to the 2022 season, the 12 participating teams will play 14 regular season games: playing each other once in a home-and-away format for 11 games, with the remaining 3 games to be played with an emphasis on derby matches;
With the Fijian Drua associated with the Australian sides and Moana Pasifika with the New Zealand sides. It is likely that the Drua and Moana Pasifika will also develop a rivalry, both being Pacific Island teams. Each team will also have one bye week.
The top eight teams at the conclusion of the regular season qualified for the play-offs. For the quarterfinals, the first-ranked team played the eighth-ranked team, the second-ranked team played the seventh-ranked, the third-ranked played the sixth-ranked and the fourth-ranked team played the fifth-ranked. The quarterfinal winners progressed to the Semifinal, and the winners of the semifinals advanced to the final. The higher ranked team hosted each playoff match.
Super Rugby Pacific draw competition 2023
Super Rugby Pacific replaced the Trans-Tasman, Super Rugby Australia and Super Rugby Aotearoa competitions which were brought in during COVID-affected seasons, heading into the 2022 season.
The new competition is a 12-team tournament, with Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua added in place of South Africa and Argentina teams from the old Super Rugby format.
Super Rugby Pacific replaced the Trans-Tasman, Super Rugby Australia and Super Rugby Aotearoa competitions which were brought in during COVID-affected seasons, heading into the 2022 season.
The new competition is a 12-team tournament, with Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua added in place of South Africa and Argentina teams from the old Super Rugby format.
The teams will play 14 regular season matches made up of 11 round-robin matches and three derby/rivalry matches across 15 rounds, with each team afforded one bye.
The season’s 91 matches will be played across 18 weeks, which includes the three weeks of the playoff series.
All Super Rugby games in 2023 are streamed in Australia via Stan Sport, while one Saturday night game a week is broadcast on free to air on Channel 9.
Please note that all times below are in Sydney/Melbourne time, and that “Broadcast” refers to the Australian broadcaster.
Super Rugby Schedule
(Round - 1)
Friday 24 February Crusaders v Chiefs Christchurch
Friday 24 February Waratahs v Brumbies Allianz Stadium
Saturday 25 February Moana Pasifika v Fijian Drua Auckland
Saturday 25 February Highlanders v Blues Dunedin
Saturday 25 February Reds v Hurricanes Queensland Stadium
Saturday 25 February Force v Rebels HBF Park
(Round - 2)
Friday 3 March Crusaders v Highlanders AAMI Park
Friday 3 March Rebels v Hurricanes AAMI Park
Saturday 4 March Moana Pasifika v Chiefs AAMI Park
Saturday 4 March Fijian Drua v Waratahs AAMI Park
Sunday 5 March Blues v Brumbies AAMI Park
Sunday 5 March Force v Reds AAMI Park
(Round - 3)
Friday 10 March Chiefs v Highlanders Hamilton
Friday 10 March Rebels v Waratahs AAMI Park
Saturday 11 March Fijian Drua v Crusaders Churchill Park
Saturday 11 March Hurricanes v Blues Wellington
Saturday 11 March Brumbies v Reds GIO Stadium
Saturday 11 March Force v Moana Pasifika HBF Park
(Round - 4)
Friday 17 March Hurricanes v Waratahs Wellington
Saturday 18 March Chiefs v Rebels Hamilton
Saturday 18 March Blues v Crusaders Auckland
Saturday 18 March Brumbies v Moana Pasifika GIO Stadium
Sunday 19 March Highlanders v Force Rugby Park, Invercargill
Sunday 19 March Reds v Fijian Drua Suncorp Stadium
(Round - 5)
Friday 24 March Crusaders v Brumbies Christchurch
Friday 24 March Waratahs v Chiefs Allianz Stadium
Saturday 25 March Highlanders v Fijian Drua Dunedin
Saturday 25 March Moana Pasifika v Hurricanes Auckland
Saturday 25 March Rebels v Reds AAMI Park
Sunday 26 March Blues v Force Auckland
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