Is the 'Super' back in the Pacific game?

NEWS: The latest metrics out of Super Rugby Pacific reveal the competition has surged in popularity and engagement in 2025, on the back of a season featuring record high scores, more competitive contests and thrilling finishes.

Data from the now-completed regular season confirms Super Rugby Pacific encounters are faster than ever before, with reduced stoppages and quicker restarts of play, and have produced more unexpected results.

Positive trends in on-field metrics have been matched by strong growth in viewership, match attendance and digital engagement.

OFF-FIELD METRICS

* Total match attendance across the competition has increased six percent year-on-year, defying a reduction in total regular season games from 84 to 77.
* On Australian pay-TV, there was a 27 percent increase in average audience across the regular season, while average free-to-air audiences grew by 13 percent.
* In New Zealand, more than 1.83 million people have tuned in on Pay-TV and free-to-air, while digital viewership grew by more than 19 percent.
* In Fiji concurrent viewership on the Walesi App peaked at 395,436 – more than a third of the Fijian population.
* Super Rugby Pacific became the first domestic rugby competition in the world to achieve a total social media following of 2.5 million, driven by a 25 percent increase in year-on-year follower growth.
* More than 70,000 fans played Fantasy Super Rugby Pacific, making more than 4.5 million player trades across the season.

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ON-FIELD METRICS

* Almost half of games (43.1 percent) have produced winning margins of seven points or less.
* Currently the second-highest scoring Super Rugby season of all time, with an average of 57.8 points per game.
* A historically low average of 2.1 penalty-goal attempts per game reflecting teams favouring attacking and a running game.
* Increased jeopardy within games with an average of 4.1 lead changes per match, more than half of games (54.2 percent) having a lead change in the second half, and more than a quarter of games (26.4 percent) a lead change in the final ten minutes.
* That jeopardy extends to match results with almost half of games (48.6 percent) reversing a result from 2024.
* The gap of 31 competition points between the last-placed Highlanders and first-placed Chiefs is the smallest margin between first and last since 2004.
* ‘Hoodoos’ being broken – Reds beating the Highlanders in New Zealand for the first time since 2012, Brumbies winning at Eden Park for the first time since 2013, the Hurricanes ending a six-game winless run against the Brumbies in Canberra, Moana Pasifika recording their first-ever victories over the Highlanders, Blues and Crusaders.

“The momentum is clear,” Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said.

“Across the competition, there’s a shared vision to deliver a brand of rugby that is fast, engaging and truly connects with our members and fans.

“Week after week, this season has produced edge-of-your-seat action – from high-scoring clashes to nail-biting finishes, stunning comebacks and teams rewriting history.

“From the rising TV audiences and growth in match attendance this year, to the surge in digital activity through Fantasy and social media, all signs tell us that Super Rugby Pacific is heading in the right direction.

“With the promise of an epic Finals Series ahead, we look forward to capping off this milestone season with a spectacular finale.”

Super Rugby Pacific – Shape of Game Metrics

Game Length (excluding half-time): 1h30m11s (2025), 1h31m7s (2024)
Static Time (excluding half-time): 55m09s (2025), 56m04s (2024)
Penalty Kick Time: 42s (2025), 1m8s (2024)
Conversion Kick Time: 55s (2025), 1m9s (2024)
Scrums (mark to ‘crouch’): 29s (2025), 45s (2024)
Line-out (mark to formed): 18s (2025), 25s (2024)
Points per game: 57.8 (2025), 53.7 (2024)
Tries per game: 8.2 (2025), 7.3 (2024)