The stat that shows why Super Rugby could be better than URC

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Super Rugby Pacific tournament organisers have released data which indicated this year’s edition is faster and more exciting than ever, setting the tone for other leagues in rugby.

According to the Super Rugby Pacific statement, more than one minute of static time has disappeared from matches in 2025.

The organisers revealed that a combination of law innovations designed to speed up the game, plus game management from the officials, has contributed to reduced stoppages and quicker re-starts, making for a better product.

Positive trends in on-field metrics from data provider Opta “are being matched by increases in viewership, digital engagement and crowd numbers across the competition” as the tournament reached the halfway mark in the 2025 regular season.

According to Super Rugby Pacific:

• Static time has been reduced by 1m13s seconds per game, with the average match duration 1m39s shorter than last season.
• Currently the highest-scoring season of all time, with an average of 61 points and 8.8 tries per game.
• The average winning margin of 11.6 points is the sixth smallest in competition history, with almost half of the matches decided by seven points or less.
• Increased jeopardy within games with an average of 4.3 lead changes per match, and more than a quarter of games (28.2 percent) feature a lead change in the final ten minutes*.
• That jeopardy extends to match results with more than half of games (59 per cent) reversing a result from 2024* and the 11 teams currently sitting an average of 4.2 ladder positions away from where they finished last season.
• A historically low average of 2.2 penalty goal attempts per game reflected teams favouring attacking, running rugby.
• A 21.5 per cent increase in average game attendance across the competition to Round 8.
• Strong growth in TV audiences across Australia (30 per cent increase in Nine viewership to Round 8), New Zealand (12 per cent increase in Sky Sport viewership to Round 3) and Fiji (395,436 peak Walesi App viewership in Round 4 – more than a third of the Fijian population).
• Fantasy Super Rugby Pacific has reached 70,000 registered users, with over 2.5 million player transfers made by team managers, reflecting strong week-to-week fan engagement.
• A 55 percent increase in follower growth across Super Rugby Pacific social media channels.

Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said the on and off-field results were a strong endorsement of the strategic direction of the competition in 2025.

“As a competition we’re aligned on delivering fast, dynamic and exciting rugby which seeks to capture the imagination of the fans,” he said.

“This season is producing incredible on-field drama every week with close and high-scoring contests, remarkable comebacks, unexpected results, and underdogs regularly rewriting the record books.

“The numbers we’re seeing on broadcast and in stadiums, along with our digital engagement through Fantasy and social media, tells us we’re very much heading in the right direction.

“We anticipate the back half of the season will deliver more of the same as the teams scrap and scramble to make the top six, and to finish as high as possible on the ladder to secure an all-important second chance in the Finals potentially.”

Significant time savings have been made at the set piece compared to the 2024 season, with scrums packing 19 seconds quicker and lineouts forming eight seconds faster.

Goalkickers have also been doing their part with a near 30-second reduction in the time taken for penalty goal attempts and 14 seconds saved on conversion attempts.

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Super Rugby Pacific – Shape of Game Metrics

Game Length (excluding half-time): 1h29m28s (2025), 1h31m7s (2024)
Static Time (excluding half-time): 54m51s (2025), 56m04s (2024)
Penalty Kick Time: 40s (2025), 1m8s (2024)
Conversion Kick Time: 55s (2025), 1m9s (2024)
Scrums (mark to “crouch”): 26s (2025), 45s (2024)
Line-out (mark to formed): 17s (2025), 25s (2024)
Points per game: 61 (2025), 53.7 (2024)
Tries per game: 8.8 (2025), 7.3 (2024)

*Data provided by Professor Dimitri Perrin, Co-Director QUT Centre for Data Science and Queensland Reds Head of Data Science