The Super Rugby Pacific Finals begin this weekend, with six teams battling it out for four spots in the semi-finals.
The ACT Brumbies and Queensland Reds are the only two Australian teams in the final six, while the other four are all New Zealand-based.
Here’s what you need to know before the action begins.
Format
The three winners of the qualifying finals will automatically advance to the semi-finals.
The final spot in the semi-finals will then be awarded to the highest-ranked losing team (known as the ‘lucky loser’) based on where they finished on the ladder after the regular season.
The winners of the semi-finals will earn a spot in the Grand Final.
Queensland Reds v Crusaders (Friday 5:05pm AEST)
The Reds face a tough assignment in Christchurch tonight, as they seek to become the first Australian team in Super Rugby to win a finals match in New Zealand.
The Crusaders finished second on the ladder this year after missing the finals last year.
The Reds finished fifth this season and will be looking to go one better after losing in the quarter-final last year.
When these two sides met during the regular season, the Crusaders won 43-19.
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The Crusaders are especially formidable in the finals, having won all 16 finals games they have been in since 2016.
Chiefs v Blues (Saturday 5:05pm AEST)
This qualifying final is a rematch of last year’s final, which saw the Blues claim the 2024 title with a 41-10 victory.
This time, the Chiefs will host the Blues in Waikato as favourites with an opportunity for redemption.
The Chiefs finished the 2025 season on top of the table, while the Blues began the season slowly, before finding some form and finishing in sixth position to scrape into the finals.
The Chiefs and Blues played each other twice this season, with the Chiefs winning both matches (25-14 and 32-31).
Brumbies v Hurricanes (Saturday 7:35pm AEST)
The Brumbies will host the Hurricanes in Canberra on Saturday night.
The Brumbies finished third on the ladder this season and are looking to build on last year’s finals series, where they were eliminated in the semi-final by the eventual champions, the Blues.
The Hurricanes finished fourth on the ladder but finished their Super Rugby season strongly with six straight wins.
The only time these two sides played against each other this season was in Canberra in April, and the Hurricanes won 35-29.
