The Super Rugby will begin a new Pacific competition in 2022, which includes teams from New Zealand, Australia and Pacific Island nations.
There will no longer be any Argentine, Japanese, and South African teams in the updated format.
This new tournament style comes after the COVID-affected Super Rugby AU 2020 and the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman series in 2021.
When does Super Rugby Pacific 2022 start?
The Super Rugby competition will begin on February 18 2022, with the regular season to finish May 29 2022.
The final will be played on June 18 2022.
Who are the teams in Super Rugby Pacific 2022?
Twelve teams are taking part in the new competition, with all sides put in one pool, rather than split into different geographic conferences.
The clubs for 2022 are:
- Western Force
- Queensland Reds
- NSW Waratahs
- Moana Pasifika
- Rebels
- Hurricanes
- Highlanders
- Fijian Drua
- Crusaders
- Chiefs
- Brumbies
- Blues
Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua are the tournament's two latest additions.
The Fijian Drua has previously competed in Australia's National Rugby Championship, where they won the title in 2018.
Moana Pasifika is an entirely new franchise and has signed a number of players from local Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific Islands.
They will play their home fixtures primarily in New Zealand, with Fiji Rugby Union to announce where Fijian Drua home matches will be held shortly.
Will there be scenes like this in 2022?
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugbyNZ) November 16, 2021
What do you reckon @crusadersrugby? 👀#SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/a0cr4MpRNP
How to watch Super Rugby Pacific 2022
All 91 Super Rugby games will be available to watch live on Stan.
You can sign up for the streaming service here.
The weekly Saturday night match will be simulcast live free-to-air on the Nine Network.
What are the updated Super Rugby 2022 fixtures?
A blockbuster local derby between Moana Pasifika and the Blues at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Friday 18 February 2022 will kick off a revised Super Rugby Pacific draw.
The competition will also get underway on Australian soil the same night, with the NSW Waratahs hosting new team the Fijian Drua, followed by the Queensland Reds v Melbourne Rebels and Western Force v Brumbies on Saturday 19 February.
All 12 clubs will converge on Melbourne in Round 10 (previously Round 2) for a Super Round that will feature a unique celebration of the ANZAC spirit.
The trans-Tasman fixtures will resume in Round 11 (29 April-1 May).
The revised draw maintains the same key elements of the original draw with each team to play a total of 14 matches during the regular season, 11 round-robin fixtures plus three additional derby matches which will see each team play a home and away series against three other teams.
See the full Super Rugby Pacific 2022 fixture list here.
What are the betting odds for Super Rugby 2022?
Odds are not yet available for the upcoming season.