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ollowing a partnership between Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby (NZR), the pair have announced a new 12-team competition, Super Rugby Pacific.

The new competition, beginning in February 2022, will include five Australian and five New Zealand clubs, as well as Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika and will have all 91 matches broadcast live on Stan Sport, with a Saturday night match from each round to be broadcast free-to-air on Nine Network.

The competition will fill an 18-week window in both 2022 and 2023, with teams set to all play 14 regular season matches, hosting seven matches each, followed by a three-week playoff format with the top eight teams.

Rugby Australia CEO, Andy Marinos, said the new competition was possible thanks to the cooperation of Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby, as well as the support of the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports program.

“We’re thrilled to confirm the competition model for next year and beyond and want to thank NZR for their hard work and effort along with Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika for their patience, and the effort that has been put into their proposals,” Marinos said.

“I want to thank Mike and Martin at Nine and Stan for their endorsement of the competition as well as Foreign Minister Marise Payne and the Australian Government for their terrific support.

“This is a game-changer for Rugby in the Pacific, and indeed, the rest of the rugby world.

“We have seen the brilliant rugby that Fiji play in all formats of the game and their inclusion will make this new competition one of the toughest in the world,” he said.

Stan acting chief executive officer, Martin Kugeler, said: “After a fantastic start for rugby on Stan Sport, we are looking forward to showcasing the new Super Rugby competition format.”

“We saw interest and viewership of Super Rugby significantly increase this year on Stan Sport and Nine, and we expect this new twelve team competition, with the addition of both Fiji Drua and Moana Pasifika, to resonate well with fans.

“As Australia’s home of rugby, Stan Sport can’t wait to bring this new look Super Rugby competition to fans next year,” Kugeler said.