Faster games, more tries, bigger crowds headline Super Rugby Pacific in 2025
- Sanzaar Media
- Apr 8
- 4 min read
More than one minute of static time has disappeared from Super Rugby Pacific matches in 2025 as high scores and thrilling finishes continue to drive growth in broadcast, engagement and attendance across the competition.
Through a combination of law innovation and game management from match officials, Super Rugby Pacific encounters are now faster than ever before, with reduced stoppages and quicker restarts of play.
Having reached the halfway mark in the 2025 regular season, 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.
Static time has been reduced by 1m13s seconds per game, with 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 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%) featuring a lead change in the final 10 minutes*.
That jeopardy extends to match results with more than half of games (59%) 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 attempts per game reflecting teams favouring attacking, running rugby.
A 21.5% increase in average game attendance across the competition to Round 8.
Strong growth in TV audiences across Australia (30% increase in Nine viewership to Round 8), New Zealand (12% 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% 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 potentially secure an all-important second chance in the Finals.”
Significant time savings have been made at the set-piece compared to the 2024 season, with scrums packing 19 seconds quicker and line-outs forming eight seconds faster.
Goalkickers have also been doing their part with a near 30 second reduction in the time taken for penalty attempts and 14 seconds saved on conversion attempts.
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.
Round 9 of Super Rugby Pacific sees some important match-ups in the lower half of the ladder as teams endeavour to stay in touch of the top six: the Blues (10) host Moana Pasifika (8) in an Auckland blockbuster; while the Highlanders (9) host Fijian Drua (11) in Dunedin. Meantime Canberra will play host to the all-Australian derby between the ACT Brumbies (5) and the Queensland Reds (3).
Fixtures
(All times local - home team)
Friday
Hurricanes v Crusaders @ SKY Stadium, Wellington (7.05pm)
NSW Waratahs v Chiefs @ Allianz Stadium, Sydney (7.35pm)
Saturday
Blues v Moana Pasifika @ Eden Park, Auckland (4.35pm)
Highlanders v Fijian Drua @ Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin (7.05pm)
Queensland Reds v ACT Brumbies @ Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (7.35pm)
At the halfway point of the Super Rugby Pacific season, there's a new leader in the Player of the Year voting in Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea.
Savea was one of several superstars to score big points over a thrilling weekend of action.
In 2025, Super Rugby Pacific will crown the competition's most outstanding player with the presentation of the inaugural Player of the Year Award.
The captains and head coaches of both teams nominate their top three players from the opposing team each week, allocating three votes, two votes, and one vote, respectively.
Here is how they voted
Chiefs v Queensland Reds
4 - Joe Brial (RED), Josh Canham (RED)
3 - Matt Faessler (RED), Damian McKenzie (CHI), Naitoa Ah Kuoi (CHI), Shaun Stevenson (CHI)
2 - Luke Jacobson (CHI)
1 - Tate McDermott (RED), Jahrome Brown (CHI)
Moana Pasifika v NSW Waratahs
5 - Ardie Savea (MOA), Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (WAR), Langi Gleeson (WAR)
3 - Feleti Sa’e-Ta’ufo’ou (MOA)
2 - Jonathan Taumateine (MOA)
1 - Sam Slade (MOA), Lalomilo Lalomilo (MOA), Triston Reilly (WAR), Angus Bell (WAR)
Fijian Drua v Crusaders
5 - Noah Hotham (CRU), Iosefo Masi (DRU)
4 - Joseva Tamani (DRU)
3 - Will Jordan (CRU)
2 - Christian Lio-Willie (CRU), Selestino Ravutaumada (DRU)
1 - Chay Fihaki (CRU), Taha Kemara (CRU), Elia Canakaivata (DRU)
Blues v Hurricanes
6 - Beauden Barrett (BLU)
5 - Cam Roigard (BLU)
3 - Du’Plessis Kirifi (HUR)
2 - Finlay Christie (BLU), Dalton Papali’i (BLU), Isaia Walker-Leawere (HUR), Peter Lakai (HUR)
1 - Caleb Clarke (BLU), Hoskins Sotutu (BLU)
Western Force v Highlanders
5 - Jona Nareki (HIG), Carlo Tizzano (FOR)
3 - Timoci Tavatavanawai (HIG), Vaiolini Ekuasi (FOR)
2 - Veveni Lasaqa (HIG), Harry Potter (FOR), Brandon Paenga-Amosa (FOR)
1 - Ethan de Groot (HIG), Nathan Hastie (HIG)
Super Rugby Pacific POTY Ladder
22 - Ardie Savea (MOA)
21 -Tom Hooper (BRU)
19 - Timoci Tavatavanawai (HIG), Carlo Tizzano (FOR)
16- Damian McKenzie (CHI)