Draw Announced for Super Rugby Pacific 2023
• 6 Home games for the 2023 season
• 3 Rivalry matches against Crusaders, Hurricanes and Highlanders
The Gallagher Chiefs fixtures for the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific competition have been confirmed. The opening round kicks off on the 24th of February with Gallagher Chiefs vs Crusaders at Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch with Super Round Melbourne the following weekend.
The Gallagher Chiefs will play all teams in 2023 for a total of 14 matches in the regular season. 11 round-robin fixtures plus 3 rivalry matches that will see them play a home and away series against the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Highlanders. The top 8 teams from the round-robin will qualify for finals to play off in a 3-week series.
The first home game for the season will be in round 3 against the Highlanders. The Gallagher Chiefs prevailed against the South Island side in last season's opener played in the Queenstown bubble. Due to the pandemic, 2023 will be the first time in 2 years that the Highlanders will have played at FMG Stadium Waikato, so the Chiefs Rugby Club looks forward to welcoming them back.
Back-to-back with the Highlanders game, the Gallagher Chiefs will play the Rebels in their only afternoon scheduled game at home. Like the Highlanders, it has been many years since the Rebels played at the Gallagher Chiefs home ground. The last time was in 2016 when they were defeated 36-15.
April brings with it 3 weekends of home games for Chiefs fans. Neighbouring rivals the Blues will make the journey to Hamilton for round 6, with rounds 9 and 10 back-to-back against the Fijian Drua and defending champions, the Crusaders. Three strong sides, the Gallagher Chiefs will be excited to have the home crowd support as they take them on.
Rounds 12 and 13 will be the final home games for the season against the Reds and the Hurricanes, with round 12 set to be played in one of our regions. The Gallagher Chiefs succeeded against both these teams last season so look to repeat this form in 2023.
Gallagher Chiefs Head Coach Clayton McMillan said, "We are looking forward to Super Rugby Pacific and having our loyal fans and whānau back at FMG Stadium Waikato. We missed that unique atmosphere during the pandemic-affected games last season so it will be good to have them back for our home games in 2023."
The Chiefs Rugby Club will be launching its 2023 season membership campaign on the 3rd of October.
For the first time, this will also include a Waitomo Chiefs Manawa membership to allow members to get amongst the Super Rugby Aupiki competition too.
Fans can register their interest now to be notified when memberships go live.
Register Interest: https://www.chiefs.co.nz/membership-packages
2023 GALLAGHER CHIEFS SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC DRAW:
(Bold indicates home games)
Round 1: Friday 24 February: Crusaders vs Gallagher Chiefs, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 2: Super Round Melbourne: Saturday 4 March: Moana Pasifika vs Gallagher Chiefs, AAMI Park Melbourne 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 3: Friday 10 March: Gallagher Chiefs vs Highlanders, FMG Stadium Waikato 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 4: Saturday 18 March: Gallagher Chiefs vs Rebels, FMG Stadium Waikato 3.35 pm (NZT)
Round 5: Friday 24 March: Waratahs vs Gallagher Chiefs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney 9.35 pm (NZT)
Round 6: Saturday 1 April, Gallagher Chiefs vs Blues, FMG Stadium Waikato 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 7: Bye
Round 8: Saturday 15 April: Hurricanes vs Gallagher Chiefs, Sky Stadium, Wellington 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 9: Friday 21 April: Gallagher Chiefs vs Fijian Drua, FMG Stadium Waikato 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 10: Saturday 29 April: Gallagher Chiefs vs Crusaders, FMG Stadium Waikato 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 11: Friday 5 May: Highlanders vs Gallagher Chiefs, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 12: Friday 12 May: Gallagher Chiefs vs Reds, TBC 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 13: Saturday 20 May: Gallagher Chiefs vs Hurricanes, FMG Stadium Waikato 7.05 pm (NZT)
Round 14: Saturday 27 May: Brumbies vs Gallagher Chiefs, Gio Stadium, Canberra 9.45 pm (NZT)
Round 15: Saturday 3 June: Force vs Gallagher Chiefs, HBF Park, Perth 0.00+1 (NZT)
SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC AT A GLANCE:
Season opener: Crusaders v Gallagher Chiefs @ Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch.
Format: 12 teams: Moana Pasifika, Fijian Drua, Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders, Highlanders, Waratahs, Reds, Force, Brumbies, Rebels
14 regular season matches = 11 round-robin matches + 3 rivalry matches
One bye round per team (all byes in Rounds 7, 8 & 9)
Season Length: 18 weeks = 15-week regular season + three-week eight-team playoff series
Total Matches: 91
Super Round: Round 2, Friday-Sunday 3-5 March @ AAMI Park Melbourne.
GALLAGHER CHIEFS HOME AND AWAY RIVALRY MATCHES:
Crusaders (H) Round 10 (A) Round 1
Hurricanes (H) Round 13 (A) Round 8
Highlanders (H) Round 3 (A) Round 11
