Revised Super Rugby Pacific Draw Confirmed
The Gallagher Chiefs fixtures for the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific competition have now been confirmed following a revised draw announced by joint venture partners New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and Rugby Australia today.
The competition will kick off with Moana Pasifika hosting the Blues at Mt Smart Stadium and the NSW Waratahs hosting the Fijian Drua on Australian soil. While a Super Saturday start in New Zealand sees the Gallagher Chiefs hosting the Highlanders at 4.35pm in Hamilton and the Crusaders welcoming the Hurricanes to Christchurch at 7.05pm.
The competition will get under way on Australian soil the same night, with the NSW Waratahs hosting the Fijian Drua, while a Super Saturday start in New Zealand sees the Gallagher Chiefs hosting the Highlanders at 4.35pm in Hamilton and the Crusaders welcoming the Hurricanes to Christchurch at 7.05pm.
The new schedule retains the same competition format announced in November with a full round robin and single points table but will see the six New Zealand-based teams and six Australian-based teams play their opening eight matches on different sides of the Tasman due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
All 12 clubs will converge in Melbourne in Round 10 for a Super Round that will feature a unique celebration of the ANZAC spirit and 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 rivalry matches which will see each team play a home and away series against three other teams.
Family friendly afternoon kick-offs are a feature of the draw with 23 daytime matches in total, including ten in New Zealand. Themed rounds celebrating a Women in Rugby Round, Culture Round, and Heritage Round will also remain on the schedule with confirmation of new dates and other details to be announced early next year.
All 12 clubs will still have their bye in either Round 7, Round 8 or Round 9 providing a fair chance for all teams to recharge as they launch their final push for a place in the Grand Final with all 91 matches live and exclusive on Sky including an eight-team play-off series which will kick-off in the first week of June.
Chiefs Rugby Club CEO Michael Collins is excited to share the revised Super Rugby Pacific draw with the club’s fanbase.
“We are pleased we are able to share with our fans and sponsors a revised Super Rugby Pacific draw and appreciate their patience while this has been worked on behind the scenes, by NZ Rugby, Rugby Australia and the other Super Rugby clubs.
“We are thrilled we were able to retain an exciting home draw which we are sure our fans will enjoy, especially some family-friendly afternoon kick offs. We are very much looking forward to the competition commencing and we know our members, sponsors and fans are eager to return to FMG Stadium Waikato next year. We are looking forward to having them there to cheer on our Gallagher Chiefs and experience our unique gameday atmosphere.”
NZR General Manager Professional Rugby & Performance Chris Lendrum said it was great to be in a position to provide teams, fans and partners certainty ahead of the 2022 season.
“We are thrilled that we’ve been able to maintain the integrity of the draw with the key elements of Super Rugby Pacific remaining despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19. We believe the full round-robin schedule, the Super Round, bye rounds, Themed Rounds and playoffs were all critical to retain in revising the schedule.
“I’d like to thank Rugby Australia, all 12 Super Rugby clubs, and our fans and partners, for their understanding, patience and flexibility in ensuring the competition is locked and loaded for 2022. The season opener between Moana Pasifika and the Blues shapes as an historic occasion in Auckland, as does the Fijian Drua’s first match against the Waratahs on the same night.”
Rugby Australia Chief Executive Andy Marinos said: “We’re pleased to be able to confirm the revised draw for Super Rugby Pacific. We believe these changes will allow us to navigate the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, while ensuring we maintain the integrity of the draw and the format of the new Super Rugby Pacific competition.
“It’s been a challenging environment over the last two years, but we’re thankful to our teams and our partners in New Zealand Rugby, SANZAAR and our broadcasters for their support as we worked through this process together.
“This is an exciting new era for Rugby in the Pacific and I would encourage all fans to get out and support their teams and sign up to catch all the action.”
2022 Gallagher Chiefs Super Rugby Pacific Draw:
Round 1: Saturday 19 February: Gallagher Chiefs vs. Highlanders, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 4.35pm (NZT)
Round 2: Friday 25 February: Gallagher Chiefs vs. Moana Pasifika, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 7.05pm (NZT)
Round 3: Saturday 5 March: Blues vs. Gallagher Chiefs, Eden Park, Auckland, 4.35pm (NZT)
Round 4: Saturday 12 March: Crusaders vs. Gallagher Chiefs, Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, 7.05pm (NZT)
Round 5: Saturday 19 March: Hurricanes vs. Gallagher Chiefs, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 7.05pm (NZT)
Round 6: Saturday 26 March: Gallagher Chiefs vs. Crusaders, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton 7.05pm (NZT)
Round 7: Gallagher Chiefs – Bye
Round 8: Saturday 9 April: Gallagher Chiefs vs. Blues, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 7.05pm (NZT)
Round 9: Friday 15 April: Moana Pasifika vs. Gallagher Chiefs, Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, 7.05pm (NZT)
Round 10 (ANZAC + Super Round): Friday 22 April: Gallagher Chiefs vs. Waratahs, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 6.00pm (AUST), 8.00pm (NZT)
Round 11: Friday 29 April: Reds vs. Gallagher Chiefs, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 7.45pm (AUST), 9.45pm (NZT)
Round 12: Saturday 7 May: Gallagher Chiefs vs. Brumbies, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 7.05pm (NZT), 5.05pm (AUST)
Round 13: Sunday 15 May: Rebels vs. Gallagher Chiefs, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 2.00pm (AUST), 4.00pm (NZT)
Round 14: Saturday 21 May: Gallagher Chiefs vs. Force, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, 4.35pm (NZT), 12.35pm (AUSWT)
Round 15: Friday 27 May: Fijian Drua vs. Gallagher Chiefs, TBC, 7.45pm (AUST), 9.45pm (NZT)
Super Rugby Pacific at a glance:
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 playoff series
• Total Matches: 91
Playoffs:
• 8-team playoffs format - QFs: June 3-5; SFs: 10-11 June; FINAL 18 June.
Super Round:
• Round 10, Friday-Sunday 22-24 April @ AAMI Park Melbourne Park.
• Highlanders v Brumbies; Moana Pasifika v Force; Blues v Fijian Drua; Hurricanes v Reds; Chiefs v Waratahs; Crusaders v Rebels.
New Zealand-based teams home and away rivalry matches:
Blues
Highlanders (H) Rd 4; (A) Rd 6
Chiefs (H) Rd 3; (A) Rd 8
Moana Pasifika (H) Rd 7; (A) Rd 1
Gallagher Chiefs
Blues (H) Rd 8; (A) Rd 3
Crusaders (H) Rd 6; (A) Rd 4
Moana Pasifika (H) Rd 2; (A) Rd 9
Crusaders
Chiefs (H) Rd 4; (A) Rd 6
Highlanders (H) Rd 7; (A) Rd 2
Hurricanes (H) Rd 1; (A) Rd 8
Highlanders
Blues (H) Rd 6; (A) Rd 4
Crusaders (H) Rd 2; (A) Rd 7
Hurricanes (H) Rd 9; (A) Rd 3
Hurricanes
Crusaders (H) Rd 8; (A) Rd 1
Highlanders (H) Rd 3; (A) Rd 9
Moana Pasifika (H) Rd 4; (A) Rd 6
Moana Pasifika
Blues (H) Rd 1; (A) Rd 7
Hurricanes (H) Rd 6; (A) Rd 4
Chiefs (H) Rd 9; (A) Rd 2
