Power shift with Pasifika edge brings Super Rugby back to life

SYDNEY - After three years of post-Covid meandering and New Zealand domination, Super Rugby has sprung back into life in 2025 with signs that the southern hemisphere provincial championship is once again a genuine competition.

After a torrent of tries and entertaining but close games over the first three rounds of Super Rugby Pacific, round four marked a real sea-change with three of the four New Zealand teams in action beaten.

That two of them went down to Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika, the Pacific islands teams brought in to add a wider geographic dimension to the competition after the loss of the South African sides, made the power shift even more marked.

The Waikato Chiefs, losing finalists for the last two years, were the early competition pacesetters with three wins from three but lost to the previously winless Fijian Drua in Lautoka.

The Chiefs are not the first team to wilt in the Fijian heat, which was compounded on Saturday by heavy rain, but visiting coach Clayton McMillan saw the loss as also very much a sign of the new times.

If you look across the competition, its really tight, small margins and small moments can have big consequences, he told reporters.

I imagine as a spectator, its great to see people watching Super Rugby, being keen to get along and support their team, and to see a competitive competition.

Moanas victory over the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday was perhaps the biggest shock of the round and was achieved despite new captain Ardie Savea leaving the field before halftime with an injury.

It does feel like theres been a shift, said Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw, whose side topped the standings after the regular season last year.

Long may it continue, the last thing we want is a competition with