The uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Super Rugby Pacific has grown further ahead of a key meeting tomorrow, following a report that New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will discuss the possibility of abandoning the competition altogether.
According to The Post, one of three proposals to be discussed at NZR’s summit tomorrow is the creation of a domestic competition involving 8 to 10 New Zealand teams, replacing both the NPC and Super Rugby.
With financial losses continuing to eat into the cash injection provided through the Silver Lake private equity deal in 2022, the summit will bring together stakeholders from across the game.
The powerful provincial unions are reportedly leading the push to move away from Super Rugby.
A leaked document titled Rugby System Programme – Rugby Summit Pre-read last week revealed the extent of NZR’s financial difficulties, including a projected cumulative loss of NZ$108 million between 2024 and 2028.
The document also showed that NZR generated record revenue of NZ$285 million in 2025 but still recorded a loss of NZ$19 million.
More significantly, only two of New Zealand’s five Super Rugby franchises have made a profit in any year between 2019 and 2025 without financial support from NZR.
However, there are reportedly two other options being considered.
One would involve adding two more teams to Super Rugby, which is set to contract to just 10 sides in 2027 following the departure of Moana Pasifika.
The other would be to consolidate the Super Rugby and NPC organisations into the home cities of the five existing New Zealand franchises.
The NPC has been at the heart of New Zealand rugby for decades and remains an important part of the country’s player development pathway.
It is also one of the main reasons NZR has resisted calls for a global rugby season, which would move The Rugby Championship from its current August–October window to February–April.
A key question for tomorrow’s discussions will be whether an 8 to a 10-team competition based on the NPC model could generate enough revenue, and, more importantly, make a profit while also meeting NZR’s high-performance objectives.
Source ESPN
