r/superrugby

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Hey all, I've been playing Super Rugby Pacific fantasy for a while and came from an NFL fantasy background where you have access to a ton of analytics tools. One thing I always found useful was being able to see which teams give up the most points to specific positions (like in NFL fantasy you can check if a defence leaks points to running backs before deciding who to start).

I wanted the same thing for rugby fantasy, couldn't find it anywhere, so had a go at that and it kind of built from there.

Here's what's on it now:

- **Matchup/vulnerability matrix** - see which teams concede the most fantasy points to each position, great for start/sit decisions

- **Player browser** - search and filter all 400+ players by name, team, and position, sortable by price, average points, last round score, and ownership %

- **Player detail pages** - full round-by-round points history, plus a detailed stat breakdown (tries, tackles, metres, lineouts, cards, etc.) for each round

- **Score projections** - a model blending recent form, season averages, matchup data, and player status to project scores for the upcoming round (Careful with using this as I have not been able to dial it in!) ;)

- **Fixtures and weather** - live weather forecasts at kickoff time so you can factor in conditions before lockout

- **Team fantasy scores** - see how each team performed in a given round at a glance

Would love to know if anyone finds it useful, or if there are features you wish existed. Still actively building it out so feedback is genuinely welcome! (And also things might break!)

https://fantasy-super-rugby-stats-production.up.railway.app/super-rugby

Who else is prepared for the Crusaders to win the 2026 title?

Not sure how it’s all gonna happen, but it’s totally written in the stars. Also will be a home final, again not sure how!

Let’s be honest, we’ve got a bloody good track record in finals!!

If hes back, why not play him against South Africa?

​

The directors of Melbourne’s Super Rugby team thought the competition would rise from the ashes after COVID-19 with the support of Rugby Australia only to later learn they had no role in the future of the sport.

The bold claim about how the Melbourne Rebels rugby club was quietly knifed by the sport’s administrative body was made on the first day of a Federal Court trial to decide whether RA acted unfairly by withdrawing support for the club during its 2024 financial collapse.

The case is expected to offer a glimpse into the inner workings of one of the country’s most powerful sporting governing bodies, shedding new light on why RA chose to provide emergency funding to NSW Super Rugby team the Waratahs and the ACT’s Brumbies.

RA’s top brass including current chief Phil Waugh and former boss Andy Marinos are expected to provide evidence in the case. Rebels president Paul Docherty, who declared bankruptcy in 2025, is also expected to give evidence.

Opening the case for the Rebels before a packed courtroom in Melbourne, counsel Bernard Quinn, KC, said the Rebels’ directors had believed all the clubs in the competition had a good relationship with RA, one built on the common goal of the competition recovering after the pandemic led to cancellation of games and financial devastation for clubs.

“An atmosphere was generated, which perhaps had not been seen in the years before COVID, of a common purpose of collaboration, trust and confidence,” Quinn said.

“And that was … clearly, to raise from the ashes, nurture and develop a Super Rugby competition.

“The case will focus on the fracture of that active collaborative trust by Rugby Australia.”

Quinn said the directors had no idea that months earlier, in July 2023, RA had put in place a plan to preference the development of the sport in its traditional heartland of NSW, Queensland and the ACT.

The “Winning Rugby” plan, endorsed by the RA board, outlined a recasting of the sport to improve the patchy performance of the national squad. Under the strategy, the competition would be restructured to prioritise the financial survival and performance of three key east coast teams – the Waratahs, the Brumbies and the Reds.

Quinn told the court that the document would show that RA made the call to strip the Rebels franchise of its licence at a time when the directors were operating under the belief they had the ongoing support of the sport’s governing body.

“The essence of that policy was not disclosed to any of the clubs, including Rebels,” he said.

“And no one within Rebels knew what had specifically evolved until after this case had commenced. “It took litigation to get to the truth.”

The Rebels were stripped of their licence by RA in 2024, months after the club entered administration under the weight of about $23 million in debt, including $11.5 million owing to the Tax Office and another $6 million to members of the club’s high-profile board.

RA is defending the claim and is expected to present its case on Tuesday.

RA has long argued the Rebels’ dire financial position was a driver of its decision to withdraw support in late 2023 and not its plan to reshape the league.

It has pointed to the fact the club was alleged to have been trading while insolvent since 2018, as revealed by this masthead.

RA has also argued it was not kept fully abreast of the state of the club’s tax troubles, which included the directors of the club receiving director penalty notices holding them personally liable for the tax debts of the club.

Earlier in the hearing the Rebels directors applied to discontinue a separate legal bid brought against the person and firm overseeing the club’s administration to set aside the tax bill against the club, because the issue would be resolved in the substantive proceeding.

After a short recess, the court heard the parties had agreed to dismiss the directors’ case against the deed administrator, but the parties were still finalising the agreement.

The case continues.

​

There were just four games in Round 14 of Super Rugby Pacific, three of which were won in a canter.

The Waratahs' upset win in Fiji over the Drua was the pick of those, while the Hurricanes continued their scintillating form by crushing the Blues, and the Chiefs made light work of the Highlanders.

The Force meanwhile continued their late-season revival, beating the Reds for the second time in 2026.

AUSSIE TEAMS ARE ALL AT THE SAME LEVEL - SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE WALLABIES?

This year's Super Rugby Pacific ladder can be broken down into three distinct tiers. Up top, the Hurricanes and Chiefs are, and have been all season, a clear cut above. Unless something strange happens in the playoffs, the two Kiwi front-runners will contest the final and what a final it would be.

The Crusaders are the team most likely to spring a semifinal upset and have their final two games of the regular season at home beforehand to build further momentum. With Will Jordan and potentially Scott Barrett to come back, their title defence is not done just yet.

But with six wins, two fewer than the Blues, and with losses to the Brumbies, Reds and Force, it certainly hasn't been a vintage season from the 13-time champions. And as for the Aucklanders? They are limping to the finish, with an out-of-sorts Beauden Barrett now having serious questions applied to his All Blacks future.

And so they can be grouped with the four Aussie teams, alongside the Highlanders and Fijian Drua, who were heavy losers to the Chiefs and Waratahs respectively in Round 14. With the bye to come in the final round, the Highlanders' season is effectively over, while the Drua face two tough away games in Perth and Brisbane. They too look done.

And while Moana Pasifika reportedly still have parties attempting to keep them alive beyond this season, they are without a win since Round 1. Moana sit alone at the bottom in their own world of hurt.

So what does one make of the Australian teams, the Brumbies, Reds, Waratahs and Force, then?

In a curious turn of events, they have virtually cannibalised each other all year. The Reds have done the double over the Brumbies and Waratahs; the Force swept the Reds and may yet do the same to the Waratahs; while NSW can do that to the ACT with a win on Friday night. And the Brumbies beat the Force both home and away. Chaos.

The big question is, then: what does this mean for the Wallabies and Joe Schmidt's final three games in charge?

Is it better to have one standout team and pick a majority of players from it -- the Brumbies had six players in Australia's starting XV against Fiji last year after finishing third in Super Rugby - or cobble together a run-on side from four teams that have essentially performed at largely the same level?

Sure, existing combinations must still be considered, while none of Australia's teams have performed with the set-piece quality they would have liked; the Reds' lineout, meanwhile, has been truly woeful.

It has therefore set the stage for one of the more intriguing buildups to Australia's first Test of the season, against Ireland in Sydney, particularly with overseas stars Angus Bell, Len Ikitau, Tom Hooper, Noah Lolesio and Taniela Tupou, also available for selection.

There will be genuine selection discussion in every position.

HEARTBREAK FOR TANGITAU

If there was one player deserving of a Test debut in 2026, it was the Highlanders Caleb Tangitau. Unfortunately, the winger will now have to wait until 2027 at least, after he tore his Achilles late in the Highlanders' 42-12 defeat by the Chiefs.

Tangitau came through the New Zealand sevens system before exploding onto the Super Rugby scene last year and was thought to be close to an All Blacks callup for last year's northern tour. He was instead named in the All Blacks XV.

But his form for the Highlanders in 2026 had been undeniable, and with other outside back contenders heading overseas, namely Fehi Fineanganofo and Sevu Reece, Tangitau was understood to be under serious consideration by incoming All Blacks boss Dave Rennie.

Sadly, his quest for black jersey will have to wait another year.

FINEANGANOFO ON THE CUSP OF HISTORY

While we're on the subject of New Zealand wingers, the Super Rugby season try-scoring record is poised to be broken, maybe as early as Round 15, after Hurricanes flyer Fehi Fineanganofo scored his 16th five-pointer of the season.

Fineanganofo joined Joe Roff and Ben Lam who set the mark in 1997 and 2018 respectively when he crossed early in the second half of the Hurricanes' crushing win over the Blues in Auckland, albeit after he had thrown what looked to be a clear forward pass only moments earlier.

The winger's ball to replacement back-rower Brayden Iose was not just forward, but forward out of the hands, yet still drew no action from the officials.

"They're [Hurricanes] a good team, but they don't need help from the officials," Blues coach Vern Cotter said when asked later about a couple of calls. "At times, there were some things that didn't go our way and some things that we created that made it difficult for ourselves as well," he said.

"I just think when a team is on top of the table, quite often they get the 50-50s."

With two further games to go in the regular season, and then potentially three finals matches, Fineanganofo could foreseeably run up a total of 20 tries by the end of the year, such is the Canes' attacking quality.

Signed by Newcastle to play in the English Premiership next season, Fineanganofo may have however cost himself an All Blacks berth by doing so, particularly with Tangitau now gone for the season.

WARATAHS FIND THEIR MOJO IN FIJI AFTER YOUNG HALVES DELIVER

NSW coach Dan McKellar will have had a mixed flight home from Fiji on Sunday, after his side turned in a stunning first-half performance against the Drua before going onto win 50-35 in Suva.

McKellar was clearly delighted with his team's effort as they kept their finals hopes alive for another week, but with four hours to ponder the season as a whole must have cursed the fact such a performance had been an outlier and not the norm.

The 15-point win will have thrown up some interesting selection decisions for McKellar, too, after young halves Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen were at the crux of the Waratahs' first-half onslaught alongside Kiwi hooker Ioane Moananu.

Teddy Wilson was one of the Waratahs' best in their surprise win over the Drua Pita Simpson/Getty Images

Wilson's delivery and running game around the edges was first rate, while Bowen kicked astutely, and generally didn't overplay his hand at No. 10; the fly-half's finest moment a deft grubber in behind the Drua defence that resulted in a try to Max Jorgensen.

Having lost star centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to hamstring tightness in the leadup, this was a win when NSW had also overcome additional adversity.

So, what does McKellar do now? Stick with the same starting side who annihilated the Drua in the first 40, or bring back the experienced duo of Jake Gordon and Jack Debreczeni for what looms as a season-defining clash with the Brumbies?

McKellar's decision will be telling - and give an insight into his thinking for next season. Meanwhile out west, Max Burey's performance for the Force in their win over the Reds should also give hope to NSW fans for next season.

Moananu with a silky pass for the 'TahsBeautiful work from Ioane Moananu finished off by Harry Potter to give the Waratahs the perfect start against Fijian Drua.

CAMPBELL SHOULD BE IN WALLABIES RECKONING

Queensland's hopes of a home final in the first week of the playoffs officially came to an end with a 19-14 defeat by the Force in Perth, where they were again left to lament a truly dreadful lineout.

A team that wins just 57% of its own lineout ball will always struggle to win.

That inability to win their own set-piece left the Reds struggling to control possession and territory and they were eventually squeezed out of the contest by the Force in much the same fashion as the Waratahs had been a fortnight earlier.

There were still a couple of notable performances from Reds players however, and none more so than Jock Campbell, who has been a threat at fullback all season.

Still to confirm his future beyond this season, Campbell has been the form fullback in Australian rugby this year, with incumbent Wallabies custodian Tom Wright just a few games into his comeback from an ACL injury.

Campbell's last two contracts have been for one season alone; the difference this time is that Reds coach Les Kiss will soon become the Wallabies boss, too. If Campbell re-signs in the coming weeks, take it as given that Kiss has told him he is in his Wallabies planning.

On the strength of his form this season, Campbell certainly deserves to add to his four Test caps.

​

Australia centre Len Ikitau says he would like to return to Exeter in the future.

The 27-year-old is on a one-season deal at Sandy Park before he returns home to the Brumbies ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Regarded as one of the premier centres in world rugby, Ikitau has scored two tries in an injury-hit spell at Exeter - he missed four months after needing shoulder surgery in December.

"I think looking towards the end of 2027, there's a potential chance of coming back if everything falls into place," he told BBC Sport.

"I've loved my time here and I've really enjoyed it, my family's enjoyed it and hopefully this isn't the end."

Exeter are the subject of a possible takeover by the owners of Premier League football side AFC Bournemouth as the Prem moves towards a franchise model.

Ikitau says talks are ongoing between his representatives and Exeter boss Rob Baxter as he looks to the future, having played just eight times since his move last autumn due to the shoulder injury.

"I think it's just been going on behind the scenes with my manager," he added.

"Obviously I told him how much I've really enjoyed my time here and that if there was any possibility of coming back, would he look into it

"So I guess it's just kind of sitting back and waiting to be honest and hoping that everything falls into place."

​

Australian rugby is in danger of losing its hottest rising star to the PNG Chiefs, with teenage sensation Treyvon Pritchard a priority target for the NRL’s cashed-up new club.

And the expansion franchise won’t be stopping at poaching the hugely talented Reds rookie – the Chiefs are looking to make it a family package by also signing his older brother, rising Brumbies centre Kadin Pritchard.

This masthead can reveal the Pritchard brothers met with PNG Chiefs officials in Brisbane on Tuesday, where the new league club laid out its pitch for Treyvon, 19, and Kadin, 21, to join the inaugural Chiefs roster in 2028.

With much of the NRL player pool off-limits to the PNG club until November 1, when players coming off contract in 2027 are free to negotiate with rival clubs, the Chiefs are looking at rugby targets, where no such restrictions exist.

Speculation the Chiefs were chasing Wallabies star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is wide of the mark, according to informed sources, but it’s a different story when it comes to Pritchard – who only turned 19 last month and is already a superstar in the making.

Boasting skill and elusiveness some have likened to Kalyn Ponga when he was at the same school 11 years earlier, Pritchard debuted for the Reds last year in a friendly while still in grade 12 at Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) in Brisbane.

Pritchard was drafted straight into the Queensland senior squad this season and made his debut in Super Rugby Pacific in March.

Pritchard, who plays wing, fullback and centre, has since played in eight Super games and scored his first senior try for the Reds last week with a deceptive run in the dying minutes against rugby’s Chiefs, from New Zealand.

The youngster’s name has already been mentioned by some pundits as a potential Wallabies bolter this year, and with more time under his belt Pritchard will be a legitimate contender for selection in squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.

Pritchard is contracted with the QRU until 2027, having last year extended his deal.

Informed industry sources said the PNG interest is not new territory for Pritchard, who has been courted by numerous NRL clubs in the last few years, particularly in Queensland. His spectacular highlight reels from schools rugby, and in the Australian under-18 teams – both XVs and sevens – are well-known.

He starred in a pair of thumping wins by the Australian Schools and Under 18 side over New Zealand last year: 81-48 in Canberra and the second Test 55-33

But while Pritchard, who played rugby league until the age of 15, has said he elected to stay in rugby because he loves being at the Reds, the Chiefs’ ability to offer tax-free earnings could be a decisive factor.

A tax-free $300,000 a year salary from PNG would give Pritchard roughly the same money in his pocket as a $500,000 contract in rugby – which is top tier in the 15-man game. Rugby Australia would be required to push the boat out to match it, and largely on Pritchard’s potential.

If the Chiefs pursue a 2028 deal with the Pritchards in coming months, it would also force RA to negotiate for an extension beyond the normal contracting timeframes in rugby. While league players signing deals to change clubs 18 months in advance is now common, it is rarely – if ever – seen in Australian rugby.

But Pritchard signing with the Chiefs for 2028 would also potentially affect his status at the selection table for the Wallabies in the future.

Kadin Pritchard is also a high-quality athlete who played for the Junior Wallabies in 2024 and made a Super Rugby debut for the Brumbies in 2025. The 21-year-old has become a mainstay for the Canberra side this season, starting almost every game at No.13.

He is highly regarded by his Brumbies coach, former Wallabies star Stephen Larkham, who has a knack for developing talent.

Treyvon has been brought through the Reds system by incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss. Though Kiss has taken the slow and steady approach to his introduction to Super Rugby – Pritchard has been on the bench in all but one game – the coach is a huge fan.

“Treyvon is very savvy. He is no one-trick pony,” Kiss said earlier this year. “He is a beautifully balanced young player. Very quick, smart and confident. He can kick off both feet, step off both feet, and his speed off the mark is brilliant. He has the one thing you can’t coach and that’s speed.”

The Pritchard brothers’ father, Dan, is a New Zealander, while mother Brenda is of Ghanian heritage.

Fainga’anuku’s switch has already earned praise from Crusaders head coach Rob Penney.

He hailed the former midfield powerhouse after his first outing at flanker during Super Round.

The Championship Bait-and-Switch: How Quinnipiac Is Cashing In on a Program It Just Axed

Quinnipiac University is currently sitting on a mountain of donor cash and endowment money while turning its back on the very athletes and families who provided it. This isn't just a budget cut; it’s a calculated betrayal. For years, the university celebrated this three-time national championship-winning powerhouse, using its trophies and athletes to boost the school’s prestige. But now, after demoting these elite women to "club status" under the tired excuse of "financial necessity," the administration has quietly kept the varsity-level donations. They took the money, changed the rules, and are now treating a premier Division I legacy like an after-school hobby—all while keeping the "change."

Broken Promises: Where Did Your "100% Support" Go?

The Athletic Department’s own promises were crystal clear. Director of Athletics Greg Amodio told donors in writing that "100% of your gift will directly support the team of your choice." Supporters chose Women’s Rugby because they believed in funding the "highest competitive level" of collegiate sport. By demoting the varsity program and absorbing those restricted funds into club accounts, the university has effectively broken its contract with every parent, alumna, and fan. You cannot court donors with the promise of varsity excellence, take their checks, and then downgrade the product while keeping the investment.

A Flag on the Play: Bypassing Donor Intent

These are Restricted Funds, and they were given for one specific purpose – supporting Varsity women’s rugby. When a university demotes a program, it can no longer fulfill that purpose. Standard compliance is not a suggestion; it requires the school to ask for a Donor Release.

They are supposed to give you three choices:

-Move your money to another varsity sport.

-Give explicit permission for it to go to a club team.

-Or, give it back.

By silently absorbing these endowments and donations, Quinnipiac is breaching institutional trust and ignoring the fundamental rights of the people who sustain their athletic department.

Scrubbing the Website: The Digital Wall of Silence

If this decision were truly about "financial necessity," the university wouldn't be working so hard to hide the numbers. In a move that reeks of desperation, the administration recently scrubbed the Bobcat Challenge website, wiping the rugby donation history to zero. They are trying to delete the program's success from the public record. But they can’t delete the receipts sitting in our inboxes. When donors have demanded transparency via phone or email, they have been met with a chilling wall of silence. This isn't how an institution of "integrity" treats its family; it’s how a corporation hides a deficit.

The Audit We Need: Is Title IX the Next Victim?

This is about more than just one team; it’s about the integrity of the entire institution. If the administration is willing to scrub financial data and ignore donor intent, we have to ask what else they are hiding. If their "financial necessity" narrative doesn't match their own ledgers, then every piece of data they submit, including Title IX compliance records, must be viewed with extreme skepticism. It is time for an independent audit to expose what is actually happening behind closed doors.

Take Action: Don’t Let Them Quietly Pocket Your Money

Quinnipiac is counting on your silence. They think that if they ignore the emails and wait out the news cycle, the money is theirs to keep. Prove them wrong:

Demand Your Money Back: Call the Office of Development at (203) 582-8660 or email development@qu.edu. Formally state that since the university can no longer fulfill the restricted intent of your gift, you demand an immediate refund.

Pressure the Board: Message the Board of Trustees. Tell them that a university that violates donor intent no longer deserves donor support.

Sign the Petition: Join the thousands of alumni, parents, and fans demanding that Quinnipiac restore our Varsity status.

Fund the Fight: Contribute to the GoFundMe to cover the legal fees for the players taking this fight to court.

Keep the Legacy Alive: Share the team’s

documentary on YouTube. The administration wants to erase this history; your voice ensures it stays visible.

They took the trophies. They took the varsity status. Don't let them take your money, too.

in lieu of 30 years of SR and to make it more nostalgic they should make the NZ teams have two names. Discuss away.

The fella reffing the QLD Reds v Chiefs can't be a professional. This is absolutely poor I'm stunned

The Reds are getting robbed this game, this ref needs to be fired, hes getting paid off to get the chiefs the win