After many years of losing lustre, Super Rugby Pacific got a lot right in 2025, and a bunch of regular-season stats released last week highlighted why many people have returned to the game.

There were more points, fewer penalty goals, fewer stoppages, more viewers and - most crucially - greater jeopardy. There were over four lead changes in an average fixture, including a change after the 70th minute in almost a quarter of games.

But then the finals arrived, and with them a realisation that Super Rugby’s restoration job needs more work. Specifically, a new and rickety playoff system.

The 2025 finals series was, wisely, trimmed from eight teams to six. That meant three qualifying finals, and the highest-ranked loser getting a second chance in the finals.

In most years, that would usually play out by the top two getting the job done at home, and the loser of the third versus fourth final getting another shot.

On the weekend, though, the Blues threw a welcome spanner in the works. The 2024 champs, who started the year slowly and only snuck into sixth, pulled off an upset by beating the minor premiers, the Chiefs.

Tom Wright heads to the try line in the Brumbies’ win over the Hurricanes.Credit: Getty Images

It turned the Brumbies (3rd) and Hurricanes (4th) clash in Canberra into sudden death, and on the back of a brutally........

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