Shape Of Game Refinement A Focus For Super Rugby Pacific In 2025

With the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season just days away, the competition has reiterated its commitment to ongoing improvement of the on-field product through law innovation, while also introducing new initiatives to elevate the fan experience.

Law innovations confirmed for the 2025 season include the time allowed for conversions being reduced from 90 seconds to 60 seconds, more protection for the scrum half when clearing the ball and a call of ‘play on’ if a non-straight lineout throw is uncontested.

The innovations aim to enhance the flow of the game with reduced stoppages and faster resumptions of play, while referees will also be empowered to lead decision-making with the competition again limiting unprompted intervention from television match officials (TMOs).

Meanwhile Super Rugby Pacific has been working with clubs and venues to roll out standardised on-screen graphics to help communicate referee decisions to the fans in the stands.

The fans at the games will also get more insight into how major decisions such as tries/no tries and red cards are made, with the competition looking to broadcast referee microphones in-stadium at key moments.

“For several years Super Rugby Pacific has led the world with significant law innovations and many of those innovations have now been adopted by World Rugby,” Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said.

“In 2025 we have made the deliberate choice to consolidate and refine rather than implement more dramatic change.

“This consistency will no doubt help our match officials and give our fans a chance to follow the game more closely, which we will be supporting with our new in-stadium graphics and use of referee audio.”

New law innovations for Super Rugby Pacific in 2025 include:

- Time restrictions (conversions and penalty goals): Players will have 60 seconds to attempt conversions and penalty goals. This was previously 90 seconds for conversions.

- Play on from not-straight lineout throws: If the non-throwing team does not lift a teammate to compete for the ball, then play shall continue. If the non-throwing team lifts a teammate to compete for the ball, a free kick is awarded to the non-throwing team. The awarding of a free kick rather than a scrum is a change to the World Rugby law trial specific to Super Rugby Pacific, to promote the flow of game.

- Protection of 9 at ruck, maul and defensive positions at scrum:

• Ruck: A player who is, or was part of the ruck may not play an opponent who is near it (within one metre), and who is attempting to play the ball away.
• Maul: A player who is, or was part of the maul may not play an opponent near it (within one metre), and who is attempting to play the ball away.
• Scrum: Once play in the scrum begins, the scrum half of the team not in possession takes up a position with both feet no further than the centre line of the tunnel.

- Starting play in Super Point: The team who scores the first try in regular time has the choice to kick off or receive in Super Point, which was formerly known as Golden Point. This replaces the coin toss.

Returning law innovations include:

- TMO referrals driven by on-field team: TMOs will only intervene unprompted if the on-field match officials have missed a piece of serious foul play, or a clear and obvious infringement leading to a try. This aims to improve decision-making and accuracy, while benefitting the flow and integrity of the game.

- 20-minute red card: Players who perform an act of foul play that is considered to have met the red card threshold, but is assessed as not deliberate or with a high degree of danger, will receive a red card but can be replaced after 20 minutes from the time of the incident.

Any incident of foul play that contains dangerous actions and is adjudicated at a yellow card level on field will automatically be reviewed by the TMO during the 10-minute period the player is off the field. The possible sanctions are:

• Yellow card sanction in which the player is entitled to return at the conclusion of the 10-minute period; or
• Red card sanction in which the player is removed from the match but is permitted to be replaced after 20 minutes from the time of the incident.

A full red card sanction, in which the player is removed from the match and not replaced, is still applicable when foul play is deemed deliberate and with a high level of danger.