Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Live sport on SN this weekendSuper Rugby announces new rule innovations for 2026 season
Sport Nation • February 2nd, 2026 12:40 pm
Super Rugby Pacific will introduce a series of law modifications for the 2026 season designed to speed up play, reduce stoppages and make the game easier to officiate.
With strong support from clubs, referees and key stakeholders, the competition has approved the following key law changes for the 2026 season:
- Penalty tries: Referees will no longer be required to automatically issue a yellow or red card when awarding a penalty try. Any additional sanction will now be at the referee’s discretion. (Law 8.3)
- Free kicks over scrums: Accidental offsides and delays in playing the ball away from the ruck will result in free kicks rather than scrums, further reducing unnecessary stoppages. (Law 10.5, Law 15.17)
- “Use it” enforcement: Once the referee has called “use it” at the ruck, no further players from the team in possession may join the ruck. (Law 15.17)
- 50:22 clarification: Teams will be permitted to pass the ball back into their own half before kicking in an attempt to find a 50:22. (Law 18.8a)
- Quick taps: Players may take quick taps within one metre either side of the mark, or anywhere behind it, provided they remain within a two-metre channel running parallel to the touchline.
Sumo on NZ Rugby's startling Super Rugby admission | Scotty & Izzy
The competition has also reaffirmed its stance on Television Match Official (TMO) involvement, guidelines first introduced in 2023 to improve game flow:
- The TMO may only intervene without invitation if the referee has missed an act of serious foul play (yellow card level or above), or a clear and obvious infringement that directly leads to a try.
- Any other TMO involvement must be initiated by the on-field referee, empowering match officials and reducing prolonged stoppages.
These measures have already proven effective, with more than four minutes of dead time removed from Super Rugby Pacific matches over the past four seasons.
Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said the changes reflect the competition’s commitment to an entertaining, fan-first product.
“We want to be a competition that encourages quick taps and faster restarts, that cuts down on unnecessary stoppages, and that embraces positive, attacking rugby.
“Super Rugby Pacific will continue to work closely with World Rugby and our stakeholders to evolve the game and produce the best version of rugby, and to strongly advocate that the innovations that are clearly working in Super Rugby Pacific be adopted more widely.”
Additional competition settings for 2026 include:
- Super Point retained: Matches level at full-time will continue to be decided by up to ten minutes of extra time, with the first scoring team declared the winner. If neither side scores, the match will be recorded as a draw.
- Finals format tweak: The six-team finals series will remain, but the highest-ranked losing team from the Qualifying Finals will now progress as the fourth seed, ensuring they play away from home in the Semi-Finals — and the Grand Final if they advance.
The 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season kicks off on February 13, with the Highlanders hosting the Crusaders.
