2025 Super Rugby AUS
| 2025 Super Rugby AUS | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Australia |
| Date | 13 September – 5 October 2025 |
| Champions | Waratahs (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Force |
| Matches played | 7 |
| Tries scored | 68 (average 9.7 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Sid Harvey, Waratahs (40) |
| Top try scorer | James Hendren, Waratahs (4) |
| Official website | |
| www | |
2025 Super Rugby AUS was the inaugural season of Australia's national rugby union competition, Super Rugby AUS, organised by Rugby Australia (RA).[1] It involves four of Australia's Super Rugby teams (also known as franchises): the Brumbies, the Force, the Reds and the Waratahs. The competition began on 13 September and finished with the Grand Final on 5 October 2025.[2][3]
The Waratahs won the inaugural Super Rugby AUS title on 5 October, defeating the Western Force in Wanneroo 33–26.[4][5]
Competition and format
The 2025 Super Rugby AUS is structured as a short-format, domestic rugby union competition featuring Australia's four Super Rugby franchises: the Brumbies, the Force, the Reds and the Waratahs.[1][2][3] The tournament is scheduled to take place over four weeks, running from 13 September to 5 October 2025, and is designed to provide additional high-level match opportunities for professional players outside the main Super Rugby Pacific season and international selection.[1][2][3]
The competition follows a single round-robin format during the regular season, with each team playing the other three teams once across three rounds. Matches are scheduled across a combination of traditional venues and regional locations, with a focus on community engagement and development.[2][3][6] Several fixtures are scheduled as double-headers alongside the Super Rugby Men's Under-19 competition. Following the conclusion of the round-robin stage, the top two teams on the competition ladder advance to a single Grand Final, to be held on Sunday, 5 October 2025 — the day after the Wallabies' Bledisloe Cup Test match against New Zealand in Perth.[2][3]
Venues and personnel
Upon the announcement of the new competition and its schedule for 2025, the venue for the Brumbies home fixture for Round 3 was confirmed to be Viking Park in the Canberra suburb of Wanniassa.[2] One of the Waratahs' venues was confirmed, Dangar Park, Narrabri in Northern New South Wales.[2] The venue itself had hosted Waratahs' pre-season trials in years prior, and is seen as a regional link to the team which holds an annual "Festival of Rugby" event,[7] sponsored by Santos.[8] Over a month later, the Force confirmed their home venue (Tompkins Park) for rounds 2 and 3.[9] Tompkins Park, located in the Perth suburb of Alfred Cove,[10] is home to the Palmyra Rugby Club in Perth's Premier Grade competition.[9][11] The Queensland Reds' home venue of Ballymore Stadium was confirmed by The Roar on 20 August.[12] The Waratahs' second home fixture was confirmed on 25 August to be played at the home ground of Shute Shield club Warringah Rats, Pittwater Park, also known as "Rat Park" in Sydney's Warriewood suburb.[13]
| Brumbies | Waratahs | |
|---|---|---|
| Viking Park, Wanniassa | Dangar Park, Narrabri | Pittwater Park, Warriewood |
| Capacity: 7,000[14] | Capacity: 5,000[15] | Capacity: 10,000[16] |
| Reds | ||
| Ballymore Stadium, Herston | ||
| Capacity: 8,000[17] | ||
| Force | ||
| Tompkins Park, Alfred Cove | ||
| — | ||
Personnel
| Team | Coach | Captain | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brumbies | Stephen Larkham | Luke Reimer | [18] |
| Force | James Stannard | Darcy Swain | [19] |
| Reds | Les Kiss | Jock Campbell | [20] |
| Waratahs | Lachlan McCaffrey | Matt Philip | [21] |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Force | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 92 | 85 | +7 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 10 | Qualification for the Grand Final |
| 2 | Waratahs (C) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 92 | 77 | +15 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 3 | Reds | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 95 | +7 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 4 | Brumbies | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 95 | 124 | −29 | 15 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Rugby.com.au[22]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head; 3) Number of wins; 4) Point difference
(C) Champion
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head; 3) Number of wins; 4) Point difference
(C) Champion
Fixtures
Round 1
| 12 September 19:30 AEST (UTC+10) |
| Waratahs | 3–24 | Force (1 BP) |
| Pen: Harvey (1/1) 8' Cards: Philip 19' to 29' | Report | Try: Robertson 42' c Swain 50' c Grealy 79' c Con: Burey (3/3) 43', 51', 80' Pen: Burey (1/1) 40+3' |
| Pittwater Park, Warriewood Attendance: 1,000[23] Referee: Reuben Keane |
| 14 September 15:00 AEST (UTC+10) |
| Reds | 36–26 | Brumbies |
| Try: Ryan (3) 2' m, 26' m, 30' m Latu 18' c Pakeho 40+1' c Hough 80' c Con: McLaughlin-Phillips (2/5) 19', 40+2' Campbell (1/1) 80+1' | Report | Try: Reimer 8' c Thorn 20' c Creighton 64' c Mickelson 69' m Con: Meredith (3/4) 9', 21', 64' Cards: Pritchard 39' to 49' |
| Ballymore Stadium, Herston Attendance: 1,904[24] Referee: Nic Berry |
Round 2
| 20 September 14:00 AWST (UTC+8) |
| (1 BP) Force | 46–35 | Brumbies |
| Try: Landman 4' c Fine 18' m Burey (2) 22' c, 67' m Harris 31' m Swain 35' c Grealy 71' m Leahy 79' m Con: Burey (3/7) 5', 23', 36' Donaldson (0/1) | Report | Try: Ieli 1' c Thorn 10' c Wilcox 38' c Macpherson 54' c van Nek 58' c Con: Meredith (5/5) 1', 11', 39', 54', 59' Cards: Taii Tualima 71' |
| Tompkins Park, Alfred Cove Referee: Jordan Kaminski |
| 20 September 17:45 AEST (UTC+10) |
| (1 BP) Waratahs | 47–19 | Reds |
| Try: Hendren (4) 2' c, 27' c, 49' m, 76' c Adamson 13' c Ropata 58' c Halaholo 73' c Con: Harvey (6/7) 3', 14', 28', 59', 74', 77' | Report | Try: Brial 5' c Anderson 16' m Faessler 41' c Con: Campbell (2/3) 6', 43' |
| Dangar Park, Narrabri Attendance: 3,600[25] Referee: George Myers |
Round 3
| 27 September 17:00 AEST (UTC+10) |
| Brumbies | 34–42 | Waratahs |
| Try: Oates 10' m McLeod (2) 26' c, 39' m Meredith 45' c Wilcox 49' m Thorn 62' m Con: Meredith (2/6) 26', 45' | Report | Try: Adamson (2) 6' c, 72' c Dobbins 23' c Halaholo 36' c Grant 48' c Wilson 77' c Con: Harvey (6/6) 6', 23', 36', 48', 72', 77 |
| Viking Park, Wanniassa Referee: Todd Cummings |
| 28 September 14:30 AWST (UTC+8) |
| Force | 22–47 | Reds (1 BP) |
| Try: Burey 11' m Palmer 34' m Poolman 54' m Donaldson 66' c Con: Donaldson (1/4) 66' Cards: Nofoagatotoa 78' | Report | Try: Latu (2) 19' c, 48' c Rubens (2) 22' c, 30' c Toomaga-Allen 27' c Cartwright 60' m Martens 69' c Con: McLaughlin-Phillips (6/7) 20', 22', 27', 30', 48', 70' |
| Tompkins Park, Alfred Cove Referee: Graham Cooper |
Grand Final
| 5 October 13:00 AWST (UTC+8) |
| Force | 26–33 | Waratahs |
| Try: Poolman 15' c Beale 19' c Watts 42' m Ekuasi 49' c Con: Donaldson (3/4) 16', 20', 50' | Report | Try: Jacques 21' m Harvey 28' c McDonald 32' c Halaholo 73' c Durbidge 79' c Con: Harvey (4/5) 29', 33', 73', 80' |
| Kingsway Regional Sporting Complex, Wanneroo[26] Referee: Nic Berry |
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Man of the Match:
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Squads
| Forwards |
|
| Backs |
|
| Coach | Stephen Larkham |
| Forwards |
|
| Backs |
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| Coach | James Stannard |
| Forwards |
|
| Backs |
|
| Coach | Les Kiss |
| Forwards |
|
| Backs |
|
| Coach | Lachlan McCaffrey |
References
- ^ a b c Doran, Christy (17 June 2025). "Super Rugby AUS season launched as Rugby Australia finally gets serious with development pathway". The Roar. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wasiliev, Nick (17 June 2025). "Rugby Australia confirms new domestic Super Rugby AUS competition to kick off in September". Rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Rugby Australia revives 'third tier' competition with Super Rugby AUS". ESPN. 17 June 2025.
- ^ "Super Rugby AUS: Western Force fall 33–26 to Waratahs in grand final after last-minute try". The West Australian. Seven West Media. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ "'Bloody tight': Tahs beat Force to first Super Rugby AUS title with two late tries". The Roar. 5 October 2025. Archived from the original on 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ Pentony, Luke (19 June 2025). "Rugby Australia's new domestic competition must avoid familiar hurdles". ABC News.
- ^ "Santos Festival of Rugby". narrabri.nsw.gov.au. Narrabri Shire.
- ^ "Santos Festival of Rugby Returns to Narrabri in 2025". waratahs.rugby. New South Wales Rugby Union. 7 February 2025.
- ^ a b Somerford, Ben (8 August 2025). "Palmyra to host Force's Super Rugby AUS home games". westernforce.rugby. Western Force. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ "Super Rugby AUS | FAQs | Western Force". westernforce.rugby. Western Force. Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ Palmer, Michael (14 August 2025). "Western Force: Palmyra RUFC to host home games for Super Rugby squad next month". PerthNow. Seven West Media. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "Super Rugby Aus squads and fixtures: Beale headlines Force side, time to shine for McLeod after stunning Lions cameo". The Roar. 20 August 2025. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Wasiliev, Nick (25 August 2025). "Final fixtures confirmed for Super Rugby AUS, U19s and U16s competitions". Rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ^ "Viking Park | Austadiums". Austadiums. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ "Dangar Park | Austadiums". Austadiums. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ "Pittwater Park | Austadiums". Austadiums. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ Atfield, Cameron (9 March 2023). "Less is Ballymore: Capacity to be capped at 8000, short of Olympic needs". Brisbane Times. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Super Rugby Aus squads and fixtures: Beale headlines Force side, time to shine for McLeod after stunning Lions cameo". The Roar. 20 August 2025. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ^ Somerford, Ben (13 August 2025). "Stannard to lead Force in Super Rugby AUS as coaching staff revealed". westernforce.rugby. Western Force. Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Trevor King Signs With Queensland Reds as Super Rugby AUS Squad Announced". reds.rugby (Press release). Queensland Rugby Union. 2 September 2025. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ a b "NSW Waratahs Select Exciting Blend of Elite, Academy and Club Players for Super Rugby AUS". waratahs.rugby (Press release). New South Wales Rugby Union. 2 September 2025. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
- ^ "2025 Super Rugby AUS Ladder". Rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Five things we learned from NSW Waratahs – Western Force". Rugby.com.au. Rugby.com.au. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "A Tim Ryan Hat-trick Sets Up a Reds Win in Super Rugby AUS". reds.rugby. Queensland Rugby Union. 14 September 2025. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "Narrabri thrives as Santos Festival of Rugby comes to town". New England Times. 19 September 2025. Archived from the original on 26 September 2025.
- ^ Somerford, Ben (24 September 2025). "Force to host Super Rugby AUS Grand Final at Wanneroo". westernforce.rugby. Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- ^ Williamson, Nathan (5 October 2025). "Five things we learnt from Western Force – NSW Waratahs Super Rugby AUS Final". Rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
Their back row has turned this competition into a showcase opportunity to replace Rob Leota and Langi Gleeson, with Clem Halaholo the standout as he took out Player of the Final.
- ^ Smith, Ben (20 August 2025). "Super Rugby AUS: Wallabies great Kurtley Beale headlines Western Force squad for mini-tournament". The West Australian. Seven West Media. Retrieved 21 August 2025.