Rugbe news
The good stories from around the game, your stories.
Chiefs 2026: eleven wins, a Super Point classic, and a final that got away
Jono Gibbes' first season in charge produced 11 wins from 14, the Chiefs' biggest ever victory over the Crusaders, a Player of the Year in Quinn Tupaea, and then a grand final in Wellington that went wrong from the first whistle. Every game, reviewed.
20 June 2026
Hurricanes 2026: the first team to 100 tries, and a final nobody saw coming
Clark Laidlaw's Hurricanes won their first title in a decade, became the first side in Super Rugby history to score 100 tries in a season, produced two players who broke the single-season try record on the same night, and finished it with the biggest win a Super Rugby final has ever seen. Every game, reviewed.
20 June 2026
Hurricanes crowned Super Rugby Pacific champions after unforgettable night in Wellington
The Hurricanes claimed their second Super Rugby title with a record 60-5 win over the Chiefs in front of a sold-out Wellington crowd on 20 June.
20 June 2026
Blues 2026: a team that shaved its heads, and a season that stopped after Round 12
Vern Cotter's last season with the Blues had a record win over the Waratahs, a golden-point winner from Beauden Barrett, and a whole squad shaving or bleaching their hair for a teammate. It also had a finish nobody could explain: not a single competition point after Round 12. Every game, reviewed.
13 June 2026
Crusaders 2026: a farewell season, a new home, and one half too many
The defending champions started 0-2, said goodbye to Apollo Projects Stadium with a 69-point night, opened a new home, and finished third. Then came 40 minutes in Hamilton that ended Rob Penney's tenure and David Havili's Crusaders career at once. Every game, reviewed.
12 June 2026
Highlanders 2026: the moments that got away
They beat the defending champions in Round One, produced three Team of the Year players, and came within a countback of a Player of the Year. They also lost four matches by a single moment. Jamie Joseph's side finished ninth, and it flattered nobody. Every game, reviewed.
1 June 2026
Moana Pasifika 2026: they won the last one, with 14 men
The Pacific Islands franchise announced it was folding in April, went into liquidation in May, and then in its final match ever, a man down in Canberra, beat the Brumbies. Tana Umaga's last season with Moana Pasifika, every game, reviewed.
30 May 2026