After a huge 2023 season, all 12 Super Rugby Pacific sides are preparing for another big 2024. With the competition kicking off on Friday 23 February, teams will prepare with official pre-season fixtures kicking off as early as Feb. 3.
Read on for all pre-season fixtures and results as they're announced.
Friday, 2 February
Highlanders 36-28 Moana Pasifika
Despite a slow start, the Highlanders have come from behind in emphatic fashion to down Pasifika in Queenstown. Moana got off to a flying start, scoring three unanswered tries in 20 minutes, before the Highlanders kicked into gear, scoring six of their own while denying another Pasifika score until the last 10 minutes of the match.
Saturday 3 February
Rebels 38-12 Waratahs
The Melbourne Rebels have put aside their off-field woes to post a 38-12 victory over the NSW Waratahs in their first hit-out of the year.
The Rebels entered voluntary administration this week but the side gave their fans at local club Moorabbin something to cheer about on Saturday, stretching their 12-5 halftime lead into a convincing Super Rugby Pacific preseason win.
Former Queensland and Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto formed a dangerous first-half combination with youngster Josh Canham, who scored a try and set up another.
Youngster Daniel Maiava, who came on in the second row in the second half, posted a double.
Rebels general manager of rugby Nick Stiles said it was a solid performance at the end of a tough week.
"It's fantastic. It's the first trial game we've won in the last three years," he said.
"With everything else that's been going on we wanted to come out and make a statement around that.
"We've been so confident around the work we've been putting into the program for the last few years and I thought today was a reflection of how hard they've trained through the preseason and the depth we've got in the group.
"It's only a trial game, but it's a great starting point."
Stiles said Salakaia-Loto, 27, was in great condition and showing great attributes after returning from English club Northampton.
"Our new head of strength and conditioning Luke Bellow has got him into career-best shape," he said.
"It's the fittest he's ever been, it's the leanest and he's got more muscle and he's just been an absolute leader.
"We're really stoked with how he's started."
Another star recruit, Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou, played the opening 30 minutes in hot conditions and most importantly given his injury history came through unscathed.
The Waratahs, who were missing skipper Jake Gordon, also left intact with Wallabies backrower Langi Gleeson among their tryscorers.
-- via AAP
Queensland Reds 19-21 Force
Life on the road is already looking brighter for the Western Force after a late penalty earned them a 21-19 pre-season win over the Queensland Reds at their Ballymore heartland.
The Force (5-9) missed finals by one victory last Super Rugby Pacific season, despite not registering a win away from Perth.
But coach Simon Cron said the recruitment of Wallabies five-eighth Ben Donaldson, who controlled play in a 46-minute stint on Saturday, and veteran halfback Nic White among others had already made an impact.
Cron joked that touring had already become easier because, unlike last season, "everyone gets on".
"We had to make a lot of changes in the organisation and ... a lot of that's been done now," he said.
"It's a completely different culture.
"The way we play, he (Donaldson) will get a lot of touches.
"But it's combinations of players that change it, we can't pin it on one guy."
Skipper Michael Wells, who took over the role last season immediately after departing the Melbourne Rebels, said the victory in Brisbane was "the first step".
"Credit to how Donno (Donaldson) ran the game and the standards Whitey's driving, even though he's at home (with a shoulder injury), it's hard to replace," he said.
"In terms of bringing respect to the Force ... the best way to do that is winning games.
"I don't want to be a comeback team, I want to be a team that wins from the front."
The Force were forced to come back on Saturday after a bright start, wing recruit Harry Potter crossing twice in the first of three 30-minute periods.
The Reds ate up a 13-3 deficit with tries to Harry Wilson, Tim Ryan and Joe Brial to lead 19-13.
Tim Ryan Tim Ryan's try helped the Reds overcome an early deficit and take the lead. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS) But the Force held them scoreless in the final period, Chase Tiatia's left-foot cross-field kick hitting try-scorer Ronan Leahy on the chest, before Ian Prior's 88th-minute penalty put them ahead.
"There's a lot we learnt, that's for sure," Reds coach Les Kiss said, lamenting some poor execution and turnovers.
Irish lock Cormac Daly played 80 minutes for the Reds, Connor Vest played his first minutes since fracturing his neck last season, and back-up scrum half Louis Werchon was sharp.
Kiss was pleased with fullbacks Jordan Petaia and Jock Campbell, while Tom Lynagh (back) is likely to get his chance at No.10 against the Waratahs next week after Lawson Creighton and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips shared the duties.
Veteran James O'Connor's training setback (hamstring) has ruled him out of both pre-season clashes.
The Melbourne Rebels, who went into voluntary administration this week, also notched a statement victory.
They beat the Waratahs 38-12 in Moorabbin, with star recruit Taniela Tupou unscathed in a 30-minute stint after injury ruined his World Cup.
Former Queensland and Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto also impressed.
-- via AAP
Brumbies 43-40 Drua
The Brumbies overcame a 28-7 deficit to post a fighting 43-40 win over Fijian Drua.
The Brumbies struggled to keep pace with the speedy Drua in the opening 30 minutes, but they finished with a flurry, scoring six of the last eight tries of the match.
Angus Staniforth, the cousin of former Brumby Tom Staniforth, scored the go-ahead try with a speedy run in the 73rd minute, before Dan Nelson crossed a short time later to give the home side a match-winning eight-point buffer.
-- via AAP
Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath 7-43 Blues
The Blues ran riot in Tokyo, downing Suntory Sungoliath seven tries to one in their first pre-season fixture. But the win came at a cost with All Blacks star Patrick Tuipulotu suffering a broken jaw late in the first half.
The Blues lock is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks with the fractured jaw, sidelining him for the first half of the Blues' Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
He has returned to New Zealand immediately for surgery.
It's a cruel blow for the All Black who was ruled out of World Cup contention after he broke his arm late last year.
Meanwhile, flyhalf Stephan Perofeta ran the show for the Blues at Prince Chichibu stadium, having a hand in many of the sides tries, while Corey Evans made a mark with his work in the midfield.
Sunday 4 February
Munster 21-19 Crusaders
The Crusaders have kicked off their post-Scott Robertson era with a loss, going down in a nail-biter to English Premiership club Munster.
Given a chance to level the scores in extra time, new flyhalf Rivez Reihana failed to convert a late try to lock Jamie Hannah, with Reihana bombarded with whistles and jeers as he began his movements towards the tee.
Both sides were missing several of their topline players with many on Six Nations duty or on rest weeks ahead of the season opener in three weeks.
Former Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny looked at home while making his Crusaders debut at fullback.
Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights 38-14 Chiefs
Wallaby winger Marika Koroibete was among the scorers as the Saitama Wild Knights became the first Japanese corporate side to beat a Super Rugby Pacific team in beating New Zealand's Gallagher Chiefs in The Cross Border Rugby competition.
Coached by Kiwi former Wallaby boss Robbie Deans, the six-time champions of Japan were too strong for last year's Super Rugby finalists in Sunday's second Cross Border contest, winning 38-14 at Kumagaya after leading 14-0 at halftime.
Saitama were led by Springbok second-rower Lood de Jager as they added to their outstanding home record. They've lost on their park just once since Japanese rugby resumed after the pandemic, including a run of 47 straight wins.
Koroibete's 65th-minute try effectively sealed the game for his side, extending their advantage to 17 points with 15 minutes remaining.
Fielding nine Japan internationals and three foreign Test players in de Jager, his Springbok teammate Damien de Allende, and Koroibete, the Wild Knights bossed their Kiwi visitors in contact, and were slick in attack.
The leaders in Japan Rugby League One, Saitama made a major statement for Japanese rugby with the manner of the win, with the New Zealanders dominated for most of the match.
One of the proudest moments in the Wild Knights' storied history, the success reinforced the value of The Cross Border Rugby, offering a pointer to the potential in future contact between teams from Japan Rugby League One and Super Rugby clubs.
While the Sunwolves previously appeared in Super Rugby, The Cross Border Rugby is the first occasion where teams from that competition have faced corporate clubs from Japan in a semi-formal setting.
Japan Rugby League One chairman Genichi Tamatsuka believes the series has the potential to lead to a more formal competition between the two leagues in the future.
The Cross-Border Rugby, which is one result of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Japan Rugby Football Union and New Zealand Rugby last year, began with the Blues thrashing Tokyo Sungoliath 43-7 at Tokyo's Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Although decisive, the win came at a cost with Blues skipper Patrick Tuipulotu suffering a broken jaw which may rule him out of the Super Rugby season.
The Blues now play Yokohama Canon Eagles on Saturday at the city's Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium to complete their program in the series.
-- via AAP
Friday, February 9
Highlanders 52-19 Hurricanes
Saturday 10 February
Bristol Bears 14-31 Crusaders
Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo-Bay 30-35 Chiefs
Yokohama Canon Eagles 22-57 Blues
Queensland Reds 32-7 Waratahs
The NSW Waratahs have some headaches as the Super Rugby Pacific season approaches, after they were steamrolled by the Queensland Reds in a trial game two weeks out from a round-one rematch.
The Reds led 29-0 at halftime and won 32-7 on Saturday night, Jock Campbell in devastating form at fullback and fellow try-scorer Hunter Paisami equally damaging at inside centre.
The Reds' attack was humming in Roma, where new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who doesn't officially start in the role until March 1, was an interested onlooker.
Vunivalu yellow card Suliasi Vunivalu got a yellow card for a deliberate knock down in the second half. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS) A penalty try when Reds winger Suliasi Vunivalu was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-down early in the second half was the Waratahs' only source of joy.
"There was good speed to our game in the first half and we did a lot of things well for our four tries," Reds coach Les Kiss said.
"The Waratahs came back at us to open the second half. We know everything goes up a level on February 24 when we are playing for points."
Test hooker Matt Faessler scored two first-half tries while 19-year-old No.10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips did his round-one selection chances no harm given the Reds' flow with him in the driver's seat.
Campbell started on the bench in last week's loss to the Western Force, with Jordan Petaia preferred in the No.15 by new coach Les Kiss.
But the 2022 Wallaby, overlooked by Eddie Jones last year, made the most of his audition with two first-half try assists and a clean break to score himself.
He put Paisami into space for the game's first try, the No.12 running over the top of Joey Walton to finish with authority and set the tone.
The sides will meet in the first round in Brisbane on February 24, Darren Coleman's men needing to fix a leaky defence that also conceded 38 points in a hefty loss to Melbourne Rebels last Saturday.
"It's obviously a bit deflating," Waratahs prop Harry Johson-Holmes said.
"The scoreline got away from us early and the Reds played really well and took their opportunities.
"Momentum is a hell of a thing in rugby, and they really capitalised on the penalties we were giving away and the ball we were turning over.
"We've got to tidy some stuff up before round one, but that's what trials are for. They're all really fixable areas."
-- via AAP
Western Force 20-22 Brumbies
In Perth, Western Force five-eighth Max Burey missed a tough after-the-siren conversion to level their trial game against the ACT Brumbies, who snuck home 22-20.
The Brumbies scored four tries to the Force's two, Andy Muirhead's five-pointer off a Corey Toole kick giving the visitors a 22-15 lead nine minutes from full time.
Henry O'Donnell replied with the game's final play but Burey pushed his kick wide.
The Force, who beat the Reds last week, host the Hurricanes in round one while the Rebels host the Brumbies.
-- via AAP
Friday 16 February
Crusaders 14-41 Highlanders
Rebels 26-21 Drua
Fullback Andrew Kellaway has marshalled Melbourne to a morale-boosting 26-21 victory over Fijian Drua in their final Super Rugby Pacific trial, ending a horror week on a bright note.
The Wallabies utility is set to start in the No.15 jersey for the Rebels' opening round match against the ACT in Melbourne next Friday night, after also impressing in their previous trial win over NSW.
Financially-stricken Melbourne's future appears on the brink after they entered into voluntary administration with debts exceeding $20 million and with chief executive Baden Stephenson among staff cut this week.
While they wait to hear if the club survives beyond this season the players, whose contracts have been guaranteed by Rugby Australia, got on with what they do best.
Although World Cup five-eighth Carter Gordon touched down for Melbourne, the home side trailed 21-7 at halftime after a scrappy performance despite fielding their first-choice side.
In the final minutes, exciting young winger Darby Lancaster - who's set to be part of Australia's sevens team at the Paris Olympics - fired a perfectly-timed pass to fellow winger Lachie Anderson for the match-winning try.
Gordon looked sharp in the halves with Ryan Louwrens, while other stand-outs included new recruits in winger Filipo Daugunu and lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, as well as backrowers Josh Kemeny and skipper Rob Leota.
Another ex-Red, star prop Taniela Tupou, clocked another busy first half among a monster Melbourne pack before mass changes for the second half.
Kellaway, who played the full 80 minutes, said his team tightened up their game in the second half rather than try to match the flamboyant Fijians.
"We probably played too loose to begin and put ourselves under a bit of pressure and our discipline, which is the same old story for us, needed to tighten up," said the 28-year-old, who was also part of the Wallabies' World Cup flop.
Kellaway said the players were able to stay focused on their final hit-out rather than being distracted by the emotions of losing long-term staff.
"Everything that sort of happened has been well and truly above our pay grade so we haven't seen a great deal of what's been going on, outside of what's been in the media," he said.
"Wednesday (the redundancies) was a pretty tough day for everyone but we're lucky that we're very protected from that ... although it's important to acknowledge the work that those people who have left us have done.
"But in terms of how that impacted the group, not as much as people might think.
"The emotional side of things is important because we're dealing with humans but the big work-on for our team is to take the emotion out of the game."
-- AAP
Hurricanes 59-26 Moana Pasifika
Blues 38-24 Chiefs
Saturday 17 February
Waratahs A 7-7 Warringah / Waratahs A 10-0 Manly