Super Rugby Pacific 2026 · FinalHurricanes
Chiefs
Sky Stadium, Wellington
Championship Standings
The two best teams in Super Rugby Pacific 2026, exactly where the table said they should be. The Hurricanes topped the regular season at 11–3 with a record-shattering campaign — 685 points, a first-ever 100-try season (104), and a competition-best +264 differential — to earn the right to host. The Chiefs finished 2nd, also 11–3 but four points back on bonus points (+190 PD), and reach their fourth straight Grand Final. This is the minor premiers against the form side: a genuine heavyweight decider.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricanes | 14 | 11 | 3 | +264 | 57 |
| 2 | Chiefs | 14 | 11 | 3 | +190 | 53 |
| 3 | Crusaders | 14 | 9 | 5 | +118 | 46 |
| 4 | Blues | 14 | 9 | 5 | +92 | 44 |
| 5 | Brumbies | 14 | 8 | 6 | +41 | 40 |
| 6 | Queensland Reds | 14 | 8 | 6 | −18 | 38 |
| 7 | Highlanders | 14 | 6 | 8 | −52 | 28 |
| 8 | NSW Waratahs | 14 | 5 | 9 | −57 | 26 |
| 9 | Fijian Drua | 14 | 5 | 9 | −119 | 24 |
| 10 | Western Force | 14 | 4 | 10 | −48 | 20 |
| 11 | Moana Pasifika | 14 | 1 | 13 | −311 | 6 |
Hurricanes
W7, L1Imperious. Outside a freak 47–14 blip away to the Crusaders in the final regular-season round — a dead rubber with top spot already locked — the Hurricanes have been the most destructive side in the competition's history. They dismantled the Brumbies 66–12 in the quarter-final and then put 57 on a title-contending Blues side in the semi, scoring eight tries. Cam Roigard, Jordie Barrett and Ruben Love are running an attacking clinic; 104 tries and 685 points across the season are both new Super Rugby records.
Chiefs
W6, L1Peaking at exactly the right moment. The Chiefs have won six of their last seven, the only loss a four-point arm-wrestle away to the Crusaders. They avenged it emphatically with a 49–12 semi-final demolition of the same Crusaders side at FMG Stadium Waikato, and dispatched the Blues 59–34 in the quarter-final. Damian McKenzie has been orchestrating an attack averaging 47 points across the run — this is their fourth consecutive Grand Final, and they arrive battle-hardened from a knockout path that beat the 3rd and 4th seeds.
Head-to-Head — First Ever Grand Final Meeting
2 – 0 – 2
Hurricanes wins · Draws · Chiefs wins (previous four finals meetings)
This is the fifth finals meeting between the Hurricanes and Chiefs — but the first ever in a Super Rugby Grand Final. The previous four playoff encounters are split 2–2. Across all 35 regular and post-season meetings since 2009 the rivalry is razor-thin, but the Chiefs hold the most recent edge: they won the only 2026 league clash 22–17 in Hamilton (Round 9), the same fixture the Hurricanes won 35–17 a year earlier. Recent overall form between them is genuinely even — each has taken two of the last four.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | Super Rugby Pacific | Chiefs 22–17 Hurricanes |
| May 2025 | Super Rugby Pacific | Hurricanes 35–17 Chiefs |
| Jun 2024 | Super Rugby Pacific | Hurricanes 19–30 Chiefs |
| May 2024 | Super Rugby Pacific | Chiefs 17–20 Hurricanes |
| Apr 2024 | Super Rugby Pacific | Hurricanes 36–23 Chiefs |
| Apr 2023 | Super Rugby Pacific | Hurricanes 17–33 Chiefs |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Across all meetings it averages out at roughly Chiefs 25 – Hurricanes 24 — as tight as Super Rugby rivalries get. But the Hurricanes have won three of the last five meetings staged in Wellington, and host this one as runaway minor premiers.
Extended Form
Hurricanes11W, 3L (2026 season)
League losses came away to Fijian Drua (25–20, R3), away to Chiefs (22–17, R9) and away to Crusaders (47–14, R16, top spot already secured). Otherwise a procession: 52–10 Moana Pasifika, 59–19 Waratahs, 50–7 Highlanders, 42–19 Blues, 42 and 66 on the Brumbies, and a 57–21 semi-final win over the Blues. Set new Super Rugby records for points (685) and tries (104).
The most dominant regular season in the competition's modern era. The only blemishes were a Suva stumble against Drua, the one-score loss in Hamilton, and a meaningless final-round defeat with the squad rotated. At full strength in Wellington — where they have lost just once all season — they are the form team in world club rugby.
Chiefs11W, 3L (2026 season)
League losses to Crusaders (43–33, R2 home; 36–32, R16 away) and Brumbies (33–24, R6 away). Signature wins: 62–17 at Moana Pasifika, 59–34 over the Blues twice, 49–12 over the Crusaders in the semi-final, and the 22–17 win over the Hurricanes in Round 9. Reached the Grand Final via the 4th seed (Blues) and 3rd seed (Crusaders).
A side that found its ceiling at the business end. Their three losses all came against fellow top-three sides, and they've since beaten the Blues and Crusaders by a combined 49 points in the playoffs. McKenzie's goal-kicking and game management give them the one repeatable edge that travels in a final — and they're the only side to beat the Hurricanes in a competitive fixture this year.
Hurricanes XV
Clark Laidlaw's Hurricanes get a major boost with Devan Flanders passing concussion protocols to start at 6 in a loaded back row alongside co-captain Du'Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai. Co-captain Jordie Barrett anchors the midfield outside Billy Proctor, with Cam Roigard and Ruben Love the halves and Fehi Fineanganofo on the wing. Tyrel Lomax provides a heavyweight scrum option from the bench.
Chiefs XV
The Chiefs are forced into reshuffles: Lalakai Foketi misses out with a calf injury, so Kyle Brown starts in midfield alongside vice-captain Quinn Tupaea, and Liam Coombes-Fabling shifts from wing to fullback in place of the injured Isaac Hu. Damian McKenzie steers at 10 with Cortez Ratima inside him, and captain Luke Jacobson leads a powerful loose trio with Samipeni Finau and Simon Parker. Tupou Vaa'i and Josh Lord give the second row serious All Blacks ballast.
Key Matchups
The Hurricanes' edge is at 9 and across a backline that has scored 104 tries — Cam Roigard is the most incisive scrum-half in the competition, and the Barrett/Proctor midfield axis has been surgical all year. The Chiefs' counter is McKenzie, whose goal-kicking and broken-field threat is the single weapon most likely to swing a tight final, plus a heavyweight bench headlined by Wallace Sititi. Up front it's a coin-flip between two All Blacks-laden packs; the breakdown duel between Kirifi and Jacobson will be worth the ticket alone. The decisive question is whether the Chiefs can slow Roigard's supply — if they can't, the Hurricanes' strike runners will find the space they've found all season.
Match Forecast
Everything points to the Hurricanes. They are the minor premiers, the highest-scoring side in Super Rugby history (685 points, 104 tries), and they have lost just once at home all season — in front of a sold-out Sky Stadium that scored to +7 on the home-advantage dimension. The net scorecard of +7 puts them in clear-favourite territory: Cam Roigard's supply and the Barrett/Proctor midfield are the best attacking spine in the competition, and the return of Devan Flanders means they go into the final at near-full strength while the Chiefs patch over injuries to Foketi and Hu.
The case for the Chiefs is real and worth respecting. They are the only side to beat the Hurricanes in a competitive game this year (22–17 in Round 9), they have McKenzie's goal-kicking to keep any contest within reach, and they arrive battle-hardened from playoff wins over the Blues and Crusaders by a combined 49 points. Finals tighten margins, and a fourth straight Grand Final means this group does not flinch. But the Hurricanes' ceiling is simply higher — if Roigard gets quick ball, the home side has too many finishers. Expect the Chiefs to hang in for an hour before the Hurricanes pull clear.
Hurricanes to win their second Super Rugby title at a sold-out Sky Stadium — Roigard and Barrett the difference, but the Chiefs will make them earn it deep into the second half.