The demise of the Melbourne Rebels has led to a new finals format for Super Rugby Pacific, with the introduction of a 'lucky loser' most intriguing.
Teams will again play 14 regular-season matches - consisting of seven home games and seven away games - and each club will be allocated two byes.
And with the competition now down to 11 teams following the Rebels' axing, only six teams will make the finals as compared to eight.
The first week of finals will be 1 v 6, 2 v 5 and 3 v 4, with the higher-seeded teams playing hosts.
The three winners will progress to the semi-finals, and they will be joined by the highest-seeded losing team, dubbed the 'lucky loser'.
It means whoever finishes on top of the ladder is guaranteed to reach the semi-finals, no matter what the other results are.
The only consequence for the lucky loser is they drop one seeding for the semi-final draw, meaning it could cost them hosting rights for a semi-final and/or the grand final if they make it that far.
The season will be extended to 16 rounds to accommodate the two byes for each team, with the competition start date brought forward by a week to Friday, February 14.
The season draw, which is yet to be released, will feature family friendly afternoon fixtures, including three Sunday afternoon games with a view to exploring additional Sunday fixtures moving forward.
Teams will play four teams twice, with a focus on rivalry match-ups, and the six remaining teams once.
"The introduction of three Sunday afternoon fixtures will make it easier for families to experience the excitement of the Super Rugby Pacific, and we can look to build on that offering in future seasons," Super Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley said in a statement.
"We're particularly excited about the new finals series which is designed to produce highly competitive match-ups while still rewarding the teams that finish at the top of the table."
The Auckland-based Blues defeated the Hamilton-based Chiefs 41-10 to claim the 2024 Super Rugby crown.
The Brumbies fared the best out of the Australian teams, finishing third on the ladder with a 12-2 record before falling to the Blues 34-20 in the semi-finals.
NEW FINALS FORMAT FOR 2025
FINALS WEEK ONE – QUALIFYING FINALS
1st seed v 6th seed
2nd seed v 5th seed
3rd seed v 4th seed
FINALS WEEK TWO – SEMI-FINALS
1st seed vs 4th seed
2nd seed vs 3rd seed
FINALS WEEK THREE – GRAND FINAL
1st seed vs 2nd seed
