Rugby in Australia

How the Australian rugby structure works

Super Rugby Pacific was an 11-team trans-Tasman and Pacific competition in 2026, including Australia’s four men’s professional franchises. Each side played 14 regular-season games, followed by a six-team finals series. This is distinct from Super Rugby AUS, launched in 2025 and run again in September–October 2026 with the four Australian franchises in a short round-robin and final, using a mixture of emerging and experienced players.

Women’s professional rugby has a different structure. The 2026 Super Rugby Women’s season involved the Australian Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies and Western Force plus Fijian Drua: five teams in total, playing June–July. The top four reached the semifinals before the final, and the champion met New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aupiki winner in a separate Trans-Tasman Champions Final on 1 August.

Australia’s senior club system is administered by states and regions rather than one continuous national league. Sydney’s 12-club Shute Shield played 18 rounds in 2026, ending with its final on 5 September. Queensland’s Hospital Cup concluded on 30 August, alongside the women’s Founders Cup on 29 August. The ACT’s John I Dent Cup and Victoria’s Dewar Shield are other state-level competitions. Winning a state title does not automatically promote a club into Super Rugby Pacific.

Development competitions include Super Rugby U19 and U16 and the national under-18 and Australian Schools representative programmes. The Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup fixtures and 2026 Nations Championship are international test rugby, separate from any state or club tables; the Wallaroos compete in their own international programme. This page covers rugby union, not rugby league or the NRL.