Super Rugby Pacific Round 2 | Tips & Preview

The Hurricanes had the week off in Round 1, meaning their season debut will come this Friday with a home showdown against Moana Pasifika. It was a topsy-turvy 2025 for the Hurricanes, ultimately getting knocked out in the qualifying finals on the back of a 28-35 loss to the Brumbies. They’ll be gunning for a better finish in 2026 but Jordie Barrett’s return from Leinster is the only addition worth mentioning, while Zach Gallagher and Peter Umaga-Jensen moved on from the franchise in the offseason.

Moana Pasifika were the surprise packet of the opening round, thumping the Fijian Drua 40-26 in Lautoka. It was a statement win on the road at a stadium where the Drua usually look unstoppable, but this time it was Moana who were the dominant force, as their loose forwards saw them zip out to a 21-0 lead. Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa opened the scoring before a pair of Miracle Fai’ilagi tries got MP out to a comfortable lead inside the opening 20 minutes. Fai’ilagi then completed his hattrick shortly after halftime to get the visitors out to an unassailable 33-12 lead, as Moana did well to keep the Drua at bay in the second half, as they enjoyed plenty of ball. MP’s set piece looked rock solid across the game and their discipline was one of the big difference-makers, conceding just four penalties. Fai’ilagi was a wrecking ball on attack and William Havili showed plenty of class at the back, while Ta’eiloa and Abraham Pole defended strongly.

Tana Umaga has called on plenty of changes this week, naming seven debutants among a slew of other switches in personnel. Star Southland midfielder Faletoi Peni will be one to watch in the midfield, but against a big, physical Hurricanes team, Moana will be outmatched in the capital. With some star power to come off the bench, in the form of Cam Roigard and Billy Proctor, I expect the hosts to finish strongly and run away with the win.

Tips

Best: Hurricanes -21.5 ($1.90)
Value: Power Play — Asafo Aumua OR Peter Lakai 1st Try Scorer & Hurricanes Win by 21+ ($12)

The Waratahs couldn’t have been much more impressive in their 36-12 win over the Reds on Friday, dominating the second half to pick up a bonus point win. It was a three-try flurry in the space of 15 minutes is what sealed the win for New South Wales, as Isaac Kailea, Max Jorgensen and Teddy Wilson all dotted down. Jorgensen, Lawson Creighton and Joseph Sua’ali’i all looked dangerous on attack and Charlie Gamble was in the thick of everything once more. NSW’s defence was just as impressive, conceding just two tries as skipper Matt Philip and Miles Amatosero got stuck in, making for a convincing first-up performance.

The Drua were comprehensively outplayed in Round 1, losing to Moana Pasifika 26-40. Usually so impressive at home, especially in Lautoka where they had won eight in a row heading into this game, the Drua were slow off the mark and conceded three tries in the opening 20 minutes to fall to a 0-21 deficit. A yellow card to Mesake Vocevoce for repeated infringements at the 30-minute mark only made things worse for the hosts, and while they strung together some nice passages of play in the second half to get the scores back to 26-33, it wasn’t their day in Lautoka. The Drua missed their usual flare and danger on attack, despite Elia Canakaivata working hard all game and Manasa Mataele and Tuidraki Samusamuvodre having some good runs. However, the team failed to convert opportunities, with their discipline and a shaky lineout ruining their chances.

It was an ugly start to the season for the Drua and it’s hard to see things getting better for them on Friday. They have only one road win in their history, with a 1-29 record away from home, and against a solid NSW team, they won’t be improving that record. The Fijian Drua are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 away games and the Tahs will win well here.

Tips

Best: Waratahs -13.5 ($1.85)
Value: Power Plays — Both Teams to Score 25+ Points ($3.00)

The Highlanders pulled off quite the upset in Round 1, toppling the Crusaders 25-23 in the season opener. The defending champions went into the game as 7.5-point favourites but the Highlanders proved from early on that they were well and truly in this fight, with Caleb Tangitau finishing off a well-executed set play to get the hosts out to an 8-0 lead. However, that lead had disappeared by halftime, as the Crusaders enjoyed plenty of ball before the break for a 8-10 scoreline. Angus Ta’avao quickly got the Highlanders back in front in the second half, before some excellent link-up play from the Landers’ backs sent Jonah Lowe in untouched for a 22-13 lead. 10 consecutive points from the visitors, however, gave the Crusaders a 22-23 edge, but Cam Millar kept a cool head in the 79th minute, slotting a long-range penalty to win the game. It was a good reward for a steady display at first five-eighth from Millar, while his outsides Timoci Tavatavanawai and Jona Nareki had strong outings, and TK Howden and Sean Withy impressed up front.

The Chiefs picked up a valuable win on the road to start their campaign, beating the Blues 19-15. It was not the prettiest game of rugby, as both teams struggled to hold onto the ball and execute, but the Chiefs were able to keep their composure in the final 10 minutes, dominating that stretch of play to see Cortez Ratima dart over and effectively win the game for his team. It was only right that Tupou Vaa’i was involved in the lead-up, with the All Black lock having a standout game, while Quinn Tupaea was at his damaging best on attack and was a real force defensively. Etene Nanai-Seturo got involved plenty from the back and Tyrone Thompson brought good energy off the bench.

There have been minimal changes to either team after last week’s respective successes, but I don’t expect that to result in the same result for the Highlanders. This Chiefs forward pack will wear them down and I expect the hosts to be well in control in the final quarter of the game. The Chiefs have won seven on the trot against the Landers, and covered seven of which, and that dominant form will carry into Saturday.

Tips

Best: Chiefs -8.5 ($1.90)
Value: Chiefs 11-20 ($3.70)

The Force were made to look very average against the Brumbies last week in a 24-56 loss. There was a fair bit of hype about this WA team, at least across the ditch, in the lead-up to the season, but they failed to justify it in Round 1, as the visitors absolutely dominated the second half. The Force gave up six second half tries to see the Brumbies coast to victory in the end, with much of the damage coming in the final 25 minutes of play. Carlo Tizzano continued his try-scoring tricks from 2025, dotting down again while being generally busy and involved around the park, but he was one of the few standouts for the hosts. Mac Grealy got involved often and Vaiolini Ekuasi started with a try and used that as a platform for a good night on both attack and defence.

The Blues were agonisingly close to tipping over the Chiefs on Saturday, but ultimately fell short 15-19. It was a real arm wrestle of a game, with the two teams trading blows across the 80 minutes, but it was Cortez Ratima’s try with five minutes to play that sealed the deal for the visitors. Despite looking more damaging on attack, the Blues didn’t have a lot of opportunities to score, making just six entries into the Chiefs’ 22, with handling errors and poor discipline seeing them surrender plenty of ball. Zarn Sullivan had some nice touches and Dalton Papali’i put in another big defensive shift, but the Blues will need to tidy things up this week.

A knee injury to Nick Champion de Crespigny is another tough blow for the Force from last week, and that’s going to cause more teething problems for the hosts. With the Blues also looking somewhat sloppy last week, I am expecting a low-scoring clash in Western Australia. The under has hit in six of the last seven games between these two teams and in 10 of the Blues’ last 15 games.

Tips

Best: Under 57.5 ($1.90)
Value: Blues 1–12 ($1.90)

It was far from the ideal start to the Crusaders’ title defence last week, losing to the Highlanders 23-25 in Dunedin. On paper, a matchup between last year’s champions and last year’s wooden-spooners should have been a predictable result, but the Crusaders were made to pay for both their sloppy mistakes and for Rob Penney’s decision to hold back some big guns from the gameday 23. It was clear how much they needed them when Will Jordan injected plenty of life off the bench to turn a 13-22 deficit into a 23-22 lead. However, the Crusaders couldn’t land the killer blow, failing to execute and kicking away a lot of ball in the final 15 minutes, being forced to settle for a first-up loss. Ethan Blackadder delivered a strong reminder of just how dominant he can be when fully healthy, dominating on both sides of the ball, while Noah Hotham always threatened from the back of the ruck.

The Brumbies pieced together a dominant second half in Perth to run away with a 56-24 win. After leading just 14-10 at halftime, the Brumbies’ lead quickly ballooned out to 28-10, scoring a pair of tries in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, and they continued that dominance in the second half as they proved to be far too good for the hosts. A combination of a ruthless attack and a dominant defence made for a near-perfect second half, as the electric duo of Corey Toole and Ollie Sapsford ran riot before combining for the Brumbies’ final try after the hooter. Up front, it was a trademark hard-running game from Rob Valetini, while Charlie Cale marked his return from injury in a sensational manner, showing off his athleticism with some strong runs and two tries.

Jordan has unsurprisingly been brought into the starting team this week, as has fellow All Black Fletcher Newell. Tamaiti Williams also joins the bench, meaning this is a stronger Crusaders outfit, but as double-digit favourites, I am happy to bet against the hosts. ACT couldn’t have been more impressive last week and with the Cantabrians’ defence showing a few weaknesses in Dunedin, the Brumbies have the weapons to do some damage here. ACT are 7-2 ATS in their last nine road games and are the bet as big outsiders.

Tips

Best: Brumbies +11.5 ($1.90)
Value: Tri-Bet — Either Team By Under 7.5 ($3.10)