Unchanged from last season (
2025), eleven teams compete in a
round-robin format, playing fourteen matches each (seven home, seven away), with two byes. Standings are based on competition points: four for a win, two for a draw, and none for a loss.
Bonus points are awarded for scoring three or more tries than the opponent or losing by seven points or fewer.
Law changes In February 2026, just weeks before the start of the season, it was revealed that some of the existing laws pertaining to
restarts, kicking/territory,
rucks, and the
television match official (TMO), would be amended in order to reduce stoppages, keep the ball-in-play longer, and simplify the viewing experience. The law changes, as laid out by
The Sydney Morning Herald, state: • It will no longer be mandatory for the referee to issue a
yellow or
red card to a player on the defending team when awarding a
penalty try. Any sanction will be at the discretion of the referee. (Law 8.3) • Accidental
offsides and teams delaying playing the ball away from a
ruck will result in
free kicks rather than
scrums. (Law 10.5 and Law 15.17) • After the referee has called "use it" at the ruck, no additional players from the team in possession may join the ruck. (Law 15.17) • Teams will be permitted to pass the ball back into their half before kicking a
50:22. (Law 18.8a) • Players will be allowed to take
quick taps within one metre either side of the mark, or anywhere behind the mark, if they are within that two-metre channel running parallel to the touchlines. (Law 20.2) • The
television match official (TMO) will only intervene unprompted if the referee has overlooked an act of serious foul play (yellow card level or above), or a clear and obvious infringement leading to a try. These changes were reported to have "emphatic support" amongst Super Rugby clubs, match officials and stakeholders. Sports news website
Planet Rugby gave a positive assessment about law changes that give referees more discretion and help speed the game up, particularly removing the mandatory card for penalty tries, tightening the "use it" ruck law to kill caterpillars, and allowing more flexibility for quick taps. The website was critical of removing scrums for accidental offsides and tweaking the 50/22 law, arguing these risk depowering the scrum, encouraging more kicking, and pushes the sport away from its traditional balance of playing styles, and commented that "it is another example of the Australian and Kiwi bigwigs trying to limit the impact of the set-piece." The law changes were also heavily criticised by French former
Test rugby referee
Mathieu Raynal, whom stated to
Sud Radio: "They [the Southern Hemisphere] want more passing, more tries, less time spent in mauls and scrums. Whereas we [the Northern Hemisphere] defend these specific elements and are against directions being set by the Southern Hemisphere. Our championship works, our stadiums are full, rugby is more watched than football in the country. We don't want to follow directions coming from countries where stadiums are empty, where they are trying to recreate spectacle and bring people back to stadiums at any cost..." ==Teams and personnel==