Super Round lands in Christchurch

Super Rugby Pacific’s Super Round opens in Christchurch on Friday, April 24, with five matches in three days at the new One New Zealand Stadium. (super.rugby) The event runs through Sunday, April 26, and brings 10 teams to one venue for the first Super Round staged in New Zealand. Friday starts with Crusaders v NSW Waratahs, Saturday has Hurricanes v ACT Brumbies and Blues v Queensland Reds, and Sunday closes with Highlanders v Moana Pasifika and Chiefs v Fijian Drua. (super.rugby, onenewzealandstadium.co.nz, super.rugby) One New Zealand Stadium is Christchurch’s new covered central-city venue, with 25,000 permanent seats and room for 5,000 more through temporary seating. The stadium officially opened on March 27, 2026, after a project tied to the city’s post-earthquake rebuild. (venuesotautahi.co.nz, rnz.co.nz) The cost now attached to the stadium is NZ$683 million, not the earlier roughly NZ$560 million figure used during earlier phases of the project. Christchurch City Council’s draft 2026/27 annual plan says 1.02% of the proposed average rates increase is going toward One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha. (rnz.co.nz, letstalk.ccc.govt.nz) The weekend is also a test of how Christchurch handles big-event crowds in and around the new ground. ChristchurchNZ says the stadium is 400 metres from the city bus interchange, has no onsite public parking, and is expected to draw heavy traffic, especially on Friday evening. (christchurchnz.com) Organizers have built a festival around the rugby rather than only a match schedule. Super Rugby Pacific and the stadium website list a live site at The Terrace by the Bridge of Remembrance, team signing sessions, an eight-minute fan trail to the ground, and halftime entertainment including Scribe on Friday. (super.rugby, onenewzealandstadium.co.nz) Round 11 team news is already shaping the weekend. Super Rugby Pacific said on April 22 that injuries had forced changes across squads, while ESPN highlighted the Crusaders’ call to use Leicester Fainga’anuku at flanker against the Waratahs and lineup changes in Sydney’s front row. (super.rugby, espn.com) Tickets are still on sale, and hospitality packages remain available from NZ$559 per day, according to the official Super Round page. By Sunday night, Christchurch will have put its new stadium through its first full rugby festival weekend. (super.rugby)