Super Round will return to Super Rugby Pacific in 2026, with Christchurch's new One NZ Stadium to stage five games over the Anzac Day weekend.
Super Round will officially open the 25,000-seat venue, which has a roof, some 15 years on from when Jade Stadium was irrevocably damaged during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
While One NZ Stadium is not on the same patch of land as Jade Stadium, it marks a significant milestone for the city with Apollo Projects Stadium having served as temporary home for the Crusaders for far longer than was originally anticipated.
It will be the first time Super Round has been staged outside of Melbourne after three disappointing years at AAMI Park between 2022 and 2024, before the Rebels were booted out of Super Rugby Pacific due to crippling financial debts.
While the concept failed to resonate with fans in Melbourne, it is expected to prove a hit in Christchurch, with defending champions the Crusaders to open the weekend's action on Friday Aug. 24.
Anzac Day will then feature the traditional Hurricanes-Brumbies and Blues-Reds fixtures, while SRP administrators will confirm the remainder of the games - and which team misses out altogether - in the coming weeks.
"Super Round is a celebration of what makes Super Rugby Pacific special. Fans can expect fast-paced rugby, classic rivalries, and an electric stadium atmosphere as supporters across the Pacific come together to celebrate Super Round," SRP chief executive Jack Mesley said.
"Hosting this event in Ōtautahi Christchurch is a fantastic way to showcase the best of our competition. We're excited to work with the city and the Crusaders to deliver something unforgettable."
Whether Super Round has a future beyond 2026 remains to be seen, but speaking on the ESPN Scrum Reset podcast earlier this year, Mesley said that Fiji was being seriously explored as a potential destination for a "Bula Round" event down the track.
"I certainly hope so. How good would it be? It would be awesome... it's a really special event day up there in Fiji," Mesley told ESPN when asked whether there was a chance the concept would return.
"And yeah, we are investigating it. I'm certainly keen to bring back Super Round. And we're having a number of discussions with different territories about that. And Fiji is certainly one of them.
"I think it'd be a great road trip for rugby fans to go out there and see a weekend of Super Rugby and get a great cultural experience and tie it on to a couple of days on the islands or in Nadi and have a holiday. Logistically, there would have to be a hell of a lot going into it."