Super Rugby Pacific expands awards program for 2026

Super Rugby Pacific will introduce two new major accolades to the end-of-season awards program in 2026, with Rookie of the Year and a Team of the Year to be presented alongside the competition’s most prestigious individual honour, Player of the Year.

On the back of Moana Pasifika’s Ardie Savea being crowned the inaugural Player of the Year last season, these new additions to the program strengthen Super Rugby Pacific’s commitment to recognising excellence, while celebrating emerging talent and top performers across all positions on the field.

The Rookie of the Year will be determined by Player of the Year votes, with all players who begin the 2026 season with four or less Super Rugby Pacific appearances (or equivalent top-flight professional rugby competition) eligible for the honour.

The Team of the Year will also be informed by the top-ranked players in the final Player of the Year count, with competition management able to exercise its discretion for players who appear across multiple playing positions in 2026.

“These new accolades represent a significant step towards delivering a robust awards program that recognises the world-class talent on display in our competition each season,” Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said.

“Rookie of the Year will shine a spotlight on the emerging players who make an immediate impact, while the Team of the Year will allow us to recognise consistency and excellence across every position on the field.”

In addition to the new accolades, the Player of the Year voting process has been bolstered for the upcoming season, with a panel of respected rugby media identities from across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji assembled to contribute votes on each game.

For each regular season fixture, a media panel member will submit 3-2-1 votes for their top three players, to be counted alongside the 3-2-1 votes submitted by the respective captains and coaches.

Members of the media panel are Tim Horan (Stan Sport), Jeff Wilson (Sky), Jason Pine (NewsTalk ZB), Jordan Oppert (TVNZ), Chris Reive (New Zealand Herald), Iain Payten (The Sydney Morning Herald), Ben Smith (The West Australian), Murray Wenzel (AAP), Caden Helmers (The Canberra Times), Sam Wykes (ABC), Ned Lester (RugbyPass), Nigel Yalden (MediaWorks NZ), Guy Heveldt (Sport Nation NZ), Jamie Wall (RNZ) and Rohit Deo (Fiji Times).

Player of the Year votes from each round will be announced on the competition website and social media channels each Tuesday, until the voting goes behind closed doors following Round 10.