The future has arrived: Twelve-team Super Rugby Trans-Tasman locked in for 2022

Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby have struck a deal to deliver a revamped "Super Rugby Pacific" competition for 2022 and 2023.

Twelve teams will chase the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman trophy with the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika joining the 10 existing clubs from Australia and New Zealand.

The competition will kick off on February 18, with the final slated for June 18. A 14-game season will guarantee each club seven home and seven away matches, securing more content for broadcasters and avoiding teams having a bye throughout the season.

Teams will play eight teams once and three teams twice - the format of which is to be worked out via a seeding process based on 2021 results - with a focus on derby matches in a huge boost for the coffers of Australia's five Super Rugby clubs.

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"That's a huge positive. Realistically, it's all there in the shop window, whether it's your Friday night, your Saturday and maybe even your Sunday. I do think it's what people have been craving," ACT Brumbies assistant coach Laurie Fisher said.

"Not only do you get your seven home games, but the access to away games is front and centre. I think what Nine and Stan have done with the coverage, it provides a really good product for the supporter base of all teams."

Fiji Rugby Union are still to announce where Fijian Drua home matches will be played, while Moana Pasifika will play their home fixtures primarily in New Zealand. Super Rugby Pacific's new entrants will play each other twice in the first two seasons.

Fiji's inclusion was confirmed thanks to the support of Rugby Australia, New Zealand Rugby, and the Australian government's PacificAus Sports program.

"This is a game-changer for rugby in the pacific, and indeed, the rest of the rugby world," Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos said. "We have seen the brilliant rugby that Fiji play in all formats of the game and their inclusion will make this new competition one of the toughest in the world."

But the addition of two more teams - one to be primarily based in New Zealand and one perhaps in Fiji - means officials have more to manage regarding COVID-19 outbreaks and border closures.

It is expected contingency plans will be drafted to save the competition from such issues, with a competition fixture still being worked on.

"If I was going to be a betting man, I'd say contingency plans would be just in a change of draw rather than a change of competition," Fisher said.

"You may well indeed go to New Zealand for a four-week or three-week bubble tour rather than bouncing around from New Zealand to Perth to Sunshine Coast back to Canberra."

All 91 matches will be live and on demand on Stan Sport with the Saturday night match in each round simulcast on Nine's free-to-air network.

The top eight will progress to knockout quarter-finals with no second chance on offer for the highest-ranked teams, with the top four to host their respective matches.

First will play eighth, second will play seventh, third will play sixth and fourth will play fifth.

The move to a unified competition similar to that in effect before the COVID-19 pandemic struck brings down the curtain on Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa.

Australia retains five clubs - the Brumbies, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, Western Force and Melbourne Rebels - but questions remain over the viability of five teams on these shores.

Whether Australia has the playing depth to boast five competitive teams remains to be seen but culling one would threaten to have a major impact on the code in Australia.

Fans and clubs alike hope Australia's five teams will benefit from the high performance element of facing their New Zealand counterparts on a regular basis.

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