The 2027 Super Rugby Pacific draw is confirmed, and teams are now planning for a monster season ahead.
In a competition like this, there's no real 'easy' draw for any team, such is the parity within the spread of games in an 18-round season.
For the most part, each team will play each other twice, aside from two one-off matches, leaving teams with harder runs to the finals than others.
Rugby.com.au has crunched the numbers to give its rankings, starting with the hardest.
The Reds' start to the season is one of the toughest it could possibly be.
The first five weeks are: Crusaders in Christchurch, Chiefs in Brisbane, Fijian Drua in Fiji, Blues in Auckland, Force in Perth.
Both the Fiji and WA trips come on six day turnarounds, two of five they have on the schedule.
Couple that with the Anzac Weekend match against the Blues, with close to a dozen guys likely unavailable, and it's a tough road for Vern Cotter in his first year.
The Hurricanes will be the hunted heading into 2027, with their schedule reflecting their status as the team to beat.
They will face every other top six team twice, with their one off matches against the Force and Waratahs.
On top of this, the five-day turnaround from the ANZAC Day Bledisloe means they could be missing the likes of Cam Roigard, Jordie Barrett and co for two Tests, facing a full-strength Drua in Fiji on the Friday.
The Hurricanes have the most six-day turnarounds with six.
The Highlanders' away schedule is brutal, facing trips to Fiji, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Hamilton and Auckland.
They also lose a home game in Super Round against the Drua, who draw their fair share of support wherever they go.
Playing the Hurricanes, Chiefs, Crusaders and Blues twice means there isn't really an 'easy point' of the season.
The Chiefs also have a loaded schedule, starting on the road against the Western Force, but they have to play every other top six team on the road.
They are also the unlucky team to play the Fijian Drua in Round Nine, which is very likely to be without their All Blacks.
Following their bye on Anzac weekend, their fixtures are: Crusaders, Hurricanes (away), Reds, Highlanders, Brumbies (away), Waratahs (away).
The Crusaders will play every Kiwi team twice in 2027, and will also face the Brumbies, Western Force and Fijian Drua away from home.
The Force clash is particularly nasty, coming off a six-day turnaround in Sydney and without their All Black stars.
They open their season with four straight games against fellow top-six opposition, with seven of their first eight games against teams that played finals football in 2026.
The Waratahs run home is especially difficult, facing four current top six teams in the final five weeks. The only one they don't? Fijian Drua in Fiji.
Their start isn't much better, with two clashes against the ACT Brumbies in the first five rounds, although they'll back themselves to split the series like in 2026.
They'll likely be without their Wallabies against the Highlanders, who could lose only Ethan de Groot and Fabian Holland.
The saving grace is only one match against defending champions Hurricanes and three six-day turnarounds, tied for the lowest in the competition.
Like the Crusaders, the Blues will double up against every Kiwi opposition, along with the Queensland Reds, leaving them with a tough fixture list.
They're another who lose a home fixture due to Super Round, facing the NSW Waratahs.
The Anzac Weekend game against the Reds will probably work in their favour given how many Reds are in the Wallabies squad right now.
The Brumbies have a perfect start to the season, avoiding top six opposition until Super Round in Round Eight.
The road trip is tough, playing games in Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Fiji and Wellington.
Most of these games come in the back end of the season, but having their one-off games against the Chiefs and Blues is a massive win.
The Force have been dealt some crazy draws in the past but this is a lot more favourable.
They play the Blues and Hurricanes once, and have a tied comp-low three six-day turnarounds, two of which are back-to-back home games.
Even saying that, it's not all smooth sailing. There's an ugly period across Super Round that includes away trips to Christchurch and Fiji.
But the return home to Perth coincides with them facing a Crusaders team off a six-day turnaround without their All Blacks. While the Force will be missing their fair share, it's likely a game to target given the Crusaders' current All Blacks crop and injury list.
The reality is the Drua are the biggest winners of the Anzac Weekend fixtures in the lens of Super Rugby Pacific.
They'll have a full-strength squad to target the Chiefs and Hurricanes, who will be without their stars for the Bledisloe.
The Drua also play the Chiefs and Crusaders just once, whilst also avoiding having to play in Dunedin.
Three of their last four games are at home, giving them a platform to launch a last season charge.
