The OG League Super Rugby Pacific 2026 Round 8
Bye-mageddon: Chaos, Close Calls, and the 150-Cap Missed Masterclass
If Round 7 was a masterclass in momentum, Round 8 was a masterclass in survival. With a staggering five teams on a bye (Blues, Brumbies, Highlanders, Hurricanes, and Moana Pasifika), the OG League was plunged into absolute “Bye-mageddon.”
Managers were forced into desperate trades, bench-scraping, and playing with half-empty rosters. It was a weekend where owning a Crusader or a Chief was like holding a golden ticket, while those heavily invested in the “Canes” or “Brumbies” could only watch from the sidelines as their season leads evaporated.
What is the OG League? For those newcomers joining us, The OG League is the founding Draft Rugby fantasy league and is in its 14th year of playing Draft Rugby. The OG League is a public and featured league on the draft rugby platform that you can follow along for the season if you have signed up to the platform. You can find it on the public leagues page featured at the top of draftrugby.com/leagues/join
Super Rugby Pacific Round 8 Top Performers
You can read about the full round 8 team of the week here.
Trades
With half the league unavailable, the trade session was a frenzy:
The “Molina” Masterstroke: David (Cargie) grabbed Franco Molina (91) from the waiver wire. The Force lock rewarded him with a hat-trick of tries in a shock upset over the Reds, proving that Cargie’s “building for the future” strategy occasionally has a massive “now” payoff.
Teamwork makes the dream work: Andrew Pisani sent Josh Nasser (29) and Feleti Sae-Ta'ufo'ou to Cargie for George Dyer (30) and Folau Fainga'a. This trade effectively cancelled itself out in points, but gave both managers much-needed "warm" bodies.
Winners & Losers: Wylie sent Antonio Shalfoon (53) and Lawson Creighton to Nelson for Cadeyrn Neville and Jack Debreczeni (11). Unfortunately for Nelson, Shalfoon’s Crusaders dominated, while Debreczeni’s Waratahs struggled against the Chiefs.
You can check out the casualty ward updates for rounds 8-9, chronicling all Super Rugby Pacific 2026 injuries and returns here.
Round 8 Fixtures:
Roigardians of the Galaxy vs. Situti Down
Result: 479 - 482 The upset of the year. Nabung’s Roigardians, the undisputed league leaders, have finally been dethroned! Cargie’s Situti Down pulled off a 3-point heist that will go down in OG League history. Nabung had big games from Haereiti Hetet (59) and Elia Canakaivata (77), but Cargie’s decision to grab Franco Molina (122) off the wire was the difference.
The Heartbreak: Nabung actually left 104 points from Codie Taylor on his bench. Had he started the 150 game legend he would have won comfortably.
The Toole Shed vs. Ofa Tu’ungaFAST & The Furious
Result: 325 - 426 Blake’s Ofa Tu’ungaFAST continues to hunt the top spot, dispatching Wylie with ease. Blake navigated the byes perfectly, led by Quinn Tupaea (66) and a revitalized Samipeni Finau (67). Bringing in Kyren Taumoefolau proved to be a master stroke. Wylie’s The Toole Shed was left in the dust despite a solid 53 from new man Antonio Shalfoon. A 4 from Dan Botha really summed up Wylie’s weekend, when it rains, it pours in the Shed.
Lam & Order vs. Leicester We Forget
Result: 311 - 491 The “Order” was well and truly dismantled. Sean (Lam & Order) was hit harder by byes than anyone else, fielding a team that featured a combined zero from his backrow. The result came as no surprise though, with Sean chosing Bye-mageddon to build for the future, swooping on Finlay Christie and Isaac Henry to build his bench depth. Harry (Leicester We Forget) didn’t show any mercy, putting up a massive 491 points. The victory was anchored by a jaw-dropping 120 from Leicester Fainga’anuku and a clinical 84 from Chay Fihaki.
Expecto-Pa-TRY-trum vs. SAMISONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Result: 423 - 345 Andrew (Expecto) found his magic again, taking down Nelson with only 10 men. Brandon Paenga-Amosa (75) and Joe Brial (62) provided the bulk of the scoring for Andrew. Nelson (SAMISONIC) struggled with a backline that failed to ignite, with only Samisoni Taukei’aho (70) and Aidan Ross (54) providing any real resistance.
Round 8 OG League Fantasy Facts
Best Player: Franco Molina (122 points) – Situti Down.
Best Trade: Naitoa Ah Kuoi for Franco Molina- Situti Down.
Best Free Agent: Sef Fa’agase (53) - Western Force.
Biggest Coaching Mistake: Nabung leaving 104 points (Codie Taylor) on the bench in a 3-point loss.
The OG League Table After Round 8
Blake is back on top of the table, but the top two are still a cut above. Sean and Nelson are losing ground to a surging Harry & Cargie. While Wylie remains 8th, but after such a chaotic round, the mid-table is wide open.
Logged-in users can view the full OG League results and detailed breakdowns here.
What’s New on Draft Rugby?
Draft Rugby’s Major League Rugby:
This past week has been heads down, focusing on the launch of our MLR game! We are expecting to make an announcement very soon.
Given there are only 6 teams, it should be a fun one to play with small leagues (2-6 managers ideally), so get in and give it a go!
Written by Harrison Dale