Tui will lead charge for Chiefs Manawa
As the countdown to the Super Rugby Aupiki 2024 kickoff today gathers momentum, Bonnie Jansen examines the talking points for the competition
How the teams are looking?
Chiefs Manawa: No team recruited better for the 2024 season than Chiefs Manawa. They signed some of Matat¯u’s biggest names, Renee Holmes and Grace Steinmetz, while Chelsea Semple returns from maternity leave. But their most notable signing is Black Fern Ruby Tui, who returns to the New Zealand competition after skipping the 2023 season to play sevens in America. Alongside the big names, the Chiefs have an impressive amount of depth, and after making the final in Aupiki’s first two seasons, they are favourites to do it again.
Blues: After being thrashed 35-0 in the 2022 final and finishing third last year the Blues should be more competitive this season. With Black Ferns captain Ruahei Demant leading the team, there’s plenty more firepower behind her. Like Manawa, the Auckland franchise has signed big names including World Rugby’s 2023 Women’s Breakthrough Player of the Year Katelyn Vahaakolo. Plenty of the Blues squad come off the back of winning an FPC title and knowing their likely toughest competition this year is just 90 minutes up the road the bulk of its players will be hungry for their first piece of Aupiki silverware.
Matatu¯: Defending champions Matat¯u have every reason to come out firing this season. After not winning a game in 2022 to taking out the competition a year later, there’s a target on their back. But after losing key players in Holmes and Steinmetz, it’s hard to imagine they’ll compete at the capacity they did 12 months ago. However, the team is in good hands with former Black Ferns assistant coach Whitney Hansen stepping into the head coaching role she will look to build off 2023's success. Seasoned Black Ferns Alana Bremner, Georgia Ponsonby, and Pip Love will help lead this side while rising stars Amy du Plessis and Martha Mataele have plenty to offer.
Hurricanes Poua: After being runners-up in Aupiki year one, Poua dropped to last in 2023. The goal for this extended season is to surely not repeat recent history but with all due respect, that task will be tough considering their current roster. The most experienced player in their squad is Joanah Ngan-Woo who is remembered for her power-play that won the Black Ferns the Rugby World Cup two years ago. Since then she’s dropped out of the squad leaving just two Wellington players involved in the national side, Layla Sae and Iritana Hohaia. Poua prides themselves on their physicality, but in a game that’s evolving in many aspects, will it be enough?
Kicking away the problems
The Black Ferns are renowned for their direct run-it-straight approach on the field, which has historically posed a challenge for opposing teams to counter. Nonetheless, Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting recognises European Northern Hemisphere nations, in particular, are beginning to decipher this strategy, prompting the Ferns to seek ways to reintroduce unpredictability into their game.
With that in mind, Bunting said there’s plenty to play for in Super Rugby Aupiki including national team contracts. He told the Weekend Herald he’ll have an eager eye on players with strong kicking abilities, being an aspect of the game that New Zealand is currently lacking.
“There’s a part in women’s rugby that we need to build and that’s to kick a little bit more and can play in the right area of the field.
“That kick strategy is going something that that is going to be implemented and we’ll get ladies kicking,” said Bunting
Aupiki extension
New Zealand Rugby’s extension of Super Rugby Aupiki elicited mixed reactions from players. While it fulfilled some desires, it also fell short in several aspects. The expansion of the country’s sole female professional rugby competition from four to eight weeks was overhyped and underwhelming.
Last year, New Zealand were beaten by France and England in the WXV-1, ending the inaugural tournament in fourth place. Despite maintaining their world No 1 ranking, nations from the north closed the gap on the once-dominant Black Ferns.
A sharp contrast exists between the women’s rugby structures in New Zealand and England (despite apparently rugby being in Aotearoa’s DNA). While the English women’s competition spans from November to June, New Zealand’s professional league comprises only four teams, engaging in home-and-away fixtures before the playoffs and final.
Critically, Super Rugby Aupiki lacks full professionalism.
Although the extension introduced improvements such as a longer preseason training regimen and increased player payments, the competition remains semiprofessional.
Non-Black Ferns players under contract will now receive a minimum payment of $17,000 for the season, more than doubling their previous earnings. Yet, this falls short as many players still juggle their rugby careers with other employment and family responsibilities, raising concerns about potential burnout.
It serves as a cautionary tale for New Zealand Rugby. Without significant enhancements to the domestic women’s rugby landscape, the Black Ferns risk further decline in the global hierarchy.
Players to watch Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu Atai’i (Sylvia) Brunt (Blues):
The fleetfooted and explosive Brunt had her Black Ferns debut in 2022 at 18 with limited involvement in the Pacific Four and Rugby World Cup campaigns. But with incumbent second five-eighths Theresa Fitzpatrick returning to sevens, Brunt wasted no time in staking her claim to the No 12 jersey at test level. An aggressive defender, Brunt can put a shot on in the backline and will no doubt be lining up attackers in the 2024 edition of Super Rugby Aupiki.
Niall Williams-Guthrie (Blues):
Former Black Ferns Sevens representative Williams-Guthrie is bringing her talents to the Blues for 2024. Sister of dual New Zealand representative Sonny Bill-Williams, Williams-Guthrie has had a decorated career with the Black Ferns Sevens and comes fresh off an NRLW season with the Gold Coast Titans. She has won an Olympic silver medal and Commonwealth Games gold in Sevens and now strives for silverware in a new environment.
Layla Sae (Hurricanes Poua): Sae was one of the newly-contacted Black Ferns in 2023. The energetic, abrasive and athletic loose forward, a standout for the Hurricanes Poua in Super Rugby Aupiki, isn’t always naturally conditioned to produce high-octane performances. The 21-year-old has type 1 diabetes, an ailment from which she’s suffered since she was four. While the Poua were frustratingly inconsistent last season, Sae was a source of strength and stability. She was the seventh-highest tackler with 51 and carried combatively to capture the attention of the Black Ferns selectors.
Chelsea Semple (Chiefs Manawa):
Semple is making her long-awaited return to the field after an injury followed by maternity leave. The
31-year-old made her Black Ferns debut 10 years ago and has amassed
29 tests, while also representing Auckland, North Harbour, Waikato and Chiefs Manawa. She hasn’t played since August 2022.
Having spent some time as a Sky Sport presenter, she is ready to be back on the field and involved with her rugby wh¯anau.
Angelica Mekemeke Vahai (Blues):
Winger Mekemeke Vahai was a standout performer for the victorious Auckland Storm in the 2023 Farah Palmer Cup. She finished the season as the top try scorer (12) while also topping the run metres chart with 844m clocked for the season. Her outstanding performances were recognised with selection in the inaugural Black Ferns XV squad where she continued to impress.