The Blues women are the antithesis of their “Stern Vern” underwhelming men; cheerful, ambitious, high-skilled and fast-paced.
While the Blues men preferred crash, bash, smash or kick for little headway, the women give it a whirl in a similar spirit and with similar success to the pioneering champion men of 1996 and 1997.
In Saturday’s final of the Super Rugby Aupiki competition, with scores tied 21-21 and the clock well past 80 minutes, Katelyn Vahaakolo received an audacious 20-metre pass from Ruahei Demant and thundered forward. With two ahead, Vahaakolo bumped the first defender and dragged Binky Muamua over the line with her for possibly the most famous try of her already storied career.
The Blues had snaffled a 79th-minute turnover. An inspired surge from captain Maia Roos, followed by a dozen attritional phases, ended when the hosts conceded a penalty. Wildly, halfback Tara Turner tapped, a surprise move with a penalty kick available. Matatū was stretched. Demant saw the space. It closed quickly but not fast enough for Matatū. Final score: 28-21.
The Blues wobbled in the regular season, losing consecutive games for the first time since 2023. But when it counted, their rock stars delivered with customary daring. A length-of-the-field try by Vahaakolo against Matatū a week earlier, following a sustained spell on defence when narrowly ahead 26-24 with less than 15 minutes remaining, was as dramatic as the final settler and ultimately a match-winning moment.
Captain Maia Roos was the Blues’ top tackler with 103, won the most lineouts with 28, and carried 70 times, ranking seventh overall. Blindside Amarante Sititi enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, ranking inside the top ten for tackles with 93 and carries with 87. Hooker Atlanta Lolohea scored two tries in the final and joined Sititi in the top ten for tackles (85) and carries (73). The Blues won 55 of their 57 scrums and 60 of their 69 lineouts, the best in the competition.
It’s scarcely believable Vahaakolo was employed off the bench while Demant at 10 was at her best when it most counted, steering a backline that helped the Blues score the most tries, with 36.
Matatū fall short but boast competition MVP
Aupiki’s player of the season will be officially crowned at the New Zealand Rugby Awards in December. Almost certainly Kaipo Olsen-Baker will join Luka Connor (Chiefs Manawa, 2022), Lucy Jenkins (Matatū, 2023), Katelyn Vahaakolo (Blues, 2024), and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (Blues, 2025) as the fifth Aupiki MVP.
The Black Ferns No.8 was dynamite, scoring in every round robin match and finishing the competition with a leading eight tries in seven appearances. Olsen-Baker ranked top tackler with 136, 18 ahead of teammate Elinor-Plum King, who was two ahead of lock Laura Bayfield.
Olsen-Baker made the most carries with 108, the only player to crack a century. She also ranked in the top 10 for clean breaks (6) and defenders beaten (26). Olsen-Baker is a force of nature, arguably the best women’s rugby player on the planet.
Hurricanes Poua set Aupiki alight
“Does an angel contemplate my fate?” Hurricanes Poua might have asked themselves in the 80th minute on July 11 when Matatū fed a defensive scrum 15m from their own line with one requirement: secure, clear and win the game 31-26.
From an Angel called Mulu, Matatū’s scrum came under immense pressure from the former Black Ferns prop. A tighthead was secured, and then, heaven forbid, Mulu, who scored the first try in competition history, scored arguably its most famous try to secure an improbable 33-31 win, with Renee Holmes slotting the subsequent conversion.
The “Mulu Miracle” exemplified the guts, joy and unpredictability with which the Poua, losers of 12 consecutive games over two previous seasons, played.
“We talked about shocking the system. We shocked ourselves,” Mulu said. There was some talk that we’re the leftovers. If that’s the case, we’re leaving no crumbs.
“I was absolutely buggered before that last scrum. Behind me, Stacey Niao was pleading one more push, one more push. For this team, you’re always willing to do that. The scrum popped up. I felt them go back, looked up, and we’ve got the ball. We’re on, here. When I got close to the line I just wanted the game to bloody end. It was epic.”
Poua’s set piece was laughable in the first two games; the scrum barely held together. In the last month, they had the best scrum in the competition. By season’s end, they had secured 49 out of 52 of their own scrums, and scored another two tries from tightheads in their 47-33 win over Chiefs Manawa on July 18.
Lineout accuracy tripled and even became a genuine strike weapon with rolling mauls and attack from clean possession off the top. A try scored by winger Wikitoria Viljoen in the 47-33 win against Manawa from a lineout switch move was as good as it gets.
Coaches Hayden Triggs, Emma Jensen and Mel Bosman transformed a pack of relative no-names like Sam Taylor, Anahera Hamahona, Neve Anglesey, and Brianna Wallace into a formidable unit.
Mulu discovered a new lease of life. Mo’omo’oga Ona Palu is the biggest Black Fern. She bench pressed 150kg and that raw power started to show.
Mulu believes the Poua’s success was deeper than just rugby. She attributed living together at the NZCIS high-performance hub to the cultivation of a sense of family.
“Staying at NZCIS has brought a more professional and together approach. Personally, having Baby around has been massive for my wellbeing. It’s like one big family. The girls spoil her here. Good day or bad day, when I see Baby I’m happy. I have a bigger purpose.”
With a sturdy pack in place, Poua’s backs flourished. Centre Hinemaringi Scott scored two tries, completed 23 of 25 tackles, and has emerged as a genuine late bloomer at 30. The “Te Mahoe Titian” recently undertook a Psychology and Human Performance degree at the University of Waikato and featured in the last two Waikato Farah Palmer Cup winning Premiership teams. She was given a crack at Aupiki level after spreading her wings with the USRC Tigers in Hong Kong.
Viljoen scored five tries in five games, including the only Poua hat-trick in the record 45-30 win over the Blues. She impressed for Manawatū the past two seasons, scoring 13 tries in 14 games.
Versatile Arene Landon-Lane, who played 17 games in four seasons for Wellington, was another to make the most of her chances. Offering opportunities to women who understand the struggle, rather than promising “system picks,” was a big part of the Poua’s appeal and success.
The most crucial axis was between Black Ferns halfback Iritana Hohaia and fullback-turned-first-five Renee Holmes, who kicked 24 of her last 27 goal attempts. Hohaia was initially tried at fullback, an experiment that flopped. Back in her familiar halfback position, she scored four tries, distributed sharply, and often controlled the tempo with poise, speed, and unpredictability. Holmes has emerged as a genuine backup ten at international level. She scored 71 points in six games.
There’s a bit of Neil Barnes in coach Hayden Triggs, straightforward with some nous and empathy. Holmes paid tribute.
“We don’t get many men entering the women’s space, so you question their intentions at first,” Holmes said. “When I heard Triggsy speak, he had passion and energy. I thought, ‘This guy is ready’ for the job. He’s straight to the point but with empathy, and we know regardless of his tone, it comes from a good place.”
Blues Captain Maia Roos observed of the Poua: “They had a great season. Whereas Matatū are quite structured, Poua are really physical and unpredictable. You never knew what was coming next and they make them tricky.”
Chiefs Manawa crumble
With the worst defence and ranking in the bottom half for tries scored, clean breaks, defenders beaten, lineouts won, and offloads despite the most regular season carries, it’s no wonder Manawa failed to win a game.
Without past Black Ferns Ruby Tui, Kelly Brazier, Awhina Tangen-Wainohu, Tayana Kalounivale, Mererangi Paul, and Luka Connor, Manawa faced a tough rebuilding exercise in 2026. When they lost Black Ferns tighthead Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu, and Mia Anderson, the leading round-robin carrier, for games, the rebuild fell apart. Where did it go wrong for Manawa?
Tukuafu’s injury in the third-round 34-29 loss to Poua was a massive turning point. Manawa led 14-3 with a one-player advantage after Poua’s red card. Though Anderson and the evergreen Chyna Hopepa did an honourable job without Tukuafu, Kennedy brings a sense of calm, mana, and resolve that couldn’t be replaced.
The loss of Mahutariki-Fakalelu was arguably bigger. Much of the Chiefs’ identity is built on set piece power. Without the redoubtable Black Ferns tighthead, Manawa were awful, especially in the first half of the last game against Poua where they trailed 42-19 at halftime.
Two seasons of Dwayne Sweeney have yielded three wins. Does the coach come under the microscope? Former coach Crystal Kaua had longevity and expertise in the women’s game that’s been hard to match. She is now in Brazil.
