First look at Aupiki Squads for 2025

Who is in, who is out and who is missing?

Me with my mate Hineruhi, the Aupiki trophy

The Aupiki squads for 2025 have been released which means it’s time to start crunching some data. My spreadsheet now has 25 tabs so there’s a lot to dig into. To give this analysis the proper airtime it deserves, I’m going to cut it into two pieces.

Today, we will take a first look in at the lineups. Noting who is in, who is out, who has moved and who is missing. Then next week I will give you all the wider trends I’ve been tracking such as distribution of Black Fern experience across the franchises, who has the highest player loyalty across all four years of squad announcements and who are our comeback queens of 2025.

I had hoped to give you all of this today but honestly, they don’t make it easy. This year, everyone got all artsy and didn’t just give us a list of player/position. Then the New Zealand Rugby announcement just grouped everyone alphabetically. SIGH.

So untangling all the threads to weave this into someone digestible took longer than I had hoped. But let’s take a look at the storylines already emerging.

BLUES

Biggest signing: Portia Woodman
Biggest loss: Niall Williams-Guthrie
Player to watch: Awhina Tangen-Wainohu

This squad is the most stable of our four franchises, holding on to 70% of their players from last year. They are also this seasons biggest magnet of Black Ferns experience. With three of the five players transferring from other franchises bringing Black Ferns caps with them.

They are a beautifully balanced squad. With young talent like Chryss Viliko, Atlanta Lolohea, Holly Wratt-Groeneweg, Sylvia Brunt and Kahlia Awa all primed to light things up. Alongside them, franchise veterans like Krysten Cottrell, Ruahei Demant, Aldora Itunu, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u and now I am just copying and pasting their team list in here cause honestly, they are so stacked.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is the big get. Having her energy, drive and star power will carry the Blues a long way but it’s where she’s going to play that interests me. She joked during her black jersey retirement last year that she would jump in the front row if need be, she just wants to be out there.

So how will the Blues coaches utilise her? Perhaps they do a Northland Kauri and play her at centre. That would mean breaking up the championship inside combo of Cottrell, Demant, Brunt to make room. Or does she pull a Niall and get Blues player turned coach, Charmaine McMenamin, to show her how to play in the loose forwards? Safest bet I reckon is to let Portia be Portia and pop her on what would otherwise be Jaymie Kolose’s wing.

Niall Williams-Guthrie is the mongrel this team will miss the most, she was CLASS at flanker last season. Her departure leaves the door wide open for a new Blues loosie to emerge. This is a contest I’m looking forward to as I couldn’t pick the starters outside of Liana Mikaele-Tu’u yet.

The player to watch though is Awhina Tangen-Wainohu. I say this not just because I am personally invested now after sharing the story of her injury and her rehab. Tangen-Wainohu’s transferred out of one dog fight for starting front row spots in Manawa, straight into another at the Blues. If she wants game time, she’s going to have to take it from fellow capped Black Ferns Aldora Itunu, Sophie Fisher or Chryss Viliko. I love scrums so this is too good to miss!

Note that Kiriana Nolan did actually join part way through last year as injury cover :)

MANAWA

Biggest signing: Kelly Brazier
Biggest loss: Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu
Player to watch: Grace Houpapa-Barrett

For the first time in their history, the Manawa have not gone fishing for talent in other franchise’s team sheets. Waikato performed well in the last Farah Palmer Cup season so there were plenty of players to call on closer to home. This has given the side their highest ever retention rate ,with 67% of players returning from last year.

Their sole transfer is Rosie Kelly, coming up from Matatū. I’ve put her on my squad list as a halfback, knowing full well she can also play 10 or 15. It’s the most logical place for her given the traffic in the outside backs for starting spots. Kelly may yet take on Kelly Brazier or Hazel Tubic, it just depends how things shake out.

Not having Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu on the squad list has my eyebrows firmly raised. What the heck is happening here? When you think Manawa, you think Marino-Tauhinu. Her leadership will be missed.

They will be hoping the experience of Brazier may balance this out. She’s returning to the side she won the inaugural championship with back in 2022. She also need to make her case in this competition if she wants to make her return to the Black Ferns 15s side.

Another player to watch on that front is Grace Houpapa-Barrett. She’s making her return to the team after sitting out last season. Houpapa-Barrett was the Farah Palmer Cup’s top try scorer this year and has clearly fallen back in love with her footy. Whether she still harbours any ambitions to play for the Black Ferns remains to be seen but I’m not writing her off just yet. Luka Connor won’t be either, so it’s going to be one heck of a battle for the starting number 2 spot.

Manawa have dropped their squad announcement with three spots left to fill. I would have to think they would be shopping for another outside back and definitely another midfielder. Perhaps the last spot goes to a loosie for good measure.

MATATŪ

Biggest signing: Chelsea Bremner
Biggest loss: Di Hiini
Player to watch: Charlotte Va’afusaga

The times are a changing down south with Matatū experiencing their highest ever rate of turnover. They still enter the 2025 season with 63% of their players from last year. It’s not necessarily about the quantity but the quality of those they have lost. Players like Kendra Reynolds, Atlanta Lolohea, Rosie Kelly and Liv MGoverne are synonymous with the teal blue.

I’ve named Di Hiini as their biggest loss for this season though cause she has been a rock for the side over the past couple of seasons. Playing off the base at a pace that allowed their side to flex their fitness. It will be interesting to see how the new pivot pairing of Maia Joseph and Hannah King will carry things forward from here.

Although some Matatū identities have gone, the prodigal sister returns. Chelsea Bremner will be alongside Alana for the year ahead. I am intrigued to see how she meshes back into her old team and whether she’s brought any of the Manawa flair with her.

My player to watch this year is Charlotte Va’afusaga. Hers was a name I practiced diligently before acting as ground announcer for the championship semi final between Otago and Wellington. Thank goodness I did because I was saying her name A LOT. We are spoilt with many great line breakers in this country but it’s a very short list of those that are creating that chaos through a hot step. I am excited to see Va’afusaga’s footwork on this stage.

She represents to me the promise of this Matatū side. They are a bit younger this year but have a track record of growing great talent in their programme. I look forward to seeing the new wave establish themselves in 2025.

Note that Olioli Mua joined the team as injury cover late last season

POUA

Biggest signing: Cassie Siataga
Biggest loss: Hannah King
Player to watch: Kahurangi Sturmey

Another year, another re-write of the Poua plan. We are now on our fourth head coach in four seasons and are churning through players at a similar pace. The Poua once again have the worst retention rate, with just 55% of last year’s players returning.

I am so embarrassed for the women’s rugby of my region that our franchise appears to be so dysfunctional. It’s not just in the turnovers, it’s in the silence on their socials in the lead up to this drop. Only making one post ahead of this squad announcement and still yet to tell us who the rest of our coaching line up is. They’ve let their break out star of 2024, Hannah King, head back down south. Our loss will absolutely be Matatū’s gain.

The biggest signing is her replacement Cassie Siataga. For me this is because it represents a new pathway to the top of the game. Siataga chose to play for her country of heritage to help rebuild the programme. She has been an integral part of Samoa qualifying for their first World Cup in a decade. Playing out of a city, that has a women’s playing base that is over 70% Samoan, will mean a lot to many. That she has earnt her spot by playing in Australia’s Super W is also shining a light on what else is out there for those hungry enough to chase it.

My player to watch is Kahurangi Sturmey. Layla Sae, Iritana Hohaia and Jackie Patea-Fereti have all been named co-captains for the season but Sturmey’s leadership will be essential out there. She was immense for the Manawatū Cyclones in their dominant FPC season and will want to fly the flag of her region proudly. Sturmey has big boots to fill with Rhiarna Ferris and Rachel Rakatau absent this year. They will trust her though, to pull them on and hold the standards we expect from the green machine.

Poua have one spot on their roster to fill and honestly, your guess is as good as mine as to who they call. Perhaps the long serving local flanker, Sinead Toala Ryder, finally gets her shot.

With you,
Alice