FPC Preview: Canterbury and the Auckland Storm
The premiership kicks off this weekend, so let's get stuck in
The Farah Palmer Cup kicks off this weekend and it is my absolute favourite. For years, it served as the only stepping stone between club rugby and the international stage and I would love this competition to get more of the love it deserves. So here I am, doing what little I can, to shine a spotlight on the talent that will be on display until early September.
But first, a history lesson…
Let’s start at the beginning and get you up to speed with some fast facts!
The Farah Palmer Cup was introduced in 2017 and with it, the Premiership and Championship format.
Prior to this, New Zealand Rugby organised the Women’s National Provincial Championship or NPC, which kicked off in 1999. At it’s height in 2000, apparently 18 teams competed…And they say today is the boom time of participation!
In 2010, New Zealand Rugby controversially cancelled the Women’s NPC during a World Cup year due to money problems. (This is why I got so twitchy during COVID disruptions way back in 2020 because I wasn’t confident that they wouldn’t cancel again).
Women’s provincial rugby definitely existed before 1999. In 1921 there is a record of a match between a team from Wellington and a team from Napier. In 1980, the first provincial game of the modern era was held between Manawatū and Hawke’sBay. There were also plenty of matches and tournaments organised throughout the 1990s.
Since New Zealand Rugby took over and started keeping records, the Auckland Storm are the most successful team with 15 titles (1999-2005, 2007-2015). More recently Canterbury have been the team to beat, after winning four titles (2017-2020. Wellington Pride (2006), Counties Manukau (2016) and Waikato (2021) have all won one Premiership each.
Bay of Plenty Volcanix (2017), Wellington Pride (2018), Otago (2019) and Manwatū (2021) have all won a Championship each. Winning a Championship gets you promoted into the Premiership. The lowest finishing Premiership team gets relegated to make room.
All this is to say, like many women’s sports be wary of firsts and records because chances this data doesn’t hold all the details. It is so important for us to know our history, our story. This helps us understand who we are and where we come from and can give you strength to keep reaching higher, knowing you stand on the shoulders of giants.
Canterbury and the Auckland Storm
ANYWAY, enough of the soapboxing, let’s look at some teams!
Steph Te Ohaere-Fox of Canterbury and Ruahei Demant of the Auckland Storm, giving you a taste of what to expect from their teams
I thought I would start with the two sides who have won a combined 19 titles over the last 22 seasons. Not dissimilar to the men’s game, when the amateur era of rugby was dominated by Auckland, the wāhine from Auckland have long set the benchmark in the women’s game. They are known for being flashy and physical. They will beat you up front and then smile as they throw something ridiculous out wide.
“I feel like in Auckland there are so many players that I can name off the top of my head who can just create something from nothing, you know? They just do the most crazy things.” Ruahei Demant says underlining this sentiment.
“You've got props who can kick. You've got loose forwards who can kick. You've got wingers who can run it straight over people.”
Anytime I played Auckland, it would take until mid week following the match to feel like myself again. It was thanks to them that I was recognised as a rugby player for the first time in my life after featuring on to the Crowd Goes Wild’s Smashed Em Bro… for getting absolutely smashed.
Canterbury meanwhile, have brought the professionalism into their programme which has long been a cornerstone of the men’s success in their region. Younger players or those only familiar with only the Farah Palmer Cup version of the competition, may be forgiven for believing that theirs is the legacy to beat.
Talking to Steph Te Ohaere-Fox about this, she mentioned the shift in mindset which occurred five years ago. She credits this to the work they all now put in, off the field to create more trust on it.
“When we were losing, there was always probably 70%, maybe 80% of people working hard. And then you get the people who are getting selected because of their natural talent but not doing the hard work.” Steph recalls.
“So you haven't got their belief in each other because you know she's not gonna save you, she hasn't been doing the sprints that you were doing. So you play and that blame goes everywhere but if you know everyone's working hard, then there's no blame. It's just is what it is.”
And what it is, is a team that’s hard to beat. That will play you to the 80th minute and beyond to get the result they need.
Players to Watch
So that’s the teams but what about the players? I asked these two to go beyond the Black Ferns and give us some of the up and coming talent to look out for this season.
From the left; Rosie Kelly, Lucy Jenkins, Atlanta Lolohea, Charntay Poko and Martha Mataele
Steph’s picks:
Rosie Kelly - Kendra Cocksedge’s understudy, Rosie put a big shift in earlier this year for the Matatū. She has previously pulled on the blue for Otago and played at fullback. With Kendra potentially in and our with Black Ferns duties, Rosie has a chance to make her mark.
Lucy Jenkins - An unlucky player to have been overlooked for the talent she possesses. She’s a grafter that typifies the Canterbury mantra of leaving it all on the field.
Atlanta Lolohea - The Lolohea sisters (there are four!) are a staple of the Canterbury rugby scene. Younger sister Atlanta will be coming in at hooker this season after a long journey to overcome injury. She is now is fighting fit and hungry to get stuck in.
Charntay Poko - Fresh from the NRLW, Charntay is one of the few players that is making the jump the other way and returning from the 13 to the 15 a side game. With mean vision, she can play first or second five and has shown up this season ready to give union a proper crack.
Martha Mataele - Atlanta’s big sister is a player you would probably already recognise from the highlight reels. She stepped back from rugby after a major concussion in 2020. She has since rediscovered her love for the game when gaps in the Canterbury roster appeared last season after the withdrawal of Black Ferns for the Northern Tour.
The young gun, Chryss Viliko
Ruahei’s pick:
Ruahei hyped Chryss up better than I ever could, so I’ll let her take the mic here.
“A player people need to watch out for, now and in the future is Chryss Viliko. She’s young, she can play hooker and she can play prop. She’s just graduated with her bachelors in education. When we do our speed stuff, she is so fast. For a period of time there she was the fastest, out of everyone, over twenty metres. She’s so explosive. And you know, she’s a front rower so she can hit real hard. But it’s her speed that get’s people, cause they don’t think she’s fast. She’s not afraid to get in there and do the hard work as well. She’s a player that will always give 100%. She’ll put her body on the line. So people should keep an eye on her this year because she will break lines.”
There you have it. Remind me to get Ruahei to give me a pep talk next time I’m not feeling myself.
Tune in
You’re excited? Great. Now get out there and watch some rugby!
Farah Palmer Cup Premiership kicks off Saturday with the following matches:
Wellington Pride host Canterbury at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua. 12.05pm kick off and will be televised on Sky Sport 1.
At the same time, Waikato will welcome Manawatū Cyclones back to the Premiership at the FMG Stadium. Kick off also at 12.05pm so it will be on Sky Sport 2.
Auckland Storm will play Counties Manukau Heat at the Western Springs Stadium. Kick off is a 2pm and it will be on Sky Sport 2.
With you,
Alice