And just like that, we were in the last round of Super Rugby Aupiki. Manawa and the Blues have locked in their place in the final next weekend while Matatū and Poua compete to avoid the wooden spoon. Which side of the Bombay Hills the final is played is still to be determined as Blues win over Manawa last week gave them a shot at snaking the number one spot in the last round.
To host the final, the Blues need to win with a bonus point. You get those in this competition by giving your opposition a hiding and winning by three tries or more. So they will be hoping for a replay of the massacre at Bell Park in round three which saw them run in eight tries to the Poua’s one. The Poua won’t go down without a fight though as they need to win to prevent them from finishing at the bottom of the table. They will also need Matatū to go down to be assured that they climb up the points table.
Manawa need the same thing, a bonus point win to get a home final. But unlike the rest, if they do that they don’t need to worry about how the other games go. They are playing against Matatū who are in the same boat as the Poua. They win, they are safely third place. They lose, they are still safe as long as the Poua do too.
That’s all the iterations to be clued up on. Now let’s look at how they may get there by taking a geez at the team lists.
GAME ONE: Poua vs Blues, 2.05pm Saturday
The biggest news about this game dropped on Thursday when the Judiciary Officer upgraded Sylvia Brunt’s yellow card from last week to a red. This meant that both Brunt and Shakira Baker were handing down a three game suspension following their infringements and so a midfield shuffle was required.
This suspension means Brunt will also miss next week’s final and likely the first PAC4 match. While Baker will miss the next two “meaningful matches”. It’s more meaningful that in domestic women’s rugby here in Aotearoa it’s a little unclear what next match will meet that mark. Those not involved with Black Ferns will need to wait til late August maybe? For the FPC. But I don’t think Baker played that last year so maybe this suspension follows her overseas? Look forward to learning and informing you on that.
Last season, these two teams met in round robin and then again in the playoff for 3rd and 4th… Which actually hey! How come haters have been saying the Poua finished last last season given the Poua won that playoff game? There’s been a retrospective re-write of our record books which folks have let slide which is a disservice to both these teams. The Poua as people incorrectly said they tanked last year and the Blues because they are one match away from embodying Drake’s Started from the Bottom.
The team they have named looks the goods to get them there. Niall Williams-Guthrie is back after injury niggles, pushing Charmaine McMenamin out of the starting lineup. Grace Gago and Nihijo Nagata trade places with Nagata getting the start and it’s Daynah Nankivell who gets the nod in the midfield. Nankivell is often Brunt’s replacement at the FPC level so she should slot in nicely here amongst her Auckland Storm teammates.
The danger for the Blues in this match is that the Poua are PHYSICAL. People love saying that when what they really mean is we are stacked with big, mobile bodies who will hurl themselves at you like a freight train. The Blues will be weary of this with just a week before finals. Anyone who is carrying niggles is likely to sit this one out cause while the home final would be epic, simply playing in one is of higher importance.
The Poua have made a few changes to their lineup ahead of this match. Denise Aiolupotea gets the start over Marilyn Fanoga but the rest of the starting 15 changes are in the backline.
I am legitimately heartbroken not to see Isabella Waterman in the squad. She has been an absolute rock for us at fullback and she will be missed. In her place is Hannah King, slipping back from first five. This makes room for Te Rauoriwa Gapper to come in and steer the ship. Leilani Hakiwai comes into the 13 jersey meaning Harmony Kautai starts on the wing.
Fun fact: The Poua have won their last match of the season since the beginning of Aupiki. They have nothing to lose and could yet pull a stellar performance out of the bag. They have not been as dismal as their current points for and against suggest. There have been moments within each of their matches where they have rattled their opposition.
My barber made money off me tipping them to topple Matatū in round two. They tackled everything that moved in the first half of their last match against the Blues. In round four, they made the Manawa look decidedly average in the first 40. They just need to string those moments together, to build themselves into this match and have a chance at a win.
It’s all there for the Blues though. The momentum of their season is hitting just at the right time to run them all the way home. While the Blues may not have been in this position before, their largest feeder side, the Auckland Storm are veterans of big matches. They are the provincial side with the most finals appearances in our history. They will bring those clear eyes into this match up. It’s pretty unlikely we will see them blink.
Our club competition starts on Saturday and they have pushed our games forward a half hour to 11.00am kick offs allow us to try to make the mad dash from Wellington to Levin. For those of you not from this region, it takes about an hour to drive that distance. So we will see if I get there!
GAME TWO: Matatū vs Manawa, 4.05pm Saturday
Matatū will be embolden having picked up their first win last week. Manawa will have something to prove coming off their first loss. Both teams need wins to advance their positions in this competition.
These are the two sides I have seen mix it up the most this season in terms of squad selections. Rather than compare their selections this week with last, I think it’s more telling to look at the teams they named back in round three when they last faced off.
No Luka Connor or Chelsea Bremner is the immediate jump scare looking at this Manawa lineup. Chyna Hohepa is covering at lock, meaning Mia Anderson starts this time against Matatū. In the backs, they are going full noise this time. Mererangi Paul the starting centre this time instead of Azalleyah Maaka who started in their last match against the Southerners.
The other change worth noting is the return of Hazel Tubic to the bench. It has been approximately 203246956437 days since we last saw Tubic have a run so congratulations to her on the successful rehab. I look forward to seeing what she brings to the match.
Matatū have named the same pack as last time. Their biggest change is at 10 and 15. with Liv McGoverne getting the nod at first five sending Rosie Kelly back to fullback. I think this is wise as Chelsea Semple and McGoverne have a similar player profile. It would have been Semple’s spot in the Black Ferns that McGoverne has been chasing for the last forever. I am looking forward to this battle.
I am very sad to see Martha Mataele missing from this match. She has to be on the shortlist for Aupiki player of the season. Her firepower will be sorely missed by her team but Chey Robins-Reti and Winnie Palamo will do their best to bring the hype.
Matatū are a very tough team to beat in Christchurch. But Manawa take every game against Matatū personally after their loss to them in the final last year.
Outside of the teams themselves, this is a battle of wāhine head coaches. Whitney Hansen vs Crystal Kaua, the only two women leads we have currently in Aupiki. These two are of course collegial which means they will really want to beat each other. Who has got the others number and gets the bragging rights, will remain to be seen.
With you,
Alice