I’ve been waiting for the last few months for the 2026 calendar to drop. I’d heard rumours, been sent drafts and presented a version of this behind closed doors but it’s finally been released so we are able to talk about it.
There’s nothing new that hasn’t already been announced by World Rugby in their redesign of the WXV. Instead there’s been a reshuffle of our current hand, in an attempt to deal with the growing pains of our current programme.
It’s in keeping with the “all eggs in one basket” strategy of everything in our system being in service of the current crop of Black Ferns. Which, the high performance arm of New Zealand Rugby would probably argue, is just them delivering on their remit. Having written about our game for the better part of the last four years, I am running out of metaphors for how shortsighted this all is though. Copy and paste, missing rungs, it’s turtles all the way down.
The short of it is, I don’t believe in trickle down excellence. But that’s what this schedule is designed for. The long of it is going to take a bit more to unpack.
I’ve been in a flurry since this hit my inbox at 10.30am yesterday - teeing up interviews, submitting questions, taking stock. Today, I’m going to talk you through my first look. My key takeaways, the questions it raised to me and the answers I’ve been given so far.
Next week, I’m going to follow this up with a kōrero with some of those players directly impacted by the shifting goal posts. What their experience within various pathways and the transition of this schedule tells us.
Then I’m going to examine the opportunities that may arise and the red flags already fluttering in the breeze. Putting on the record what I hope doesn’t become another one of my “I told you sos”.
So, let us begin and take a look at the 2026 calendar for women in high performance New Zealand Rugby.
The headlines you will read elsewhere will likely trumpet two things:
10 TEST FOR THE BLACK FERNS IN 2026!!
SUPER RUGBY AUPIKI MOVES TO MID YEAR TO MAKE ROOM FOR FUTURE GROWTH!
On point one, yes. This is what the combination of the World Rugby tournaments + Laurie O’Reilly Cup now adds to. Congrats on signing on to play what’s been pre-arranged. This number of tests further aggravates the issue I outlined in my post Black Fern knock out analysis at the World Cup (see below).
Black Ferns will now play around 62% of their annual first class games in international fixtures. I’m not saying play less tests but rather, play more domestically please. This current balance is way out of whack and is contributing to our troubles on the world stage.
Which leads into point two, the fabled future expansion of Aupiki. We have heard this promise as punctuation on every news release since this competition began. My question now is if we grow beyond the new Aupiki timeline and who plays in it?
Not the Black Ferns who are busy in the WXV so instead it must be the emerging talent of the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC). I thought we had this competition, in part, to stop us rocketing talent up the ladder before it was totally ready. My bad.
By contrast, these are my three headlines after looking at this new schedule:
Transfers between Black Ferns 7s and 15s to become run of the Mill-er
Super Rugby Aupiki runs straight at NRLW
Farah Palmer Cup to become the full stop on the women’s domestic season
New Zealand Rugby have placed Black Ferns 7s schedule alongside Black Ferns 15s on this calendar. Laying plain the opportunity on offer to players with the movement of Aupiki. I’ve said this before but a form of integration like this isn’t new. Instead, it’s a return to the state of play prior to the introduction of 7s into the Olympics.
But rather than just speculate, I asked New Zealand Rugby directly if players will be more free flowing between programmes.
“The two programmes have always had a great integration where schedules have allowed. The new calendar allows players more opportunity to play both forms of the game more often which is a really exciting. It also allows long term planning for athletes across a cycle to target particular competitions and events.”
- NZR
So yes. We will see Jorja Miller play more 15s and Katelyn Vahaakolo play more 7s. Not a surprise if you’ve seen KV’s socials recently and note that she’s currently in 7s HQ aka Tauranga.
This biggest news out of all of this is the movement of Aupiki and the change it signals from NZR in their approach to league.
Chris Lendrum, NZR General Manager of Professional Rugby & Performance back on 10 October 2023.
This was the party line in 2023, when the format of Aupiki that we are still rolling with was locked in. The “totally different window” that NRLW operates in is where they have moved Aupiki to. By moving these leagues on top of each other, they have shut down any movement of players between them.
I don’t think they realise yet how damaging this is going to be.
If we think right now on who makes up an Aupiki squad, you start with your Black Ferns - past, present and emerging. This cohort, depending on your franchise, makes up around 40-60% on your squad. Who makes up the remainder? Well, unlike England’s domestic league, it’s not internationals. We have a hard cap of 2 per squad of 30.
I asked NZR if they are considering shifting this cap at all, particularly given how many NZ based players just featured for teams like Manusina Samoa in the Rugby World Cup.
“Our focus is on Aupiki being a great competition, but importantly on making sure the competition creates amazing Black Ferns too. For now there is no change, but we would be open to looking at this in the future.”
- NZR
So putting aside that 7%, who could just be the sis who has played all her life out of New Zealand but was never gonna get a shot at the black jersey so pulled on a blue one instead, we still have 40% or more of our squad to find within the current playing pool.
Before this week’s announcement, the halo to that Black Fern core was talented players making their own version of a professional career. They may not have been quite strong enough to play for the Black Ferns but they were regular features in our Aupiki teams. They’ve only been getting better each year by backing themselves and playing in other professional leagues alongside Aupiki such as NRLW, Japan’s league and in one case, AFLW.
Then of course, you would have one or two new signings coming up from the Farah Palmer Cup, to round out your squad.
With this week’s announcement we have lost our halo. It’s almost a franchise worth of players shutout with the Aupiki NRLW clash. These are players who, even if they preferred rugby, have signed on to multi-year contracts. And if they are sitting on the fence, we are asking them to take a more than 50% pay cut to play less games in Aupiki. As the old billboard said - YEAH RIGHT!
With that in mind, I asked NZR about Aupiki wages next season.
“This is still under negotiation, so we don’t have more to share here.”
-NZR
We will watch that space but assume players are gone being offered more certainty abroad. This means we are going to have to find this 21% within our current pipeline. Expect this season to see that FPC circle grow and the league to experience speed wobbles as a result.
I asked New Zealand Rugby what conversations had been had with the players directly impacted by this shift.
“All major stakeholders were consulted during this process, including the NZRPA who represents and support players in this space. These changes are helping us to build a really enticing calendar for players to see pathways and competitions they want to be involved in, and that includes things like the Lions Tour in 2027, the Olympics in 2028 and the Rugby World Cup in 2029.” - NZR
This indirect answer suggests there hasn’t been a direct conversation. So I’m having it over the next week and will share these player’s perspectives with you.
My last point was the one I got in trouble for asking about earlier this year. We are moving FPC to be the full stop on the women’s domestic competition. Despite it’s feeder, club rugby, kicking things off at the beginning of the year.
This is the amateur part of our game, so arguably the most fragile. This new calendar is asking this piece to stretch itself to keep everyone engaged. Or, we are asking folks to reorganise their local calendars quick smart.
I asked NZR whether the club season will be moving.
“The women’s club rugby window won’t be moving, but it’s important to note the FPC window is only shifting by about three weeks.
Provincial Unions set their own club schedules, and for them the schedule depends on things like number of players, how many teams they have and how these timings fit in with other things like men’s club rugby and field availability.”
-NZR
So according to NZR club rugby is both not moving and it’s up to provincial unions (if that doesn’t underline current issues in our system, I don’t know what will!).
While three weeks may not seem much, some club comps around the country already have substantial gaps between club and FPC. So you’re asking folks to commit even more volunteer time to stay engaged. If you do change the club season timing, it has potential to cause issues with player and coach availability, further isolation from the wider club community and yes, as they note, fields.
It’s a delicate issue. One that must be handled with care.
I did ask a follow up. If the answer to club rugby moving was no, what are the plans to keep this amateur playing group engaged in the months between the end of club and the beginning of FPC?
“As above – these are not New Zealand Rugby players or our schedules to set, however we have worked with the Provincial Unions sharing more about these competition window changes, so they were made aware of the impacts and the opportunities.”
-NZR
Sigh. Hope you’ve got an on to it local union I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is my first look and as you can tell, I am concerned. Talent covering the programming gap - that’s always been our issue. With this new calendar that talent is being asked to cover even more ground now, if they aren’t lucky enough to already be at the top.
With you,
Alice