Saturday is for the girls

Farah Palmer Cup begins as Pacific Four comes to an end.

We have gone from famine to feast with women’s sport this month. Never is that more clear than when you take a look at the schedule for rugby this Saturday.

And I’m told men will also be playing that day ;)

We have the Premiership grade of the Farah Palmer Cup kicking off and the final round of the Pacific Four Series. It’s a lot of rugby to get through so let’s get stuck in!

Farah Palmer Cup

The Farah Palmer Cup is the provincial women’s competition here in New Zealand. Currently, 13 provinces take part and are split into two grades - Premiership and Championship. Sadly, Southland doesn’t take part. Folks would argue player base but that’s nonsense. I know people who have gone down and done the work to establish a Southland Doe/Hind team but the commitment is not being met by the union to keep things going. This makes me sad as in another life, I would have been playing out of Southland. My coloniser whānau landed there and my Mum and Dad grew up in Gore.

ANYWAY. We currently have 13 provinces with a 7/6 split between Premiership and Championship. Each year, the winner of the Championship is promoted and the loser of the Premiership is relegated unless you are Auckland*.

With the Hawke’s Bay Tui edging the Otago Spirit in a phenomenal final last year, they enter the Premiership this year. Meanwhile, the Manawatū Cyclone were unlucky to only lasted one season in the Premiership and their last place finish means they head back to the Championship.

That means the teams are split as follows:

PREMIERSHIP:
Auckland Storm, Counties Manukau Heat, Waikato Women, Bay of Plenty Volcanix, Hawke’s Bay Tui, Wellington Pride, Canterbury Women

CHAMPIONSHIP:
Northland Kauri, North Harbour Hibiscus, Taranaki Whio, Manawatū Cyclones, Tasman Mako, Otago Spirit

I don’t know why Waikato and Canterbury don’t have team names. I think it’s silly and would like to see them both adopt one.

*Auckland always seems to escape being relegated. The last time they should have been sent down, they were saved by the Northland Kauri re-entering the Championship. The explaination was that NZR opted to keep them up for even-ish numbers.

That’s bullshit though. My team, the Wellington Pride, had to play our way back up in 2018. And poor ol’ Manawatū had a relegation carried over an extra year due to Covid. If they were worried about numbers, they should have still allowed the relegation of Auckland and the promotion of the first placed Championship team.

This weekend, the Premiership kicks off. The Counties Manukau Heat have the bye first up, while the Wellington Pride plays the same game they seem to start every season with, heading down to Christchurch to play Canterbury. The Hawke’s Bay Tui are hosting the Auckland Storm in a tough first assignment and finally the Bay of Plenty Volcanix take on their Chiefs Manawa teammates, Waikato.

You would think it would be first up wins for Canterbury, Auckland and Waikato. However with Black Ferns still away on international duty, the door is open for first round upsets.

CANTERBURY VS WELLINGTON PRIDE

12.05pm, Rugby Park, Christchurch. Live on Sky Sport 4.

At the time of writing this, Wellington hasn’t released it’s team sheet. But what I can tell you from looking at our squad list is Wellington is a province in transition. Last season, we had on paper what looked to be one of our strongest teams in a while. This didn’t translate from the page to the paddock though and the Pride were lucky not to have ended up relegated.

It’s a team with a lot of debutants which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just tough to fight your way through the Premiership without as many experienced campaigners. Manawatū man, Fusi Feaunati has taken the reins this year and that will be a good things for Wellington Rugby. Feaunati has experience building not just teams but programmes, something my province desperately needs.

I will freely admit I am less familiar with some of the names in the Wellington squad but those who I expect to hold our standards are; Jackie Patea-Fereti, Angelica Schwencke, Barbra Taumoli, Hosanna Aumua, Lyric Faleafaga, Milly Mackey, Monica Tagoai, Nina Foaese and Sinead Ryder.

Of these, I would urge you to play close attention to Ryder and Aumua. Ryder was on the fringe of a Poua contract this season, one that would be well earned in my opinion. I coached Aumua as a schoolgirl at Naenae College. If she can put as much work into the rucks as she does her carries, she has the potential to go far.

Canterbury, with 10 players out on Black Ferns duty, are still hella stacked. There is a chance for understudies in the tight five and midfield to have a proper crack and I have no doubt they will do so. We have seen other players migrate from Canterbury, (such as Samoan hero Cassie Siataga) and thrive. Such is the production of excellence in this region.

Players I am looking forward to watching this weekend is the change up in their backline. Isabella Waterman was as standout for the Poua and will be a tasty combination with flyer, Martha Mataele. Journey woman Hayley Hutana, joins the exclusive club of players to run out for multiple provinces and has her start at 15. I loved watching Di Hiini do the work for Matatū and I’m glad we will get to see more of her this weekend.

Sorry to my Pride but I’m predicting a win from Canterbury first up.

HAWKE’S BAY TUI VS AUCKLAND STORM

Also 12.05pm, Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park, Hastings and live on Sky Sport 2.

The Tui beat the Wellington Pride in their pre-season match last week. On the field was mother daughter combo, Teilah and Julie Ferguson. Teilah was always going to head home at some point but she’s another example to me of talent Wellington has slept on. With hammer Amelia Pasikala having switched codes, Teilah is a great pick up for the Tui in the midfield.

I’m going to admit, beyond the timeless Duffy aka Krysten Cottrell, I am not as immediately familiar with the Tui. So consider this my commitment to do the work and give you a better run down in future.

They are up against an Auckland side without five of their Black Ferns. But the Storm is a Black Fern factory so they have Eloise Blackwell and Aldora Itunu running out for a combined 125 FPC games this weekend. Blackwell playing her 75th and Itunu her 50th. That is outrageous. This is competition that gives you a maximum of 8 games a year. So that’s a heck of a shift from both of them.

Aside from these two, I am really looking forward to seeing the continued form of Chryss Viliko, Cilia-Marie Po’e-Tofaeono, Maama Vaipulu and Mel Puckett. Po’e-Tofaeono for me typifies how some players will play up to the occasion. She was solid but not necessarily a standout for the Storm last year but then delivered for the Poua when they needed it in Aupiki.

Meanwhile, Puckett is just in really hot form at the minute. Ariana Bayler relocated to the Blues to get more game time this season only to find herself in another battle for the number nine jersey thanks to Puckett. She’s a tempo halfback and will demand a lot of her forward pack.

I think this is a really tough assignment for the Tui first up but the Storm are generally slow starters. So I’m expecting this game to be within 12 but for Auckland to take it.

BAY OF PLENTY VOLCANIX VS WAIKATO

2.05pm, Rotorua International Stadium or live on Sky Sport 2

It’s a battle within the Chiefs Manawa franchise as these two teams face off. Waikato and the Volcanix are missing three Black Ferns a piece.

Let me just say at the top, pay attention to the Volcanix front row! They seem to have an unending pool of prop talent in this region having recently given us Kate Henwood, Te Urupounamu McGarvey and Santo Taumata. Given that Tauranga is the home base for New Zealand sevens, I think we have all been sleeping on the forward might of this team but hello, Luka Connor and Kendra Reynolds are right there! Waikato, meanwhile, have just as much muscle up front and I am always excited to see Chyna Hohepa and Grace Houpapa-Barrett in action.

Waikato are always a team I enjoy to watch as they have that lovely balance between solid set piece and free ranging backs. Bay of Plenty are a team that have really been hitting their stride in the last couple of seasons. The last time these two teams played each other there was one try in it. I expect a similarly tight match up this weekend.

So tight in fact that it’s a tough one to call! So I won’t but I will tell you it will be within 12, whoever takes it.

LAST ROUND OF PACIFIC FOUR

Black Ferns vs USA, 8am kick off on Sky Sport 1
Canada vs Australia, 11am kick off on Sky Sport 1

With the Black Ferns WXV spot secured, Bunting is giving his full squad a run this weekend. He’s been clear from the jump that it is his intention to be building the depth in our squad so this is the perfect opportunity to do it.

It’s debuts for Esther Faiaoga-Tilo and Grace Gago as our list of front row prospects grows. Maiakawanakaulani Roos gets the nod at captain. Roos was born in USA and now gets her captaincy debut against the Americans, how cool!

Iritana Hohaia ascent continues. The player that had to wait two years for the Black Ferns debut, who missed out of the first round of contracts this year, is now named in her first start as vice captain. I’m glad folks are finally seeing her potential.

While there is a lot of change ups in the forward pack, it is perhaps a more experimental backline. I am stoked to see Grace Brooker back in the starting line up after a long rehab journey. She’s played a lot of good footy with Amy du Plessis so I expect them to spark each other off outside their Matatū first five, Rosie Kelly.

The back three are the sevens sisters, Tenika Willison and Kelsey Teneti. Petition for them both to stick with 15s please! Grace Steinmetz has been waiting for the chance to make her case to add to selection headaches on the wing. She will be frothing at the chance to make it this Saturday.

I expect this to be a bit of a messy match against USA but to open right up in the back twenty, particularly when you look at who is lurking on the bench.

Meanwhile, Aussie vs Canada should actually be a banger of a match to watch. How much have the Wallaroos improved since game one? Are the Canadians definitively a top four side? The result from this match will give us the answers.

Okay, that’s a million words and a lot of rugby. So fill ya boots!!!

With you,

Alice