2023_Super_Rugby_Aupiki_season
The 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season was the second season of Super Rugby Aupiki (known as Sky Super Rugby Aupiki for sponsorship reasons), a professional women's rugby union club competition organised by New Zealand Rugby. The competition ran from 25 February 2023 – when Hurricanes Poua and Chiefs Manawa played the opening match in Levin – to 25 March 2023.[1]
Quick Facts Countries, Tournament format(s) ...
| 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries |  New Zealand | ||
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout | ||
| Champions | Matatū (1st title) | ||
| Matches played | 10 | ||
| Tries scored | 96 (9.6 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Renee Holmes, Matatū (59) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Luka Connor, Chiefs Manawa (7) | ||
| Official website | Official site | ||
| |||
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The tournament was won by Matatū, who defeated Chiefs Manawa 33–31 in the final in Hamilton, earning them their first Super Rugby Aupiki title. That match also resulted in the Chiefs Manawa's first-ever loss in the two-year-old competition.[2]
The competition featured four teams, who each played three regular season matches and two play-off matches. A total of ten matches were played over five weeks. The semi-finals were played on Sunday 19 March 2023 and the finals – which also included a third place play-off – on Saturday 25 March 2023.[1]
The standings at the end of the round-robin of the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season were:
More information Pos, Team ...
| 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki standings | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Chiefs Manawa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 92 | 57 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2 | Matatū | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 95 | 102 | –7 | 15 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Blues Women | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 95 | 105 | –10 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Hurricanes Poua | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 68 | 108 | –40 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Legend | |||||||||||||
| P = Games played, W = Games won, D = Games drawn, L = Games lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TF = Tries for, TA = Tries against, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Competition points | |||||||||||||
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Source: Sky Super Rugby Aupiki – Team standings[3]
Round 1
| 25 February 2023 | Hurricanes Poua | 21–53 | Chiefs Manawa | Levin Domain, Levin | ||
| 14:05 (GMT +13) | Try: Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate 2' Ayesha Leti-I'iga 5' Rhiarna Ferris 21' Con: Carys Dallinger (3/3) 4', 7', 22' Cards: Krystal Murray  37' to 46' |
Report | Try: Luka Connor (3) 9', 40+1', 59' Tanya Kalounivale 26' Kennedy Simon 34' Chelsea Bremner 45' Georgia Daals 48' Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu 52' Dhys Faleafaga 77' Con: Hazel Tubic (1/4) 26' Tenika Willison (3/5) 46', 49', 78' |
Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr |
| 25 February 2023 | Matatū | 33–31 | Blues Women | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin | ||
| 16:45 (GMT +13) | Try: Kendra Reynolds 6' Alana Bremner 18' Martha Mataele 27' Di Hiini 32' Lucy Jenkins 44' Con: Renee Holmes (4/5) 7', 19', 34', 45' Cards: Alana Bremner 49' to 59' |
Report | Try: Grace Gago 30' Jaymie Kolose (2) 39', 51' Katelyn Vaha'akolo 64' Sophie Fisher 80+2' Con: Ruahei Demant (3/5) 31', 40', 52' |
Referee: Brendon Pickerill |
Round 2
| 4 March 2023 | Blues Women | 33–50 | Chiefs Manawa | North Harbour Stadium, Albany | ||
| 14:05 (GMT +13) | Try: Jaymie Kolose (2) 15', 74' Ma'ama Vaipulu (2) 50', 56' Maiakawanakaulani Roos 71' Con: Ruahei Demant (3/3) 16', 50', 58' Krysten Cottrell (1/2) 72' |
Report | Try: Luka Connor 11' Georgia Daals (2) 24', 61' Mererangi Paul (3) 30', 40+1', 63' Grace Houpapa-Barrett 77' Con: Hazel Tubic (6/6) 13', 25', 31', 40+3', 62', 64' Amanda Rasch (0/1) Pen: Hazel Tubic (1/1) 9' |
Referee: Natarsha Ganley |
| 4 March 2023 | Matatū | 24–25 | Hurricanes Poua | Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch | ||
| 16:45 (GMT +13) | Try: Kendra Reynolds 10' Renee Holmes (2) 39', 70' Grace Brooker 40+2' Con: Renee Holmes (2/4) 40', 40+3' Pen: Renee Holmes (0/1) |
Report | Try: Ayesha Leti-I'iga 27' Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly (2) 42', 63' Joanah Ngan-Woo 58' Con: Carys Dallinger (1/4) 59' Pen: Isabella Waterman (1/1) 37' |
Referee: Mike Winter |
Round 3
| 11 March 2023 | Chiefs Manawa | 46–38 | Matatū | FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton | ||
| 14:05 (GMT +13) | Try: Mererangi Paul 15' Luka Connor 24' Kennedy Simon 32' Georgia Daals (2) 39', 44' Tynealle Fitzgerald 40+4' Grace Houpapa-Barrett 66' Con: Hazel Tubic (3/5) 25', 40', 40+5' Tenika Willison (1/2) 45' Pen: Hazel Tubic (1/2) 19' |
Report | Try: Chey Robins-Reti 3' Rosie Kelly 16' Grace Steinmetz 22' Natalie Delamere 72' Lucy Jenkins 75' Grace Brooker 79' Con: Renee Holmes (4/6) 4', 22', 73', 79' |
Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr |
| 11 March 2023 | Hurricanes Poua | 22–31 | Blues Women | Sky Stadium, Wellington | ||
| 16:45 (GMT +13) | Try: Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly (2) 27', 49' Joanah Ngan-Woo 42' Con: Carys Dallinger (2/3) 28', 43' Pen: Isabella Waterman (1/2) 64' Cards: Ayesha Leti-I'iga 10' to 20' |
Report | Try: Katelyn Vaha'akolo 13' Ruahei Demant 45' Patricia Maliepo (2) 73', 80' Krysten Cottrell 76' Con: Ruahei Demant (1/2) 47' Krysten Cottrell (2/3) 77', 80+1' |
Referee: Nick Hogan |
Chiefs Manawa finished top of the table after winning all their matches during the regular season. In their semi-final, they faced fourth-placed Hurricanes Poua.[4] Second-placed Matatū, who recorded their first-ever Super Rugby Aupiki win this season,[5] took on Blues Women in the other semi-final. Both semifinal matches were played at the North Harbour Stadium in Albany on 19 March 2023.[6]
Chiefs Manawa continued their winning streak in the semi-final by defeating Hurricanes Poua 43–21, while Matatū reached the final after a narrow 26–23 win over Blues Women. The final between Chiefs Manawa and Matatū, as well as the third-place play-off between Blues Women and Hurricanes Poua, were played at FMG Stadium Waikato on 25 March 2023.[5][7]
The 2023 final was the first Super Rugby Aupiki final in the young competition's history, after the competition was reformatted to a round robin tournament in 2022, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] Matatū were crowned as the new Super Rugby Aupiki champions after defeating Chiefs Manawa 33–31 in the final. It was Matatū's first title win and Chiefs Manawa's first-ever loss in Super Rugby Aupiki.[9]
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| Matatū | 26 | |||||
| Blues Women | 23 | |||||
| Matatū | 33 | |||||
| Chiefs Manawa | 31 | |||||
| Chiefs Manawa | 43 | |||||
| Hurricanes Poua | 21 | |||||
| 3rd Place | ||||||
| Hurricanes Poua | 29 | |||||
| Blues Women | 24 | |||||
Semifinals
| 19 March 2023 | Matatū | 26–23 | Blues Women | North Harbour Stadium, Albany | ||
| 15:15 (GMT +13) | Try: Kendra Reynolds 14' Chey Robins-Reti (3) 34', 40', 72' Con: Renee Holmes (3/4) 15', 40+2', 73' |
Report | Try: Katelyn Vaha'akolo 18' Patricia Maliepo 49' Liana Mikaele-Tu'u 69' Con: Krysten Cottrell (1/3) 50' Pen: Krysten Cottrell (2/2) 4', 9' |
Referee: Mike Winter |
| 19 March 2023 | Chiefs Manawa | 43–21 | Hurricanes Poua | North Harbour Stadium, Albany | ||
| 18:05 (GMT +13) | Try: Carla Hohepa 3' Tenika Willison (2) 12', 59' Luka Connor 20' Kennedy Simon 43' Mererangi Paul 70' Con: Tenika Willison (5/6) 4', 13', 21', 45', 60' Pen: Hazel Tubic (1/1) 77' |
Report | Try: Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate 7' Kaipo Olsen-Baker 40+4' Layla Sae 55' Con: Isabella Waterman (3/3) 8', 40+5', 56' Cards: Joanah Ngan-Woo 68' to 80' |
Referee: Natarsha Ganley |
Third place play-off
| 25 March 2023 | Blues Women | 24–29 | Hurricanes Poua | FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton | ||
| 11:35 (GMT +13) | Try: Jaymie Kolose 31' Grace Gago 38' Tafito Lafaele 46' Holly Williams 79' Con: Krysten Cottrell (2/4) 32', 39' Cards: Katelyn Vaha'akolo 50' to 60' |
Report | Try: Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly 4' Monica Tagoai (2) 13', 17' Isabella Waterman 50' Con: Isabella Waterman (3/4) 6', 15', 18' Pen: Isabella Waterman (1/1) 77' |
Referee: Natarsha Ganley |
Final
| 25 March 2023 14:05 (GMT +13) |
| Chiefs Manawa | 31–33 | Matatū |
| Try: Tanya Kalounivale (2) 4', 18' Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu 12' Mererangi Paul 36' Luka Connor 78' Con: Tenika Willison (3/5) 6', 20', 37' Pen: Tenika Willison (0/1) | Report | Try: Amy Rule 23' Renee Holmes (2) 25', 58' Martha Mataele 31' Con: Renee Holmes (2/4) 24', 33' Pen: Renee Holmes (3/4) 30', 64', 74' |
| FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Referee: Nick Hogan |
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Assistant Referees:[5] |
- As of 25 March 2023
Leading point scorers
More information No., Player ...
| No. | Player | Team | Points | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renee Holmes | Matatū | 59 | 4 T, 15 C, 3 P, 0 D |
| 2 | Luka Connor | Chiefs Manawa | 35 | 7 T, 0 C, 0 P, 0 D |
| 3 | Tenika Willison | Chiefs Manawa | 34 | 2 T, 12 C, 0 P, 0 D |
| 4 | Mererangi Paul | Chiefs Manawa | 30 | 6 T, 0 C, 0 P, 0 D |
| 5 | Hazel Tubic | Chiefs Manawa | 29 | 0 T, 10 C, 3 P, 0 D |
| 6 | Isabella Waterman | Hurricanes Poua | 26 | 1 T, 6 C, 3 P, 0 D |
| 7 | Georgia Daals | Chiefs Manawa | 25 | 5 T, 0 C, 0 P, 0 D |
| Jaymie Kolose | Blues Women | 25 | 5 T, 0 C, 0 P, 0 D | |
| Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly | Hurricanes Poua | 25 | 5 T, 0 C, 0 P, 0 D | |
| 10 | Krysten Cottrell | Blues Women | 23 | 1 T, 6 C, 2 P, 0 D |
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Leading try scorers
More information No., Player ...
| No. | Player | Team | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luka Connor | Chiefs Manawa | 7 |
| 2 | Mererangi Paul | Chiefs Manawa | 6 |
| 3 | Georgia Daals | Chiefs Manawa | 5 |
| Jaymie Kolose | Blues Women | 5 | |
| Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly | Hurricanes Poua | 5 | |
| 6 | Renee Holmes | Matatū | 4 |
| Chey Robins-Reti | Matatū | 4 | |
| 8 | 5 players | 3 | |
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Discipline
More information Player, Team ...
| Player | Team |  Red |
 Yellow |
Round (vs. Opponent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alana Bremner |
Matatū | 0 | 1 | Round 1 (vs. Blues Women) |
| Ayesha Leti-I'iga |
Hurricanes Poua | 0 | 1 | Round 3 (vs. Blues Women) |
| Krystal Murray |
Hurricanes Poua | 0 | 1 | Round 1 (vs. Chiefs Manawa) |
| Joanah Ngan-Woo |
Hurricanes Poua | 0 | 1 | Semi-final (vs. Chiefs Manawa) |
| Katelyn Vaha'akolo |
Blues Women | 0 | 1 | Third place play-off (vs. Hurricanes Poua) |
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Squads
The following squads have been named for the 2023 season.[12] Players listed in italics denote non-original squad members:
| Forwards | Eloise Blackwell • Dajian Brown • Joanna Fanene Lolo • Esther Faiaoga-Tilo • Sophie Fisher • Grace Gago • Tafito Lafaele • Letelemalanuola Lavea • Shannon Leota • Charmaine McMenamin • Liana Mikaele-Tu'u • Toka Natua • Alakoka Po'oi • Maia Roos • Cheyenne Tuli-Fale • Ma'ama Vaipulu • Chryss Viliko |
| Backs | Ariana Bayler • Sylvia Brunt • Krysten Cottrell • Kiritapu Demant • Ruahei Demant • Hayley Hutana • Jaymie Kolose • Patricia Maliepo • Melanie Puckett • Tara Turner • Katelyn Vaha'akolo • Holly Williams |
| Coach | Willie Walker |
| Forwards | Chelsea Bremner • Luka Connor • Dhys Faleafaga • Tynealle Fitzgerald • Kate Henwood • Chyna Hohepa • Grace Houpapa-Barrett • Tanya Kalounivale • Victoria Makea • Te Urupounamu McGarvey • Angel Mulu • Kennedy Simon • Charmaine Smith • Awhina Tangen-Wainohu • Santo Taumata • Harono Te Iringa • Kelsie Wills |
| Backs | Georgia Daals • Violet Hapi-Wise • Carla Hohepa • Azalleyah Maaka • Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu • Apii Nicholls-Pualau • Mererangi Paul • Amanda Rasch • Abigail Roache • Hazel Tubic • Langi Veainu • Olive Watherston • Tenika Willison |
| Coach | Crystal Kaua |
| Forwards | Saphire Abraham • Maddie Feaunati • Rhiarna Ferris • Baye Jacob • Krystal Murray • Joanah Ngan-Woo • Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate • Kaipo Olsen-Baker • Jackie Patea-Fereti • Leilani Perese • Cilia-Marie Po'e-Tofaeono • Rachel Rakatau • Layla Sae • Aroha Savage • Kahurangi Sturmey • Sosoli Talawadua • Cristo Tofa |
| Backs | Kahlia Awa • Shakira Baker • Carys Dallinger • Teilah Ferguson • Iritana Hohaia • Ayesha Leti-I'iga • Milly Mackey • Crystal Mayes • Bernadette Robertson • Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly • Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali • Monica Tagoai • Isabella Waterman |
| Coach | Victoria Grant |
| Forwards | Alana Bremner • Natalie Delamere • Emma Dermody • Eilis Doyle • Lucy Jenkins • Atlanta Lolohea • Phillipa Love • Leah Miles • Sera Naiqama • Cindy Nelles • Moomooga Palu • Marcelle Parkes • Georgia Ponsonby • Kendra Reynolds • Amy Rule • Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox |
| Backs | Grace Brooker • Georgia Cormick • Cheyenne Cunningham • Te Rauoriwa Gapper • Di Hiini • Renee Holmes • Rosie Kelly • Martha Mataele • Amy du Plessis • Charntay Poko • Chey Robins-Reti • Grace Steinmetz |
| Coach | Blair Baxter |
- "Sky Super Rugby Aupiki set to entertain in 2023". allblacks.com. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- Chapman, Grant (25 March 2023). "Super Rugby Aupiki: Matatū shock defending champions Chiefs Manawa to snatch women's crown". Newshub. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- "Sky Super Rugby Aupiki – Team standings". New Zealand Rugby. 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- "Continuity the key for Waitomo Chiefs Manawa". Chiefs. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- "Preview: Aupiki 2023 Final". superrugby.co.nz. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "Super Rugby Aupiki: Teams announced for semifinals". Stuff New Zealand. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- "Super Rugby Aupiki: Hamilton finale is last chance to impress on big stage before long wait for Black Ferns". Stuff New Zealand. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- "Sky Super Rugby Aupiki update". superrugby.co.nz (Press release). 2 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- "Matatū take Aupiki title in dramatic finale". superrugby.co.nz. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- "Reigning champions name their team for Sky Super Rugby Aupiki finals". Chiefs (Press release). 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "Team Naming: Aupiki Grand Final". Matatū (Press release). 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "Talent aplenty for 2023 Sky Super Rugby Aupiki Squads". allblacks.com. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- "Sister act feature in NIB Blues women's squad". Blues (Press release). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- "Waitomo Chiefs Manawa squad announced". Chiefs (Press release). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- "Hurricanes Poua squad named ahead of 2023 Sky Super Rugby Aupiki". Hurricanes (Press release). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- "2023 Matatū squad announced". Matatū (Press release). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.