# 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.
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.

## Competition format

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.

## Standings

The standings at the end of the round-robin of the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season were:
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 ||||||||||||||
Source: Sky Super Rugby Aupiki – Team standings

## Finals

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. Second-placed Matatū, who recorded their first-ever Super Rugby Aupiki win this season, 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.
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.
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. 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.
| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Matatū | 26 |
| Blues Women | 23 | | |
| Blues Women | 23 | Matatū | 33 |
| | | Chiefs Manawa | 31 |
| Chiefs Manawa | 43 | Chiefs Manawa | 31 |
| Hurricanes Poua | 21 | | |
| Hurricanes Poua | 21 | 3rd Place | 3rd Place |
| | | Hurricanes Poua | 29 |
| | | Blues Women | 24 |

### 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
Chiefs Manawa: :
| LP | 1 | Kate Henwood |
| HK | 2 | Luka Connor |
| TP | 3 | Tanya Kalounivale |
| LL | 4 | Kelsie Thwaites |
| RL | 5 | Chelsea Bremner |
| BF | 6 | Charmaine Smith |
| OF | 7 | Tynealle Fitzgerald |
| N8 | 8 | Kennedy Simon (c) |
| SH | 9 | Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu (vc) |
| FH | 10 | Hazel Tubic |
| LW | 11 | Georgia Daals |
| IC | 12 | Azalleyah Maaka |
| OC | 13 | Carla Hohepa |
| RW | 14 | Mererangi Paul |
| FB | 15 | Tenika Willison |
| Replacements: |||
| HK | 16 | Grace Houpapa-Barrett |
| PR | 17 | Angel Mulu |
| PR | 18 | Te Urupounamu McGarvey |
| LK | 19 | Dhys Faleafaga |
| LF | 20 | Victoria Makea |
| SH | 21 | Violet Hapi-Wise |
| BK | 22 | Abigail Roache |
| CE | 23 | Olive Watherston |
| Coach: |||
| Crystal Kaua ||||
Matatū: :
| LP | 1 | Pip Love |
| HK | 2 | Georgia Ponsonby |
| TP | 3 | Amy Rule |
| LL | 4 | Emma Dermody |
| RL | 5 | Cindy Nelles |
| BF | 6 | Lucy Jenkins |
| OF | 7 | Kendra Reynolds |
| N8 | 8 | Alana Bremner (c) |
| SH | 9 | Di Hiini |
| FH | 10 | Rosie Kelly |
| LW | 11 | Martha Mataele |
| IC | 12 | Grace Brooker |
| OC | 13 | Amy du Plessis |
| RW | 14 | Chey Robins-Reti |
| FB | 15 | Renee Holmes |
| Replacements: |||
| HK | 16 | Nat Delamere |
| PR | 17 | Ashley Palu |
| PR | 18 | Steph Te Ohaere-Fox |
| LK | 19 | Sera Naiqama |
| LF | 20 | Marcelle Parkes |
| SH | 21 | Georgia Cormick |
| BK | 22 | Atlanta Lolohea |
| BK | 23 | Charntay Poko |
| Coach: |||
| Blair Baxter ||||
* Assistant Referees:
* Scott McKenzie (New Zealand)
* Cassie Watt (New Zealand)
* Television match official:
* Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)

## Statistics

    As of 25 March 2023

### Leading point scorers

| 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 |
| 7 | Jaymie Kolose | Blues Women | 25 | 5 T, 0 C, 0 P, 0 D |
| 7 | 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 |
Source: Sky Super Rugby Aupiki: Player Stats

### Leading try scorers

| No. | Player | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Luka Connor | Chiefs Manawa | 7 |
| 2 | Mererangi Paul | Chiefs Manawa | 6 |
| 3 | Georgia Daals | Chiefs Manawa | 5 |
| 3 | Jaymie Kolose | Blues Women | 5 |
| 3 | Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly | Hurricanes Poua | 5 |
| 6 | Renee Holmes | Matatū | 4 |
| 6 | Chey Robins-Reti | Matatū | 4 |
| 8 | 5 players | 5 players | 3 |
Source: Sky Super Rugby Aupiki: Player Stats

### Discipline

| 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) |

## Players
### Squads

The following squads have been named for the 2023 season. Players listed in italics denote non-original squad members:
Blues Women squad :
| 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 |
Chiefs Manawa squad :
| 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 |
Hurricanes Poua squad :
| Forwards | Saphire Abraham • Maddie Fe'aunati • 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 |
Matatū squad :
| 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 |