'Just us for us': Blues seeking double Super Rugby success again

“Just us, for us” is a mantra the Blues have applied during their Super Rugby Aupiki-winning season.

Regardless of the opposition’s calibre, the Blues have looked inward for success. They respect their opponents but see individual accountability as a quicker path to greatness.

Blues Player of the Year, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, ranked inside the top ten of Aupiki for tries [three], carries [95], tackles [97], and lineouts [12]; the Black Ferns loose forward elaborated on the idea.

“It’s how we come together and unite, play what’s in front of us. If we make a mistake, we move onto the next job after that,” Mikaele-Tu’u explained to RugbyPass.

“Tap move all day,” she responded swiftly when asked if half-back Tara Turner should have singled to shoot for the handy penalty kick instead of boldly tapping when scores were tied 21-21 in the last minute of the final against Matatu at Te Kaha/One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch.

The high-risk move could have backfired spectacularly. Instead, Katelyn Vahaakolo charged over for the glorious Championship-winning try.

“I feel like the try came from all the middles working hard,” Vahaakolo said. “All I had to do was finish. I’m so proud of our team. Man, that was an 80-minute game. We won.”

Vahaakolo is the leading try scorer in Aupiki history with 19 tries in 25 matches. The Black Ferns winger has played in 17 of the Blues’ 20 victories.

The New South Wales Waratahs are used to victories, winning Super Rugby Women’s for a third consecutive year in Australia when they powered past Fijian Dura 34-17 last Saturday in Ba.

Despite two late tries from Nunia Daunimoala, the visitors held a commanding 24-0 lead after 50 minutes. Second five-eighth Rosie Ferguson scored a stunning 25-metre solo try. Substitute Amelia Whittaker made a strong impact from the bench with two tries.

This Saturday at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney, the Waratahs host the Blues in the second Super Rugby Champions final. In the inaugural fixture at North Harbour Stadium on April 17, 2025, the Blues overwhelmed the tourists 36-5.

The Blues carried 187 times for 1139 metres. The Waratahs gained only 363 metres with 77 carries. Dazzling fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee scored two tries, but the forwards’ effort stood out. Openside Taufa Bason was immense. No.8 Elizabeth Moimoi celebrated her first Blues try, and prop Chryss Viliko and lock Maama Vaipulu marked their milestone 20th matches with style.

For the Warathas, centre Georgia Friedrichs snatched two turnovers and defended staunchly. Openside and captain Emily Chancellor was similarly resolute, with tighthead prop Falika Pohiva applying some jolting shots. Their solitary try was scored by winger Desiree Miller, scorer of three in their 43-20 win over the Reds in the 2025 Super Rugby Women’s final.

Similar to the Blues, who lost consecutive matches for the first time since 2023 and rallied to win their last three matches to take the Aupiki title, the Waratahs gained a lot of momentum in their campaign.

They finished third in the regular season with a two-win, two-loss record but upset the Western Force 33-22 in the semi-finals in Perth, with Sevens superstar Tia Hinds scoring two tries. In 2024 and 2025, the Waratahs won 12 of 13 matches. There were 14 Waratahs players named in the Wallaroos for the Pacific Four Series in April.

Up front, proven international performers like Leilani Nathan, Kaitlan Leaney [vice-captain], Chancellor [captain], and Piper Duck will face the Blues a second time. Faliki Pohiva is a 19-year-old whose stock is rising.

Miller, the leading points scorer in Super Rugby Women’s with 68 points in six matches, is the biggest absence in the backline. She suffered a calf injury in the final. Still, the Waratahs can draw upon 2024 Wallaroos Player of the Year Maya Stewart, Hinds, and Caitlyn Halse, the youngest male or female to represent New South Wales, to challenge the Blues.

The Blues’ biggest loss from their final is two-try hero Atlanta Lolohea. Her replacement is former Black Fern hooker Grace Gago. Veteran lock Eloise Blackwell is given a start, as are Taufa Bason and two-time Black Ferns Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Hazel Tubic at 10. Jaymie Kolose is nursing an ankle injury, which means Vahaakolo is promoted from the bench and Counties Sariyah Paitai occupies the right wing.

On the bench, Danny-Elle Fesolai has featured in six Aupiki games; Counties prop Harono Te Iringa has been impactful; and Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant and Mererangi Paul provide an invaluable safeguard.

Blues captain Maia Roos: “There was a lot of joy last Saturday but there is another task at hand. They’re three-peat champions as well. Rugby in Australia is growing, and there’s more depth. They’ve got quality backs and hearty forwards. We expect a big challenge.

Blues coach Willie Walker: “This is a totally different group from last year and the year before. We had to get things right along the way to get to a championship game. I’m proud of the way our young ladies trended in the right direction. It’s humbling to be part of it.”