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Super Rugby Aupiki Form XV - players who stood out in 2024
Super Rugby Aupki concluded in almost surreal circumstances at Eden Park on Saturday. Amid a storm, the Blues rallied from an improbable 18-5 deficit to foil a resolute Manawa 24-18.
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The quality and competitiveness of rugby has lifted significantly from 2023. Who makes a Form XV in 2024?
15. Patricia Maliepo (Blues) – Unhampered by the foot injury that ruined much of her 2023, Maliepo flourished on attack ranking sixth in carries (66), fifth in metres gained (364), and second in offloads (nine). It was her defence in the final that wrote headlines. She saved a certain try with a desperate jersey pull on Reese Anderson. With the championship on the line, Maliepo chased a long kick to smash Chelsea Semple to set the stage for the Blues winning thrust.
14. Katelyn Vahaakolo (Blues) – With eight tries in six matches, including two in the final, Vahaakolo finished Aupiki as the leading try scorer. Vahaakolo scored a breathtaking hat-trick against Poua in Round 3 and her try from halfway against Matatu happened against the run of play. She gained the most metres running (701) and tied for most defenders beaten (41) and clean breaks (16). Eight offloads proved she could be selfless too.
13. Amy du Plessis (Matatu) – The incumbent Black Ferns centre was consistently good as Matatu often created enough chances to win games but couldn’t capitalise until the last two games: Du Plessis scored a crucial try in the 22-20 over Chiefs Manawa and ranked in the top ten after the round-robin for du Plessis meters run, defenders, beaten, offloads and clean breaks.
12. Grace Steinmetz (Chiefs Manawa) – The decision to move from wing to midfield proved to be a masterstroke. Steinmetz ranked inside the top ten for carries (69), defenders beaten (29) and metres gained (313). Steinmetz scored tries in the victories against Poua (46-24) and the Blues (17-10) and started the final with a searing break and skip-pass that helped create the first try. Her defence was secure.
11. Ruby Tui (Chiefs Manawa) – A brilliant, fearless, charismatic player who reinforced the reasons why she’s the most popular female player in the country. Scored four cracking tries and ranked inside the top five for meters gained (465), clean breaks (16), and defenders beaten (22). Stayed behind for an hour after the final taking selfies and giving away autographed merchandise.
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10. Krysten Cottrell (Blues) – The top points scorer with 49 scored individual tries at crucial times in both narrow victories against Matatu and nailed a clutch sideline conversion against Manawa in the final. Composed and astute, Cottrell was the glue that held the Blues backline together. She’s often targeted on defense and made 17 tackles in the opening-round win against Matat?.
9. Kahlia Awa (Blues) – Mostly used from the bench the 19-year-old was inspirational in the Blues final win sparking the comeback from 18-5 down. She scored a try and then supplied a long pass to Vahaakolo for her second try. Energetic cameos were a feature of her campaign. In the second half of round three against the Poua, the Blues scored 47 points. A round earlier she was denied a late try which could have tied the scores. A star in the making? The maturity of her display in the final was the stuff of legend. The former netballer was a Ross Sheild representative in Napier /Hastings.
8. Layla Sae (Hurricanes Poua) – The Poua was last, but the form of Layla Sae was sensational. In her last match against the Blues, she made 21 tackles and scored a try. A week earlier, with Poua 22-0 down against Matatu, Sae sprinted 45 metres off the back of a scrum for a try and almost did it again with another gut-busting burst. In the round-robin, she beat the most defenders with 41 and ranked second most tackles (84).
7. Kennedy Simon (Chiefs Manawa) – The Black Ferns co-captain was the top tackler with 92. Simon won turnovers, ran strongly to score three tries, supplied seven offloads, and provided wise and mature leadership.
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6. Maia Roos (Blues) – The Blues captain ranked just behind Kennedy Simon with 88 tackles. She was a force with her carries; reliable, and disruptive in the lineout. Her intensity is unwavering and her wide smile infectious.
5. Maama Vaipulu (Blues) – A breakout campaign for the athletic and abrasive lock. Vaipulu ranked first for lineouts (28), second for carries (71), and fifth for tackles (82). Looks like a dead-cert Black Fern.
4. Alana Bremner (Matatu) – The Matatu captain played across the middle and back row and proved a trojan on defence topping the tackle count after the round robin with 85, and proved reliable in the lineout with 17 wins, the third highest in Aupiki. After four consecutive defeats, Bremner insisted Matatu was untied and their two wins against Poua (37-17) and Manawa (22-20) vindicated that sentiment.
3. Aldora Itunu (Blues) – The 2017 Rugby World Cup-winning Black Fern returned from maternity leave in menacing form. She scored three tries, scrummaged powerfully, and made bruising tackles. Tanya Kalounivale played a massive final for Manawa, but the experience of Itunu complimented the relative youth of Chryss Viliko.
2. Luka Connor (Chiefs) – Holds the Aupiki record with 16 tries in 14 matches, an expert at the back of the rolling maul. Bustling and precise, the Chiefs lineout won 80% of its possession.
1. Chryss Vilko (Blues) – A bully with the ball in hand, her 69 carries were the most by a prop in Aupiki. The most impressive thing about Viliko is her engine. She was still on the field when the Blues scrum overpowered Manawa in their late surge to the title.
Honourable Mentions: Sylvia Brunt (Blues), Grace Gago (Blues), Niall Williams-Guthrie (Blues), Ruahei Demant (Blues), Tafito Lafaele (Blues), Charmaine Smith (Chiefs Manawa), Mia Anderson (Chiefs Manawa), Grace Kautai (Chiefs Manawa), Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu (Chiefs Manawa), Kate Henwood (Chiefs Manawa), Kaipo Olsen-Baker (Matatu), Grace Brooker (Matatu), Laura Bayfield (Matatu), Georgia Ponsonby (Matatu), Elinor-Plum King (Hurricanes Poua), Monica Tagoai (Hurricanes Poua), Iritana Hohaia (Hurricanes Poua).
Comments on RugbyPass
Poetic justice for trying to sell him to Australia as another kiwi saviour coach, not ! Deans was just as bad actually but McCaw and Carter covered up for him. That’s why they didn’t want him as All Black coach, even after Graeme Henry’s bumbling effort in 2007.
2 Go to commentsSACK HIM !
2 Go to commentsSafas are so triggered by Ireland. 3 consecutive losses, incl RWC. 8 losses out of last 12 Tests. Always excuses, of course, with Bok fans. Now Rassie with his “88%” nonsense, the Claytons Excuse is an embarrassment to Bok teams of the past when every test mattered. Their fickle mojo will be on edge for the Ireland tour. Have the referees been appointed yet ? They will need security. Have WR laid out strict guidelines for TMO’s and replays on the stadium screens ? Will the constant stoppages from Bok forwards for cramps and bootlaces be tolerated ? We’re not talking a dominant Springbok team here, they won the LOTTO Cup and they know it whether they admit it or not. The Disney doco has their fans positively fermenting internally, its going to be a nasty hangover if they get beaten on home soil. What will the excuses be then……
85 Go to commentsGreat role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
85 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
85 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
85 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
85 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
85 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
85 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
85 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
85 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
85 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
85 Go to comments