Super Rugby Aupiki: Talking points as Blues and Matatu set up showpiece finale

Three teams finished with four wins each in the Super Rugby Aupuki 2026 regular season, but Matatu will host the Blues in the final after securing a bonus point in a thrilling 38-29 last-round loss.

The Hurricanes Poua beat Chiefs Manawa 47-33, but the defending champion Blues edged a place in the decider.

The last two rounds saw the Poua become the form team and the Blues rediscover their groove. The final of Super Rugby Aupiki will be held next Saturday afternoon at Te Kaha/One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch.

Can Matatu handle the pressure?

While Matatu won their first four matches, doubts have arisen in the last fortnight about whether they can close out their first title since 2023.

Twice at home they’ve dropped winnable games against Hurricanes Poua and the Blues. Against Poua, Matatu blew a 19-0 lead after 23 minutes and were completely outplayed in the last hour to lose 33-31.

Matatu dominated possession and territory for long periods in their Saturday 38-29 loss to the Blues but again lacked the killer instinct. Binky Muamua made a clean break that went unconverted. Captain Grace Brooker knocked on over the try line. Amarante Sititi plucked a vital intercept in the first half when the Blues were stretched.

In the 66th minute, with the Blues only ahead 26-24, they elected to move the ball wide from a scrum five metres from their own line rather than clear conventionally.

World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Braxton Sorensen-McGee sailed towards halfway before linking with Katelyn Vahaakolo, who breezed past the final defender to score her Aupiki-record 17th try after coming off the bench.

It was a breathless moment of cold ruthlessness from a Blues team that can strike from anywhere.

Even when Matatu beat the Blues 27-21 in round three, they were up 17-0. It was a similar story against Poua a week earlier, with a 12-0 lead ending in a gritty 18-15 win.

Matatu have scored the second most tries and have the competition’s best player, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, who’s scored a try in every match and was the first to make 100 tackles. However, they rank last in clean breaks, suggesting they have to work harder than others to score points. The gap between Matatu’s best and worst is anxiously wide.

Blues superstars stand up when it counts

The Blues 27-21 loss to Matatu was a contest in which momentum swung wildly. A week later against Poua, the Blues produced their worst display since losing the 2022 final against Chiefs Manawa 35-0.

Discipline was poor, with Renee Holmes kicking 20 points. Goal-kicking was even worse, with all six shots at goal missed.

In a round five 42-26 win against Chiefs Manawa, the Blues went back to basics, an abrasive and direct approach proving too much for the winless cellar dwellers to handle.

The return of Black Ferns lock Maama Vaipulu from a three-week suspension added a harder edge to the Blues pack, Amarante Sititi enhanced her growing reputation and Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant was on point tactically and kicked all six conversions.

Against Matatu, magic from Braxton Sorenson-McGee and substitutions Tafua Bason and Katelyn Vahaakolo stunned their hosts.

While not at their best, the Blues, when they hit top stride, are unstoppable. They have scored the most tries and joined Chiefs Manawa as the only team to make three consecutive finals.

Hurricanes Poua set competition alight

The Hurricanes Poua entered 2026 with the weakest roster on paper, a new coaching staff, and what, to outsiders looking in, seemed like a hopeful motto: change the narrative.

With a record four consecutive wins after 12 straight losses, Poua more than achieved their brief.

The set piece, which was laughable in the first two games, produced a match-winning tighthead scrum against Matatu in Timaru and then resulted in two tries in a 47-33 win over Chiefs Manawa. Additionally, the lineout became a genuine strike weapon with rolling mauls and attack from clean possession off the top.

Coaches Hayden Triggs, Emma Jensen and Mel Bosman transformed a pack of relative no-names like Sam Taylor, Anahera Hamahona, Neve Anglesey, and Brianna Wallace into a formidable unit, while former Black Ferns prop Angel Mulu discovered a new lease of life.

Black Ferns halfback Iritana Hohaia and Renee Holmes, who kicked 24 of her last 27 kicks at goal, formed a groundbreaking half-back partnership. Centre Hinemaringi Scott and winger Wikitoria Viljoen [five tries in five games] are players who you’ll likely hear more about.

Holmes, Aukipi’s leading points scorer, described the Poua experience as one of the best of her life. She was part of the 2022 Rugby World Cup-winning Black Ferns coached by the “Professor” Sir Wayne Smith, who said; “In the women’s game, you have to feel good to play well. When you’re in the All Blacks you have to play well to feel good.”

The joy with which the Poua have expressed themselves aligns with that philosophy. It helps that they’ve enjoyed a centralised base at the high-performance hubs NZCIS and Maidstone Park.

Chiefs Manawa collapse

In the first five seasons of their existence, Chiefs Manawa had never suffered a losing record. With Black Ferns Ruby Tui, Kelly Brazier [assistant coach], Awhina Tangen-Wainohu [retired], Tayana Kalounivale [Super Rugby Women’s], and Luka Connor, record try scorer with 17 in 15 games, all departed, Manawa faced a tough rebuilding exercise with 13 potential debutants in their original squad.

When they lost Black Ferns tighthead Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu, and even Mia Anderson, the leading carrier, for the last game, issues of leadership and depth compounded.

Manawa’s set piece became weaker and was woeful against Poua. First-Five was a revolving door, and their defence was the weakest in the competition.

At least evergreen loose forward Chyna Hohepa was a model of consistency, and Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a was a real success story. After the round robin, she ranked third in tries [five], fifth in points [25], ninth in carries [55], third in clean breaks [nine], first in defenders beaten [28], metres gained [626], and offloads [12].