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Taylor Curtis on the most exciting weekend in women's domestic rugby history
On the eve of the semi-finals (and an equally exciting relegation game) Canterbury player Taylor Curtis looks forward to perhaps the most exciting weekend in women’s domestic rugby history.
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This season has almost certainly been the most jaw-dropping Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) competition so far. And it’s a reflection on New Zealand’s rapid interest in women’s rugby. It’s no kept secret that women’s rugby had grown dramatically in the last 18 months on the back of the Black Ferns’ fourth World Cup success and their now semi-professional contracted environment. It’s stirred a hunger and set a burning flame within the FPC competition. Since then the flame has been fueled by player’s oxygen, taking it from their lungs to fuel this burning desire and as the end of the season approaches it’s really starting to flare – no matter what end of the table, you’re now playing for survival.
Bay of Plenty’s tremendous round robin victory over the Auckland Storm, on Auckland’s hallowed turf can’t go unmentioned in the build up to the relegation game. Auckland have an aura about them and their home soil is where the eye of their storm is held, they usually crush teams with that. This time the Bay brought something of their own, a different kind of radiance, one that saw light appear through the darkest cloud. Although this was during week five of the competition this was the moment that signalled Auckland’s fate.
On paper the odds were stacked against the Bay: they were facing a strong tight five and some nippy outside backs, not to mention their own place at the bottom of the table. They were the pinnacle of underdogs.
But the Bay of Plenty took every little chance they could. Securing points outside and producing the best rugby possible, it was as if every moment won was a small victory in itself. Every try, every break and every turnover was a win, regardless of the score, as they really had nothing to lose. With that sort of mentality, you can see why they came away with the win.
The Bay are facing Auckland again this weekend in a bottom of the table clash as exciting as the finals, and a signal of the height the mighty Auckland empire has fallen. The excitement comes from the pride on the line, with a new rule relegating the loser to the Championship tier, while the winner stays in the Premiership.
At the other end of the table, Canterbury have shown nothing but pure class on the park all season, executing passes, plays and phases to help secure their spot on top of the Premiership (I may be bias but the 5-1 record speaks for itself). They made history once again last week defeating Auckland for just the second time since 2009. This team is about playing classy rugby very much like the Canterbury boys and are writing their own history to live alongside the men’s legendary record.
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The victory over Auckland locked the JJ Stewart Trophy (the equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield) away for another year. It also secured the red and blacks a home semi against Manawatu, which will make for an exciting game between two fit and capable teams. A sudden death match brings a lot of weight and intensity. It’s not just another game, it’s a chance to claim 2018 as your year and is a step closer to putting your name on the cup.
The other semi will be equally as good – Waikato taking on Counties Manukau Heat. These are two teams that play different styles of rugby, you’ve got a strong Counties forward pack and Waikato full of pace. Counties have experience playing under pressure from the finals last year, but they’ve been exposed this year as beatable. Waikato will bring their own style of game and the burning flame along with them. It’ll be interesting to see which of these styles prevails on the day and walks away with the win and into the final.
For some players Black Fern selection hovers over them and this could be their last chance to show coaches what they’ve got – some added tension for this weekend for all teams. Once again what’s rugby without a bit of semi-final pressure.
The six week round robin has shown there will be no shortage of big hits, skill and passion this weekend. National selection won’t be what drives players it will be that flame that’s roared through the competition already, this time burning for a place in the final and a chance to make 2018 their year.
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In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Beaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
2 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
2 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
10 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
10 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
14 Go to comments