'You’ve set the precedent': Matatu begin Super Rugby Aupiki season with record crowd

Matatu kicked off the new Super Rugby Aupiki season with a record attendance for a standalone domestic women’s rugby fixture on Saturday.

Ahead of the fixture, the Christchurch team confirmed that 10,000 tickets had been sold for the 2026 season opener at One New Zealand Stadium.

This was more than double the record set in 2024 when the Blues hosted Chiefs Manawa at Eden Park when 4,800 supporters made their way to the venue.

By the time Matatu’s game against the Chiefs Manawa got underway there were 11,793 supporters surrounding the field.

In April, the brand new, state-of-the-art One New Zealand Stadium hosted Super Rugby Pacific’s Super Round, when five fixtures were played over ANZAC weekend.

The record crowd were treated to a 52-26 bonus point win as Blair Baxter’s tenure has head coach, after Whitney Hansen’s departure for the Black Ferns job, got underway with a bang.

New Zealand internationals Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Maia Joseph, Amy du Plessis and Laura Bayfield were all try-scorers in Christchurch.

“I cannot express how thankful I am to you guys,” Matatu captain Grace Brooker told the crowd at full-time on Sky TV. “It’s so good. I don’t know if you understand what you’ve actually done here today, you’ve set the precedent for the rest of the competition, for the rest of Aotearoa.

“You’ve made us feel seen, you’ve made us feel heard, and we appreciate you so, so much.”

Elsewhere in Super Rugby Aupiki, the Blues were 42-7 winners against the Hurricanes Poua at Eden Park in Auckland.

The Blues were big winners despite a Ma’ama Vaipulu red card in the 38th minute after the 10-cap Black Fern was involved in an altercation with fellow second row Brianna Wallace.

After the TMO deemed that the indiscretion warranted a 20-minute red card, referee Erin Doherty brandished a red card the way of Vaipulu.

World Rugby Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year, Braxton Sorensen-McGee, scored the game’s opening try and six conversions as the Blues won big to start their title defence.