The Blues efficiently defended the Tremendous Rugby Aupiki title by profitable extra video games and scoring extra factors and tries than any aspect.
The Blues gained an exciting closing at Eden Park towards Matatu 26-19. It took some sensible particular person moments from the Blues to prevail towards a extremely organised, dogged Southern opposition. However which particular person gamers prevailed from their performances this season?
Listed here are 15 gamers who stood out of their place throughout the season:
15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee (Blues) – Poached the intercept which gained the Blues the ultimate, aiding two line breaks and a try-saving sort out to her heroic exploits. Ranked inside the highest ten of Aupiki for tries and clear breaks, topping the metres gained depend with 557.
The 18-year-old from Auckland Women’ Grammar Faculty helped Auckland win the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) Premiership in 2022. She boldly advised LockerRoom she needs to be a triple worldwide in rugby union, rugby league, and sevens. Who would guess towards her on the proof of Aupiki?
14. Winnie Palamo (Matatu) – Was named Canterbury’s Most Promising participant after a stellar FPC season, scoring eight tries in six video games. Palamo carried on that momentum in Aupiki with 5 tries, together with the primary within the closing. Versatile, courageous and quick, Palamo ranked second for metres gained, third in clear breaks and ninth in offloads.
Chiefs Manawa and Black Ferns winger Ruby Tui completed Aupiki because the main strive scorer and was wonderful all through the season.
13. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (Blues) -Within the twilight of her incomparable profession, Woodman-Wickliffe was superior, rating within the high ten for tries (5), factors (25), carries (73), clear breaks (9), and metres gained (495).
With 46 defenders crushed, she ranked a dozen forward of the subsequent finest participant, Matatu’s equally excellent Amy de Plessis. Just a few of these would-be tacklers had been solid apart when Woodman-Wickliffe scored a strive near fulltime to assist the Blues beat Chiefs Manawa 24-22 in spherical two at Eden Park.
The Blues had three yellow playing cards in that sport and solely led after that second; it’s a giant motive why they had been within the closing, the place Woodman-Wickliffe thrived, scoring a attempt to snatching the intercept which lastly sunk Matatu’s stoic problem. Will we see Woodman-Wickliffe within the Farah Palmer Cup? Possibly even the Rugby World Cup?
12. Ruahei Demant (Blues) – Performed each minute of the season and ranked inside the highest ten for tries, factors, clear breaks, and offloads. Demant was near the perfect participant within the closing, scoring the Blues’ first strive when the hosts had been down 12-0 and making a strive with a freakish offload to Woodman-Wickliffe – a rating from which the Blues took a lead they by no means relinquished. Confirmed a cool head within the dying levels with some clever tactical kicking to alleviate stress.
11. Ayesha Leti-I’iga (Hurricanes Poua) – It was a dire season for the Poua, failing to win a single sport, however that didn’t stop Leti-I’iga from being damaging when the change arose. She ranked inside the highest ten for metres gained (365), defenders crushed (25), and offloads (9). Her strive in a 24-43 defeat by Matatu was electrical. Remarkably, Leti-I’iga performed for her beloved membership, Oriental Rongotai, per week after the Hurricanes’ Aupiki season ended. She scored 4 tries to take her tally to an astonishing 198 tries in 84 video games.
10. Hannah King (Matatu) – Confirmed rising indicators of authority with a usually constant season, ending the highest factors scorer with 51. Her show in Matatu’s 37-29 win over the Blues on March 29 was particularly stable. It stays to be seen if the Black Ferns retain King at first 5 or swap Demant again to 10, the place she performed within the 2022 Rugby World Cup triumph.
9. Maia Joseph (Matatu) – Matatu threw the kitchen sink on the Blues, who refused to crack within the closing. Would Joseph, who left the sphere injured after half an hour, have made a distinction? Her substitute, Kelsyn McCook, merely distributed. Joseph has extra layers to her sport than that along with her standout efficiency in Matatu’s win towards the Blues. She delivered the final move in three out of Matatu’s 5 tries.
Risi Pouri-Lane has declared her availability for the Rugby World Cup. Halfback appears her most reasonable place. Will the Black Ferns Sevens gun usurp the 22-year-old?
8. Kapio Olsen-Baker (Matatu) – A mammoth season from the 2024 Black Ferns Participant of the 12 months rating within the high ten for carries (92), metres gained (393), offloads (9), and tackles (104). When Matat? misplaced momentum within the closing towards the Blues, it was Olsen-Baker who triggered a comeback with a attempt to immense carries.
Blues quantity eight Liana Mikaele-Tu’u completed the season as the highest tackler with 116 and ranked inside the highest ten for carries.
7. Kennedy Tukuafu – (Chiefs Manawa) – Chiefs Manawa didn’t make the ultimate for the primary time of their historical past, however that was no fault of Kennedy Tukuafu. The skipper was sometimes inspirational, rating inside the highest ten for tackles (91), carries (80), and offloads (11). In Manawa’s close to victory over the Blues in Spherical Two, she was arguably the perfect participant on the sphere with an enormous efficiency.
Blues openside Taufa Bason is one to look at. The 18-year-old performed a gritty closing and scored two spectacular tries within the March 29 Matatu match and one other one in a 49-26 win towards the Hurricanes per week later.
6. Alana Bremner (Matatu) – The Matatu captain was industrious and ranked inside the highest ten for tackles and lineout catches. Matatu beat each aspect in 2025 in contrast with 4 successive losses to begin 2024. Bremner was at her easiest within the 31-25 comeback win towards Chiefs Manawa within the opening spherical.
5. Maama Vaipulu (Blues) – Athletic and uncompromising, Vaipulu was a mannequin of consistency, rating inside the highest ten for lineout catches, tackles, and carries. Together with her youth and explosiveness, she’s prone to be a long-term Black Fern.
4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos (Blues) – Has performed each minute in Blues historical past, main her aspect to 2 championships and 12 wins of their final 14 video games. The Blues had been final in 2023. Ross is an inspirational skipper with an infinite work fee and a giant smile.
Her late turnover within the closing, holding up Pip Love, was important. Ranked within the high ten for carries (73) and tackles (103). Will Roos, a scarcely plausible 23, turn into the primary Black Fern to play 100 Checks? She already has 29 and is exhibiting no indicators of stopping.
3. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu Chiefs Manawa) – Following a breakout FPC for Premiership winners Waikato, Mahutariki-Fakalelu carried on the momentum in Aupiki with a barnstorming marketing campaign. She ranked within the high ten for carries and offloads. The Chiefs scrum was sturdy with Mahutariki-Fakalelu anchoring the tighthead aspect. Mahutariki-Fakalelu ought to go near Black Ferns choice.
2. Georgia Ponsonby (Matatu) – Matatu’s lineout was an actual weapon with an accuracy fee of over 80 per cent, a robust maul, and loads of attacking variations. Ponsonby was productive across the discipline, too. She ranked tenth in tackles with 89 and carried a median of eight occasions a sport.
1. Chryss Viliko (Blues) – The Blues had been statistically essentially the most dominant scrummaging crew, with Viliko enjoying six of a attainable seven matches. Her strive within the closing was a showcase of brute power. Viliko has the potential to be a dangerous, world-class prop.
