Follow the action as Chiefs Manawa and Hurricanes Poua kick the season off.
Season talking points
Chiefs Manawa: No team recruited better for the 2024 season than Chiefs Manawa. They signed some of Matatū's biggest names, Renee Holmes and Grace Steinmetz, while Chelsea Semple returns from maternity leave. But their most notable signing comes in the form of Black Fern Ruby Tui, who returns to the New Zealand competition after skipping the 2023 season to play sevens in America. Alongside the big names, the Chiefs have an impressive amount of depth and, after making the final in Aupiki’s first two seasons, they are very much favourites to do it again.
Hurricanes Poua: After being runners-up in Aupiki year one, Poua dropped to last in 2023. The goal for this extended season is surely not to repeat recent history but that task will be tough with their current roster. The most experienced player in the squad is Joanah Ngan-Woo, who is remembered for her power-play that won the Rugby World Cup two years ago. Since then she’s dropped out of the Black Ferns squad, leaving only Layla Sae and Iritana Hohaia as Wellington’s representatives. Poua pride themselves on their physicality but, in a game that’s evolving in many aspects, will it be enough?
