The Blues Women's team (known as the
nib Blues Women for sponsorship reasons) is a New Zealand professional women's
rugby union team based in
Auckland,
New Zealand that competes in the
Super Rugby Aupiki competition.
History
Historic clash
On 1 May 2021, the Blues and
Chiefs women's teams created history when they played in the first-ever women's
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
match in New Zealand. The Blues hosted the Chiefs women at
Eden Park
Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...
in a double header before the
Super Rugby Aotearoa
Super Rugby Aotearoa currently named the Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa for sponsorship purposes is a professional men's rugby union national club competition in New Zealand. Originally created to supplement the 2020 Super Rugby season, which was sus ...
round 10 match between their men's teams.
It was to be a one-off match in 2021, but both franchises expressed their commitment to developing a Super Rugby team for women in the future.
The teams played for the 'Waipuea Women's Rugby Taonga' trophy. The name was derived from the words ''Wai'' (for Waikato, Waitemata water, river and sea) and ''Puea'' (for winds that carry korero – a conversation or meeting – over land, mountains and sea).
Eloise Blackwell
Eloise Blackwell (born 28 December 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player. She was a member of New Zealand's squad at the 2014 Rugby World Cup, and was also a part of their champion 2017 side. She also plays for the Blues Women in the Super ...
, who was named the Blues captain for the historic match, unveiled the trophy with captain
Patrick Tuipulotu
Patrick Tito Tuipulotu (born 23 January 1993) is a New Zealand rugby union player who is currently a lock for the Blues in Super Rugby and in the Mitre 10 Cup. Tuipulotu is the Blues' current captain and has previously captained Auckland in 201 ...
on the
Sky Tower.
Willie Walker was appointed to coach the Blues Women's team and named the match day squad on 29 April 2021.
The Blues women lost the historic match 12–39.
Super Rugby Aupiki announced
New Zealand Rugby announced on 6 October 2021, that an elite women's competition called Super Rugby Aupiki was confirmed for March 2022.
The competition would run for four weeks and the women would be paid for their participation.
Inaugural squad and Coach named
The Blues women released a list of player signings along with the other three teams in November 2021. Willie Walker was named as Head Coach, and his assistant coaches were
Mel Bosman and James Semple.
Inaugural season
The Blues Women's opening match was cancelled due to Hurricanes Poua forced withdrawal due to
COVID
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
cases and isolation requirements within their squad. The Blues and Hurricanes Poua shared the competition points with the match being called a draw. The Blues finally made their long-awaited Super Rugby Aupiki debut against
Matatū
Matatū is a New Zealand women's professional rugby union team that competes in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition. Matatū represents the South Island, specifically the regions covered by the Crusaders and the Highlanders. They are governed ...
, they ran in three tries in their 21–10 victory. The Blues final match was against the
Chiefs Manawa, the two sides having last met in the historic clash the year before. The Blues were left scoreless as the Chiefs showed their dominance in the 35–0 outcome.
Current squad
On 21 November 2022, the squad for the
2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season
The 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season was the second season of Super Rugby Aupiki (known as Sky Super Rugby Aupiki for sponsorship reasons), a professional women's rugby union club competition organised by New Zealand Rugby. The competition ran from 2 ...
was announced. They also had the largest amount of growth with the signing of 12 rookies.
Current coaches and management
Blues named their coaching group for the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki.
* Head Coach: Willie Walker
* Assistant Coach:
Melodie Bosman
* Assistant Coach: James Semple
* Manager: Dean Watkins
* Physio: Georgia Milne
* Campaign Coordinator: Stacey Addenbrooke
Captain
Coach
Notes:
References
External links
Official website
{{Blues women's squad
2021 establishments in New Zealand
Super Rugby Aupiki
Rugby union teams in New Zealand
Rugby clubs established in 2021
Sport in Auckland