A landmark four-team women’s rugby competition, Super Rugby Aupiki, has been confirmed for four weekends in March next year.
The inaugural women’s competition will feature teams from the Chiefs, Blues, Hurricanes and a combined South Island side from the Crusaders and Highlanders regions.
“I’m all for it,” Izzy Dagg told SENZ Breakfast.
“Our women’s rugby talent at the moment is freakish. It’s going to be a great comp.
“(It's) innovative from NZ Rugby, hats off to them. Embrace it, get behind it and hopefully companies out there will support it too.
“Commercially, this is a no-brainer.”
The teams are being led by some blue chip rugby coaches.
Olympic Gold Medal winning coach Alan Bunting has signed as the Chiefs' head coach.
Willie Walker, coach of the Auckland Storm in the Farah Palmer Cup comp and who guided the Blues in their historic women’s game against the Chiefs this year, will take the Blues' reins for the inaugural season.
The Hurricanes have appointed Wesley Clarke as head coach for the Hurricanes Women’s Super Rugby squad. Clarke has been a successful and widely respected coach of the Black Ferns since 2015.
And for the launch of the new South Island Women’s rugby team, Blair Baxter has been appointed head coach of the newly-established side. Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge says Baxter, who is the current head coach of Canterbury’s Farah Palmer Cup team, was a standout candidate.
The country’s leading women’s players will set the rugby landscape alight in 2022 with the inaugural season of Super Rugby Aupiki.
The name reflects on the competition being a crucial stepping stone between the Farah Palmer Cup and the Black Ferns, with Aupiki translating to ‘the ascent to the upper most realm.’
Super Rugby Aupiki is a three-round competition which will culminate in a final between the top two sides on March 26th 2022. It will be an annual competition for a minimum of two years to kick it off.