Waikato earned a spot in a fifth final, starting authoritatively and holding their nerve late in the second half to foil a brave Auckland 36-29.
The hosts completely dominated the first 46 minutes, powering to a 30-7 lead. Waikato hooker Grace Houpapa-Barrett scored two tries to pass Stacey Waaka as Waikato’s all-time leading female try scorer. Houpapa-Barrett has 33 tries in 58 games. Waaka scored 31 tries in 26 games.
Waikato’s momentum was largely established through its forwards with Chiefs Manawa and Hamilton Old Boys’ lock Leata Puni Lio, who has won 19 of her 22 games for Waikato, playing a blinder, while veterans Chyna Hohepa and Leomie Kloppers were typically industrious.
Winger Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a was named in the New Zealand Under-20 development squad this week and scored a try, but unusually, Black Ferns XV fullback Kaea Nepia’s goal-kicking radar was off, missing four out of five attempted conversions.
Auckland halfback Emacyn Ieremia sparked the Storm’s resurgence. In the 38th minute, she burst 25 metres through a hole in a ruck for a try. A dozen minutes later, she rifled a pass to winger Presayus Singh that commenced a shift in momentum.
Auckland’s forwards, at last, won a decent supply of possession, and with openside flanker Taufa Bason (16 tackles, 101 metres gained) and second five-eighths Hollyrae Mete-Renata running rampant, the gap suddenly closed to 30-24.
First-five Ariana Bayler steadied Waikato’s ship with a 66th-minute penalty, but when replacement prop Glory Aiono Samuelu clattered through the local defence, stormed 40 metres and threw a cut-out pass that would have made Bruce Robertson smile, to Karla Wright-Akeli, it was 33-29.
Waikato summoned the experience of their title triumph last year to lock possession in quarantine. Auckland was stymied and conceded another penalty, which Bayler kicked to set up a rematch of the 2024 decider with Canterbury.
Canterbury beat Waikato 8-7 in the 2020 final, with Waikato winning the 2021 and 2024 deciders 22-20 and 27-25, respectively.
Waikato: 36 (Leata Puni Lio, Grace Houpapa-Barrett 2, Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a, Keelah Bodle tries; Kaea Nepia pen con, Ariana Bayler 2 pen) Auckland: 29 (Emacyn Ieremia, Presayus Singh, Amarante Sititi, Hollyrae Mete-Renata, Karla Wright-Akeli tries; Ieremia 2 cons) HT: 20-7
Canterbury had beaten Manawatū 44-5 when these teams had met in the opening round in Christchurch, but few would have expected a similar scoreline here with next week’s Premiership final spot on the line.
Coming off their bye, Manawatū were fresh and motivated and when scores were locked up at 22-22 early in the second half this was anyone’s game.
However, Canterbury has been in the past eight finals and won five of them, so they know what it takes in these high-pressure situations. The semi-final tightened up at that point, and the home side was able to shore up their defence, scoring a further three tries to pull clear.
They re-took the lead after 60 minutes through a try to fullback Winnie Palamo, then extended in the 66th minute through left wing Lialanie Muamua – both scored in the grandstand corner. Their win was sealed five minutes from fulltime with fullback Palamohanding off to try-scorer Neve Anglesey.
Taken on its own, the first half was a thriller. The home side had made the perfect start with three tries in 15 minutes to take a 17-0 lead; Manawatū then pegged these back to be level at 17-17 at halftime.
Canterbury started with a try scored by openside flanker Lucy Jenkins in the fourth minute. Their tight forwards rolled them into the 22 from a lineout win and their backs went to work and created a try to Jenkins in the far corner with a lovely skip-out pass by first-five Rosie Buchanan-Brown.
Canterbury had two tries inside 10 minutes with more clinical teamwork and support play. Loosehead prop Marcelle Parkes made an initial bust straight up the middle into the 22 and several phases later wing Lialanie Muamua crossed. They then had a third with another break up the grandstand touchline and the other wing Louise Blyde flew in.
The visitors’ forwards replied with a close-quarter try, scored by prop Ngano Tavake. There was no further scoring for 15 minutes before Manawatū scored an outstanding try from a scrum that was set on the far side and scored in the near side corner by right wing Kaia Walker-Waitoa.
Now in referees’ time at the end of the first half, the Cyclones stretched Canterbury on both sides of the field, before left wing Wikitoria Doyle crossed.
The hot scoring resumed immediately after halftime, with more rampant Canterbury attacking play leading to a try on the right edge to fullback Winnie Palamo.
Not to be outdone, Manawatū struck back with another try to blindside Anahera Hamahona to lock it up at 22-22 with over half an hour still to play.
Canterbury: 39 (Lialanie Muamua 2, Winnie Palamo 2, Lucy Jenkins, Louise Blyde, Neve Anglesey tries; Kelsyn McCook 2 con) Manawatū Cyclones: 22 (Ngano Tavake, Kaia Walker-Waitoa, Wikitoria Doyle, Anahera Hamahona tries; Leah Brough con) HT: 17-17.
