On 19 points, Matatū are confirmed for a spot in the final. But with just one point separating the Blues (14) and Hurricanes Poua (13), there will be plenty riding on the final round of the competition.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for the Wellington franchise this season, who had just three wins across the first four seasons of the competition and went through the 2025 edition without a win.
“There’s been a lot of hype around us this week and a lot of talk about us not having a lot of Black Ferns and being the leftovers of Aotearoa, but we’ve just shown we’re the girls that do the unseen work and we can go the whole 80. We might not be a big team of heroes but we’re a great team,” Poua co-captain Te Rauoriwa Gapper told Sky Sport.
“We’ve just got to focus on us and improving each week. We know if we do our core roles and keep on going, finals is a real option for us this year and that’s very exciting.”
It took a late surge at the line from loosehead prop Angel Mulu, who played the entire 80-plus minutes, to give the Poua a chance at the win, with first five-eighths Renee Holmes adding the extras from in front of the posts.
Holmes became the first player in Super Rugby Aupiki to pass 200 career points during the contest, having previously played for Chiefs Manawa and Matatū, with a try and four conversions adding to her count.
The match came to an abrupt halt around the 10-minute mark when referee Erin Doherty was busted open above her left eye by an elbow from Matatū lock Paris Lokotui. Doherty was caught in a bad spot as Matatū tried a set move with a long throw, and Lokotui collided with the referee at pace.
Doherty had to leave the game, with Warwick Lahmert taking over with the whistle.
After the delay, Matatū opened the scoring through Alena Saili, before tries to Pip Love and Kaipo Olsen-Baker gave the hosts a 19-0 lead after 23 minutes.
With the game at risk of getting away from them, the Poua got on the scoreboard through Holmes, who was in all sorts of space as Matatū were caught stretched for numbers down the short side from an attacking scrum.
They added another soon after through Neve Anglesey to trail by just seven at the break.
It was level within five minutes of the restart as Arene Landon-Lane got over the line, but that didn’t last long.
A dangerous Matatū attack was broken up by a deliberate knockdown but the ball fell for Grace Brooker, who put a dominant fend on Iritana Hohaia on her way to a try. The damage for the Poua was compounded as Fia Laikong was yellow-carded for the knockdown.
The hosts couldn’t find a way through with the numerical advantage, though, and the Poua drew level again when Hohaia found space close to the line.
Again, Matatū struck back immediately with Maia Davis putting the hosts in the lead again.
But as they have consistently done this season, the Poua finished strongly and were able to put pressure on the Matatū line.
Ultimately, Mulu was able to power through a couple of defenders to get the ball down from close range, with Holmes sealing a big win.
The Poua will now host winless Chiefs Manawa in their final regular-season contest, with Matatū hosting the Blues in Christchurch.
Matatū 31 (Alena Saili, Pip Love, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Grace Brooker, Maia Davis tries; Maia Joseph 3 cons)
Hurricanes Poua 33 (Renee Holmes, Neve Anglesey, Arene Landon-Lane, Iritana Hohaia, Angel Mulu tries; Holmes 4 cons)
HT: 19-12