Finally! After losing the last three Farah Palmer Cup finals, Canterbury have claimed New Zealand women’s rugby’s domestic crown.
They beat Auckland Storm 50-24 in Sunday’s final at Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch, after cutting loose in the second half.
Canterbury had been the dominant team of the competition, racking up consistently big scores, but Auckland took the match to them in the final – for the first three quarters.
Lialani Muamua was a standout for Canterbury, scoring a try full of vision and skill in the second half, and then stealing an intercept gift to race away for her second in the second half.
It was a tight first half. Auckland led 14-7 at one stage, Canterbury hit back and a quick tap penalty by halfback Kelsyn McCook saw her scoot over to give her side a 19-17 lead at halftime.
It was still close until the 54th minute when Maisy Allen broke through the Auckland defence at close range.
Muamua scored her intercept try and Auckland began to fray in defence, as Canterbury then raced away.
They scored five tries to one in the second spell.
Canterbury went through the season unbeaten, racking up a staggering 249 points in their five regular season games and then beating Manawatū Cyclones 57-7 in their semifinal.
Canterbury captain Te Rauoriwa Gapper breathed a sigh of relief at the presentation.
“It feels so good, it’s been four years in the making. We always make it to that final and get just pipped at that last hurdle.
“This year’s been a really good season, and just really glad to take it out today.”
Gapper said the key to their success was their connection.
“We weren’t just a team of 15, we were a squad of 30,” she said on the Sky Sport/TV1+ broadcast.
Auckland Storm skipper Eloise Blackwell said they challenged hard early.
“For us it was to measure ourselves against the best, and unfortunately we fell pretty short at the end. I’m still really proud of the group, there were lots of positive, pretty cool things to take out of that.”
See how the the action unfolded with our live blog below: