Stuff Digital Edition

New quick-fire event for women

Robert van Royen

New Zealand Rugby’s long-awaited women’s Super Rugby competition will kick off in late February, potentially with a super round in a yet to be confirmed location.

The new four-team competition will officially be launched in the next couple of weeks, but Stuff understands it will consist of three rounds, before the top two teams contest a final.

The quick-fire format is expected to be in place for the first two years, but there are plans for it to morph into an expanded trans-Tasman competition in the near future.

Three of the four teams will be aligned to the three North Island Super Rugby franchises – the Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes – while a soon-to-be launched South Island team will be based in Christchurch.

While the Blues and Chiefs are expected to play under the same names and identities as the existing men’s sides, at least initially, it’s understood the Hurricanes are considering change.

Coaching lineups will be announced next week, although it’s understood Canterbury coach Blair Baxter, who is in his second year with the reigning Farah Palmer Cup champions, will coach the South Island team.

Teams are in the process of finalising their squads, which will consist of 28 players and be revealed next month.

As is the case in men’s Super Rugby, players sign with New Zealand Rugby and are seconded to teams. There is expected to be a required number of players from each team’s home region, while a player draft, much like the one in the early days of men’s Super Rugby, will also be utilised.

Teams will come together for brief pre-season camps in December, January and February, before playing one pre-season game ahead of the competition.

NZR head of women’s rugby development Cate Sexton has already made it clear it won’t be a fulltime commitment for players, requiring them to leave their jobs for three months. Instead, they will be asked to assemble for brief periods, either Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Monday.

The draw will be released after the the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific draw is revealed, which is understood to be all but finalised, with kickoff pencilled in for February 18.

The women’s competition will kick off the following weekend, with some games likely to be doubleheaders alongside Super Rugby Pacific games.

However, the South Island team is likely to play stand-alone games, potentially at smaller regional grounds.

NZR believes that the semiprofessional competition, as Sexton recently called it, will provide a crucial step between the Farah Palmer Cup and international rugby.

It follows the historic exhibition match between the Chiefs and Blues women in May, when the Chiefs won 39-12, increasing calls for a competition of their own.

Teams are in the process of finalising their squads, which will consist of 28 players.

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2021-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282342567988789

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