Chiefs Manawa have opened their Super Rugby Aupiki campaign in thrilling style, holding off Matutū 17-15 at Waikato Stadium last night.
The home side impressed with their attack in the first half as they built a 17-10 lead, which included a spectacular try for Kennedy Simon, but had to dig deep to repel wave after wave of Matutū attacks after the break.
Manawa prop Angel Mulu had the honour of scoring the first try of the inaugural competition when she crashed over from close range, with Black Ferns sevens star Ruby Tui adding to their tally when diving over in the right corner.
Matutū prop Pip Love and dangerous wing Grace Steinmetz went over for first-half tries for the South Island team, who had plenty of opportunities to score in the second half but failed to finish them. They also missed the accurate goalkicking of Black Ferns linchpin Kendra Cocksedge, who was unavailable.
Prop Amy Rule gave Matutū hope of a draw after the fulltime siren when she scored near the right corner but the conversion went wide, allowing Manawa to celebrate a victory which boosts their chances of winning a competition that has been years in the making.
Covid has forced a shortened tournament of only three matches for each team and no final.
The Hurricanes Poua and Blues shared the points in their cancelled opener and begin their season proper on Tuesday, with Poua playing Manawa and the Blues up against Matutū. All matches are at Waikato Stadium.
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