Championship Women’s rugby to start on Saturday

Above: The Northern United Women’s team last Friday night with the Fleurs Trophy. First round winners Norths have a bye this Saturday. 

Saturday has the start of the Championship rounds of the Women’s Competitions.
 
After the completion of the Fleurs Trophy, the grade has been split in two for the remainder of the 2015 club season; the top five teams will contest the Premier Victoria Tavern Trophy, while the bottom four will play off for the Senior title.
 
The pressure will be on in the Premier grade, with each side playing only four matches (plus a bye) before the semi-finals and then the final, which replaces the Colts Division 1 final as the first match up on Finals Day this year.
 
Last year’s two finalists, Fleurs winners Northern United and defending Victoria Tavern champions Oriental-Rongotai, would both like to be back at Porirua Park for the August 1 decider; however Old Boys-University, Avalon, and competition newcomers Hutt Old Boys Marist would each themselves dearly want to be part of that day.
 
The two games up on the first weekend of matches pit Ories against HOBM at the Polo Ground, and OBU host Avalon on the Basin Reserve. Norths have the first week bye.
 
Ories only dropped one game in the Fleurs round, and that was to the unbeaten Norths side. Outside of that they were largely able to ease through, which included a 60-7 win over HOBM, and warmed up by coasting past Johnsonville last Friday night. HOBM took the wins they needed to in their first year back, but will know they will have to step it up further over the next month.
 
OBU may have lost their last round game to Norths last Friday, but accomplished two things no other team did; cross Norths’ tryline, and prevent them from a try-scoring bonus point. The Lady Impala’s probably present the greatest threat to the ‘big two’, but will have to see off an Avalon side that is more than capable of springing an upset result of its own on the day.

In two milestones in the Victoria Tavern Trophy, Georgia Daals for Old Boys University and Joanah Ngan-Woo for Ories are both set to play their 50th matches for their clubs.
 
The senior grade comprises Wainuiomata, Poneke, Tawa, and Johnsonville. Their format comprises a double round-robin, with their final scheduled for August 8. Their opening round has Wainuiomata at home to Tawa at William Jones Park, while Johnsonville hosts Poneke at Newlands Park.
 
All four matches kick off at 11.30am

Women’s NPC

The 2015 Women's NPC competition kicks off on Saturday 22 August, with a change in format this year. Nine teams will again compete for the Women’s Provincial Championship title, but with a change in format for the championship which is entering its 16th season. Unlike the full round robin format of previous seasons, this year each team will play six matches, three home and three away over a seven week period, with one bye week.

The leading four teams will take part in a semifinals stage for the first time since 2009 on Saturday 10 October,with the top qualifier playing the fourth ranked side and second playing third.

The same nine teams that competed in 2014 will again line up in 2015; Auckland Storm; Bay of Plenty Volcanix; Counties Manukau Heat; Canterbury; Hawke’s Bay Tuis; Manawatu Cyclones; Otago Heart; Waikato; Wellington Pride.

Wellington has the bye in the opening weekend, before hosting Manawatu on 29 August in their opener. Their other two home matches are against Counties Manukau on 19 September and Canterbury on 26 September.