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Les Elder of the Chiefs Manawa (L) and Awhina Tangen-Wainohu celebrate their title win.
Chiefs Manawa coach Allan Bunting was drowned out by his team’s celebrations in the nearby changing room while weighing up their Super Rugby Aupiki title success.
The Chiefs hammered the Blues 35-src on Sunday night in Hamilton to become the first champions of the inaugural Kiwi women’s Super Rugby competition.
Bunting was alongside Chiefs captain Les Elder as the party started in the corridors of FMG Stadium Waikato.
Both cracked a wide smile, accompanied by extremely loud music from the next room, on a landmark night for women’s rugby in New Zealand, but they reflected solemnly on what lies ahead for the next edition of women’s Super Rugby after a troubled beginning.
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Bunting said the end of Super Rugby Aupiki, in fact, felt like they were just starting after Covid-19 wreaked havoc on preparations and the schedule before a ball was kicked.
Aaron Gillions/PHOTOSPORT
Allan Bunting coached the Chiefs to the Super Rugby Aupiki title.
“It’s been great, having the best players around the country all coming together and competing,” Bunting said.
“But now I feel like we’ve had enough preparation just to start the competition.
“If we played on from this point, you would see an even better quality game.”
The competition was drawn back to three rounds in 1src days and there was no official final, although the last match the Chiefs won was a decider, and one of the opening matches between the Blues and the Hurricanes was cancelled because of the latter’s Covid-19 outbreak.
Each team was travelling to and from matches from their bubbles in Taupō.
The condensed schedule made a competition that was long overdue feel rushed in a massive season for the women’s game in this country, finishing with the World Cup in October and November when the Black Ferns defend their world title on h
…. to be continued
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