Opinion - The fact that the Chiefs Manawa and Matatū sides even lined up to challenge each other with fierce haka last night is nothing short of a miracle, really.
Kennedy Simon of Chiefs Manawa scores a try during the match against Matatū. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Not only has a women's domestic pro competition seemed like a fairytale until very recently, Covid-19 has done its best to ruin the fledgling Super Rugby Aupiki before a strand of hair had been braided or ball kicked. While it will be in a very truncated format and there are serious question marks over whether the Hurricanes Poua or Blues Women will be ready to play their matches], at least it is off the mark.
The Chiefs' 17-15 win was a break in the traditional hold the men's game has had over Super Rugby, but it couldn't stop it being beholden to one of the oldest rugby tropes of all time: the game of two halves. The first was an open and often breathtaking encounter, the second was nothing short of a slog and if you're a Matatū fan, an extremely frustrating one at that.
Almost the entire second 35 minutes (shortened for player welfare reasons, despite having 10-player benches and rolling subs) was played in the Chiefs' half, with Matatū bombing all but one visit to the 22. It was odd given the enterprise shown earlier as the teams went punch and counter punch, using the entire width and length of the field.
The puzzling change in tactics did at least address one issue that Aupiki is ultimately going to be judged on: how it is helping the Black Ferns' programme by providing a step-up in quality for the domestic game.
While it's limited by being even shorter than it originally was supposed to be, last night certainly showed that Aupiki will be useful in manufacturing pressure situations for the best players against one another.
The real lessons from the opening Aupiki game came from the dour second half, rather than the helter-skelter first. The Black Ferns were well-beaten up front by England and France during last year's disastrous Northern Tour, so the more direct forward play the teams can engage in, the better.
It was concerning that only one lineout drive was attempted, then poorly defended by the Chiefs and even more poorly executed when Matatū hooker Georgia Ponsonby dropped the ball over the line.
Then there was the Chiefs' inability to kill the game off, handing the ball back to concede a late try that could have sent the teams to golden point extra time. This area is what needs to improve dramatically if the Black Ferns are to have any hope of retaining the World Cup later this year, otherwise there will be a replay of the carnage we saw last November.
The Black Ferns Sevens players were outstanding in the first half, with Portia Woodman getting the ball early and often, Kelly Brazier directing traffic well and Ruby Tui providing the highlight of the game by acrobatically leaping into the corner and then calling for TMO herself.
Another comedic moment was seeing just how similar Matatū assistant coach Whitney Hansen's manner with the media is to her father's, but just like former All Black coach Sir Steve, she will be fuming at the fact that her side had enough ball and territory to win the game four times over and still lost.
Meanwhile, it's a shortened round for the men, with the Hurricanes suffering a Covid-19 outbreak that's caused their game with Moana Pasifika to be postponed.
That now means there are three fixtures for the new boys to play and not an awful lot of time to play them, so the question really needs to be asked if the New Zealand teams should bite the bullet and move to Australia for the time being, where they can at least experience a bit more freedom and enjoy having crowds.
Every game is under a cloud, with the teams extremely reluctant to release any information (even under embargo) to the media about the status of players. It's created a very difficult situation, as now if anyone is missing from a squad it's just assumed they have tested positive.
It reached farcical levels last weekend in Wellington, when the Hurricanes had two players turn up out of the blue to debut off the bench, then captain Ardie Savea more or less admitted they'd had Covid-19 cases in his after match interview.
This uncertainty probably played a part in why last weekend was such a tough watch across the board.
