Blues welcome increased support for Sky Super Rugby Aupiki

• Extended round robin season of six weeks plus grand final

• Longer pre-season with two matches

• Player payments more than double

Sky Super Rugby Aupiki players will receive increased support under an enhanced competition for 2024 and 2025 which brings higher pay, more games and a longer pre-season.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) unveiled the new format today which will provide a six-week round robin competition with the two top teams playing the final. In addition, players will be supported in a longer pre-season training programme.

Each club will contract 30 players (an increase of two players per squad) who will take part in an eight-week individual preparation window before a four-week pre-season that will include two matches. Non-Black Ferns players who are contracted will see payments more than doubling to a minimum of $17,000 in recognition of the longer season.

Blues CEO, Andrew Hore said his club were focussed on delivering a high-quality rugby programme for its nib Blues players.

“Here at the Blues, we want to ensure our players and coaches feel valued and connected to the club, so our staff are currently putting time and effort into making this a reality,” said Hore.

“It’s pleasing to see an increased pre-season and more competition rounds, as well as more high-performance support for our coaches and athletes. Sky Super Rugby Aupiki is the high-performance arm of women’s rugby and as a club we will continue to advocate for and work hard to attract commercial partnerships and increased investment from various avenues to ensure a world class programme while recognising the need to do so at a sustainable and measured pace,” he said.

The extended format reflects the combined efforts of the Super Rugby Clubs, NZR and the Rugby Players Association who are committed to ensuring the elite game is sustainable and keeps providing a pathway for players to be Black Ferns.

“The support offered to the competition, especially around an increased pre-season shows a genuine desire to grow the women’s game and ensure fans and sponsors have a product they can get behind.”

“The Super clubs are committed to engaging with sponsors to ensure the commercial sustainability and growth of the competition – simply put, the greater the commercial investment, the more money we can put back into the development of high-performance women’s rugby.”

“The stronger Sky Super Rugby Aupiki is, the stronger women’s rugby in New Zealand will be. A strong competition that is well resourced offering a true high-performance experience ensures there is a pathway for young women wanting to play at the elite level,” said Hore.

The nib Blues are in the final stages of confirming their playing and coaching roster for the 2024 Sky Super Rugby Aupiki competition.