The Super Rugby Aupiki squads for the 2024 season have been announced this week. Trades have been made, notable amongst them is Renee Holmes heading back to her provincial roots, Kaipo Olsen-Baker flying south to Matatū and Krystal Murray planning to run out for her third franchise in three seasons. The churn doesn’t stop there, across the four squads we have around 30 new faces added to the competition next year.
Turnover each season remains high in this competition. Between season one and two, the Blues shed just above 60 per cent of their squad. The inaugural champions, the Chiefs Manawa, around 40 per cent and Hurricanes Poua, just over 46 per cent. Matatū were the only franchise that bucked the trend, holding onto 67 per cent of their original squad for season two. This continuity in their player base perhaps a factor in Matatū's championship.
Coming into the third season the Blues have steadied the ship, retaining over 65 per cent of their 2023 team. Manawa have turned over just shy of 50 per cent of their squad and the Hurricanes Poua aren’t far behind them. The Poua drew the short end of the recruitment stick though, having bled a lot of experience. The capital’s team now have the fewest capped Black Ferns in the competition. Matatū meanwhile, maintains the highest retention rate. Securing 70 per cent of their title-winning team ahead of next year.
That the Blues and Matatū hold on to their players at a higher rate might be in part due to the success of their feeder provincial unions. It is no secret that Canterbury and Auckland have long held dominance in the Farah Palmer Cup. Operating at a high level, they’re able to more seamlessly transition their talent across from Provincial to Super Rugby.
The Chiefs Manawa turnover appears to be driven by the fact that they are the team players want to play for. In year one, Alan Bunting pulled in all his sevens stars and in year two, Crystal Kaua picked up two Black Ferns, one Sevens player and a couple of Kiwi Ferns. This trend continues with Ruby Tui, Renee Holmes, Grace Steinmetz, Krystal Murray and Ariana Bayler all heading to Hamilton next season.