Chiefs Manawa to kick off 2025 season at home
Sky Super Rugby Aupiki returns on 1 March 2025 with last season’s finalists Chiefs Manawa kicking off their season at home against Matatū.
The star-studded Chiefs Manawa side will play six rounds of the regular season with the two top-of-table teams progressing to the final. The winner of the Sky Super Rugby Final will then host the winner of Super W for the inaugural Women’s Super Rugby Champion’s Final.
Chiefs Manawa will have a rematch of last season’s final for their second match, making their way back to the Blues home ground of Eden Park.
For round three, they will host Hurricanes Poua at FMG Stadium Waikato. The Hurricanes Poua have yet to overcome Chiefs Manawa, which is a streak the Hamilton-based side will be looking to maintain.
The following weekend, they will re-take their home field advantage over the Blues for their second meeting of the competition.
Chiefs Manawa will then wrap up their regular season on the road, facing the Hurricanes Poua in Wellington, before continuing south to Christchurch for their final match against Matatū.
Chiefs Manawa head coach Dwayne Sweeney said: “Each of the teams will present their challenges, which we will be working hard in pre-season to prepare for. The key focus for us is to stick to our game plans, and if we execute those well it should reflect positively on the scoreboard too. We’ll take each week as it comes.”
Two of the Chiefs Manawa home games will be played as doubleheaders, giving fans even more rugby to enjoy on game day. These doubleheaders will be in round one in conjunction with the Gallagher Chiefs v Brumbies match and in round three against the Hurricanes Poua, which will be played ahead of the Gallagher Chiefs v Blues game.
Chiefs Manawa will also play a pre-season match against the Blues at FMG Stadium Waikato on Friday 21 February, ahead of the Gallagher Chiefs v Crusaders game.
2025 Chiefs Manawa Draw:
Pre-season: Friday 21 February: Chiefs Manawa v Blues, FMG Stadium Waikato
Saturday 1 March: Chiefs Manawa v Matatū, FMG Stadium Waikato, 2.05pm (doubleheader with Gallagher Chiefs v Brumbies)
Friday 7 March: Blues v Chiefs Manawa, Eden Park, 5.05pm
Saturday 15 March: Chiefs Manawa v Hurricanes Poua, FMG Stadium Waikato, 4.35pm (doubleheader with Gallagher Chiefs v Blues)
Saturday 22 March: Chiefs Manawa v Blues, FMG Stadium Waikato, 4.35pm
Saturday 29 March: Hurricanes Poua v Chiefs Manawa, NZCIS, 4.35pm
Saturday 5 April: Matatū v Chiefs Manawa, Ngā Puna Wai, 2.05pm
Saturday 12 April: FINAL
Thursday 17 April: Super W Winner v Sky Super Rugby Aupiki Winner, TBC, 7.05pm
