Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Farah Palmer Cup 2023 Wrap Up | Highlights

Georgia Ponsonby of Canterbury passes during the Farah Palmer Cup

The Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) 2023 concluded in dramatic fashion with the away teams winning both finals. In the Premiership, Auckland upset Canterbury, boasting the Black Ferns World Cup-winning front row, to capture national spoils for the first time since 2015. In the Championship, Northland, who assembled from far and wide just to compete, inflicted defeat for the first time upon Manawatu.

In postcard conditions for the Premiership Final at Rugby Park in Christchurch, a storm called Auckland upset the apple cart to win the Premiership for the first time since 2015 with a thrilling 39-27 victory over Canterbury.

When Canterbury and Black Ferns hooker Georgia Ponsonby rumbled over from a lineout drive in the 61st minute, it appeared the hosts would commence a trademark surge. Rosie Kelly’s conversion kissed the posts, and the scores were tied 27-27.

Instead, it was Auckland who refused to yield, sticking to the ambitious and expansive approach that brought them so much earlier reward.

In the 67th minute, Black Ferns centre Sylvia Brunt punched through the Canterbury defense and released winger Angelica Vahai. The 17-year-old streaked 40m down a stunned grandstand sideline. She could have finished herself, instead, she nonchalantly offloaded to trailing Black Ferns lock Maia Roos who reclaimed the lead for Auckland.

Prop Amy Rule (29-0) and lock Chelsea Bremner (43-0) had never lost in the red and black until the 77th minute. From a lineout drive, the visiting forwards shunted Canterbury backward at a rate of knots before a stampede turned subtle. Ruahei Demant, unmarked on the wing, cheekily smuggled the ball and a cherry was applied atop a sweet cake.

Auckland thoroughly deserved their triumph. A shocking start saw an intercept try conceded in the first minute, but they were hungrier and more enterprising than the hosts who perhaps suffered from a lack of stiff opposition.

Whereas Auckland had battled to two fierce victories over Waikato in the space of three weeks, Canterbury had amassed 133 points in two games against Hawke’s Bay.

For Auckland, prop Sophie Fisher, second-five Patricia Maliepo, and veteran lock Elosie Blackwell had blinders. Black Ferns centre Amy du Plessis was Canterbury’s best.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Northland is headed to the Premiership in 2024 after a wild Championship title win over Manawatu? in Palmerston North.

With six minutes remaining, and ahead 32-24, it appeared the visitors had successfully removed the pace from the game by kicking smartly for territory and squeezing the Cyclones with tight carries and muscular lineout drives and scrums.

A turnover by Manawatu No.8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker revived the contest. Former Black Ferns Sevens representative Rebekah Tufuga breached the defense and surged into the Kauri 22. Quick ball left saw lively replacement Ruci Malanicagi dot down in the corner for 32-29.

Inexplicably, with five and a half minutes left, the stadium lights went out at Central Energy Trust Arena causing an anxious 25-minute delay. When the players returned, Manawatu attacked frantically and ventured inside the Northland 22 but were eventually foiled by a scrum penalty.

Northland led all the way, but Manawatu, with their athletic loose forward trio of Layla Sae, Elinor-Plum King, and Olsen-Baker, threatened consistently.

In the eighth minute, Serai Murray-Wihongi blasted down the right wing for Northland. Selica Winiata flashed across to make a covering tackle for Manawatu but accidentally collided with the head of Murray-Wihongi. The Cyclones captain, and Black Ferns legend, was sent off in one of the most unfortunate and controversial moments in FPC history.

Black Ferns and Northland prop Krystal Murray was superlative with only one blemish from the tee, robust carries, brutal scrums, tackles, and a skip pass that led directly to a try. Her superior territorial kicking was decisive in determining the outcome.

Ahora Savage was another hero. The 2017 Black Ferns World Cup winner has played five positions in 2023. She was at first-five for the final and her cross-kick to winger Ocean Tierney helped set up No.8 Hikitia Wikaira for the opening try. She made 14 tackles.

Manawatu winger Te Whetumarama Nuku was electric but strangely substituted in the last quarter.

Northland’s success was herculean with some players commuting three hours one way just to take part in a practice. It was driven by the evangelical zeal, leadership, talent, experience, and resourcefulness of Black Ferns’ Savage, Murray, Charmaine Smith, and Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate.

They cultivated a culture of selflessness and determination against great odds which is unusual. Northland is a geographically vast area with some tough social challenges.

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jahmirwayle 1 hour ago
'Unbelievable' Henry Pollock predicted his first Test try would be on the wing

It started with a gut-wrenching realization. I’d been duped. Months earlier, I’d poured $133,000 into what I thought was a golden opportunity a cryptocurrency investment platform promising astronomical returns. The website was sleek, the testimonials glowed, and the numbers in my account dashboard climbed steadily. I’d watched my Bitcoin grow, or so I thought, until the day I tried to withdraw it. That’s when the excuses began: “Processing delays,” “Additional verification required,” and finally, a demand for a hefty “release fee.” Then, silence. The platform vanished overnight, taking my money with it. I was left staring at a blank screen, my savings gone, and a bitter taste of shame in my mouth.I didn’t know where to turn. The police shrugged cybercrime was a black hole they couldn’t navigate. Friends offered sympathy but no solutions. I spent sleepless nights scouring forums, reading about others who’d lost everything to similar scams. That’s when I stumbled across a thread mentioning a group specializing in crypto recovery. They didn’t promise miracles, but they had a reputation for results. Desperate, I reached out.The first contact was a breath of fresh air. I sent an email explaining my situation dates, transactions, screenshots, everything I could scrape together. Within hours, I got a reply. No fluff, no false hope, just a clear request for more details and a promise to assess my case. I hesitated, wary of another scam, but something about their professionalism nudged me forward. I handed over my evidence: the wallet addresses I’d sent my Bitcoin to, the emails from the fake platform, even the login credentials I’d used before the site disappeared.The process kicked off fast. They explained that scammers often move funds through a web of wallets to obscure their tracks, but Bitcoin’s blockchain leaves a trail if you know how to follow it. That’s where their expertise came in. They had tools and know-how I couldn’t dream of, tracing the flow of my coins across the network. I didn’t understand the technical jargon hash rates, mixing services, cold wallets but I didn’t need to. They kept me in the loop with updates: “We’ve identified the initial transfer,” “The funds split here,” “We’re narrowing down the endpoints.” Hours passed , and I oscillated between hope and dread. Then came the breakthrough. They’d pinpointed where my Bitcoin had landed a cluster of wallets tied to the scammers. Some of it had been cashed out, but a chunk remained intact, sitting in a digital vault the crooks thought was untouchable. I didn’t ask too many questions about that part; I just wanted results. They pressured the right points, leveraging the blockchain evidence to freeze the wallets holding my funds before the scammers could liquidate them. Next morning, I woke up to an email that made my heart skip. “We’ve secured access to a portion of your assets.” Not all of it some had slipped through the cracks but $133,000 worth of Bitcoin, my original investment, was recoverable. They walked me through the final steps: setting up a secure wallet, verifying the transfer, watching the coins land. When I saw the balance tick up on my screen, I sat there, stunned. It was real. My money was back.The ordeal wasn’t painless. I’d lost time, sleep, and a bit of faith in humanity. But the team at Alpha Spy Nest Recovery turned a nightmare into a second chance.  I’ll never forget what they did. In a world full of thieves, they were the ones who fought to make things right. Contacts below: email: Alphaspynest@mail.com, WhatsApp: +14159714490‬, Telegram: https://t.me/Alphaspynest

1 Go to comments
J
Jahmirwayle 1 hour ago
25 Six Nations Memorable Moments: 5 to 1

It started with a gut-wrenching realization. I’d been duped. Months earlier, I’d poured $133,000 into what I thought was a golden opportunity a cryptocurrency investment platform promising astronomical returns. The website was sleek, the testimonials glowed, and the numbers in my account dashboard climbed steadily. I’d watched my Bitcoin grow, or so I thought, until the day I tried to withdraw it. That’s when the excuses began: “Processing delays,” “Additional verification required,” and finally, a demand for a hefty “release fee.” Then, silence. The platform vanished overnight, taking my money with it. I was left staring at a blank screen, my savings gone, and a bitter taste of shame in my mouth.I didn’t know where to turn. The police shrugged cybercrime was a black hole they couldn’t navigate. Friends offered sympathy but no solutions. I spent sleepless nights scouring forums, reading about others who’d lost everything to similar scams. That’s when I stumbled across a thread mentioning a group specializing in crypto recovery. They didn’t promise miracles, but they had a reputation for results. Desperate, I reached out.The first contact was a breath of fresh air. I sent an email explaining my situation dates, transactions, screenshots, everything I could scrape together. Within hours, I got a reply. No fluff, no false hope, just a clear request for more details and a promise to assess my case. I hesitated, wary of another scam, but something about their professionalism nudged me forward. I handed over my evidence: the wallet addresses I’d sent my Bitcoin to, the emails from the fake platform, even the login credentials I’d used before the site disappeared.The process kicked off fast. They explained that scammers often move funds through a web of wallets to obscure their tracks, but Bitcoin’s blockchain leaves a trail if you know how to follow it. That’s where their expertise came in. They had tools and know-how I couldn’t dream of, tracing the flow of my coins across the network. I didn’t understand the technical jargon hash rates, mixing services, cold wallets but I didn’t need to. They kept me in the loop with updates: “We’ve identified the initial transfer,” “The funds split here,” “We’re narrowing down the endpoints.” Hours passed , and I oscillated between hope and dread. Then came the breakthrough. They’d pinpointed where my Bitcoin had landed a cluster of wallets tied to the scammers. Some of it had been cashed out, but a chunk remained intact, sitting in a digital vault the crooks thought was untouchable. I didn’t ask too many questions about that part; I just wanted results. They pressured the right points, leveraging the blockchain evidence to freeze the wallets holding my funds before the scammers could liquidate them. Next morning, I woke up to an email that made my heart skip. “We’ve secured access to a portion of your assets.” Not all of it some had slipped through the cracks but $133,000 worth of Bitcoin, my original investment, was recoverable. They walked me through the final steps: setting up a secure wallet, verifying the transfer, watching the coins land. When I saw the balance tick up on my screen, I sat there, stunned. It was real. My money was back.The ordeal wasn’t painless. I’d lost time, sleep, and a bit of faith in humanity. But the team at Alpha Spy Nest Recovery turned a nightmare into a second chance.  I’ll never forget what they did. In a world full of thieves, they were the ones who fought to make things right. Contacts below: email: Alphaspynest@mail.com, WhatsApp: +14159714490‬, Telegram: https://t.me/Alphaspynest

1 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Underpants, duvet covers and Louis Bielle-Biarrey Underpants, duvet covers and Louis Bielle-Biarrey
Search