The Blues outclassed Chiefs Manawa 36-21 in Hamilton to remain unblemished after four rounds.
Matatū is seven points clear of Chiefs Manawa in second place after a 43-24 win over Hurricanes Poua.
Chiefs Manawa will have to win their last two matches and hope Matatū stumble in their remaining two fixtures to make their fourth consecutive decider.
The Blues only led Manawa for the last two minutes of their previous clash at Eden Park. No leeway existed at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton with the Blues 21-0 ahead in as many minutes.
Jaymie Kolose crossed for the first try after three minutes where the Blues utilised a powerful scrum. A dozen minutes later Liana Mikaele-Tu’u profited from the same source. The 2023 Black Ferns Player of the Year has produced 38 carries and 58 tackles in 272 minutes of rugby this season. That ranks her inside the top ten of the competition.
When Blues first five Krysten Cottrell stepped her way under the bar, the Chiefs Manawa appeared to be in disarray at 21-0. Their best scoring chance in the opening quarter had been snuffed out by Braxton Sorensen-McGee who applied a huge tackle on Mererangi Paul.
The hosts eventually found their groove through some Ruby Tui ingenuity. A nifty kick by the winger was finished by Kelly Brazier. Black Ferns prop Kate Henwood took a less subtle route to the line and it was 21-14 at halftime.
Cruelly Chiefs Manawa lost Black Ferns lock Charmaine Smith to a head knock after a fall attempting to claim a restart.
Two tries early in the second spell secured the Blues their ninth consecutive victory and fourth over the Chiefs. Sorensen-McGee was the headline writer. An improbable offload to Portia Woodman-Wickliffe saw the Rugby World Cup’s all-time leading try score swat aside multiple defenders in a terrifying burst.
Then Sorensen-McGee went on her own 60-metre surge finishing with a graceful dive in the left corner. Sorensen-McGee has played 309 minutes for the Blues in 2025 scoring three tries and averaging more than ten meters per carry.
The Blues forwards were consistently better throughout. The Chiefs Manawa have lost three games in a single season for the first time.
Blues captain Maia Roos told Sky Sport:
“We knew that we had to earn it up front first, they really dominated in the breakdown in our last game, so that was a big focus for us.
“We knew as forwards if we set a good platform, then we can just unleash our backs, we have so many superstars, and we just needed a really good platform for them to shine.”
Blues: 36 (Jaymie Kolose, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, Krysten Cottrell, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Braxton Sorensen-McGee, Sylvia Brunt tries; Cottrell 3 con) Chiefs Manawa: 21 (Kelly Brazier, Kate Henwood, Ariana Bayler tries; Brazier 3 con). HT: 21-14.
The Hurricanes Poua produced their best display of the season at NZCIS in Upper Hutt but it wasn’t enough to stop Matatū from earning their third victory of the season.
The story of the match is easily split into thirds. Matatū was 26-7 ahead after 25 minutes before Poua launched a furious rally to close the gap to 26-24 approaching the final quarter.
With the game in the balance, it was Matatū’s Black Ferns who took ownership with Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Maia Joseph and Alana Bremner all scoring tries in the last 20 minutes.
Joseph was an increasingly composed and commanding presence. Openside Lucy Jenkins made 11 tackles and scored a try. Olsen-Baker was Black Ferns Player of the Year in 2024. With 64 tackles and her usual powerhouse carries in Aupiki she’s hardly put a foot wrong.
The same can be said about Poua winger Ayesha Leti-I'iga. The Black Ferns superstar scored an outrageous try bursting through the visitors like a sabre. Leti-I'iga ranks inside the top ten of Aupiki for carries, tries, clean breaks, defenders beaten, and metres gained. Lock Samantha Taylor and loose forwards Layla Sae and Elinor-Plum King have consistently been the Poua’s best forwards in 2024.
Next week Chiefs Manawa must defeat Hurricanes Poua at NZCIS to keep their faint finals hopes alive. The Blues host Matatū in Whangarei.
Matatū: 43 (Kaipo Olsen-Baker 2, Keighley Simpson, Winnie Palamo, Lucy Jenkins, Maia Joseph, Alana Bremner tries; Hannah King 4 con) Hurricanes Poua: 24 (Ngano Tavake, Ayesha Leti-I'iga, Elinor-Plum King, Leilani Hakiwai tries; Cassie Siataga 2 con). HT: 26-19.