Tupapa Panthers win Women’s Rugby League title

The Tupapa Leopards won the Cook Islands Rugby Union Women’s Championship by defeating the Arorangi Bears in the final held at Teimurimotia Park in Titikaveka last Saturday.

Last Saturday, the Cook Islands Rugby Union Women’s Rugby Grand Final saw the Tupapa Leopards take on the Arorangi Bears. The game was thrilling and both teams showed their skill and determination in a fierce battle for the title.

Tupapa took an early lead with a brilliant try which was a testament to their precision and agility. The match started with a cross-coastal move, with Julz Westrupp cutting cleverly to the left to create an opportunity for Rima Browne. Browne cleverly found a gap in the Bears defence and raced through the middle to score Tupapa’s first goal.

Brown’s impressive performance did not stop there as she continued to create attacking opportunities for her teammates and created opportunities for the winger to break through the Arorangi defense and score again for Tupapa.

Strong winds had a significant impact on the game, affecting the passing of the ball and making it difficult for both teams to control the situation. Despite this, the players showed remarkable skill and adaptability, adjusting their tactics to cope with the weather.

In the second half, the Bears fought back. In a scrum just 10 meters from the goal line, Ani Heather showed her speed by dribbling past the defender in the blind spot to score the first point for the Bears. This wonderful moment put the Bears back in the game.

Towards the end of the match, Victoria Fatiaki completed an incredible 70m sprint, showing incredible speed and endurance. However, a determined Kiana Sword managed to catch up to Fatiaki and tackle her on the scoreline, preventing a potentially game-changing score.

In the end, the Tupapa Panthers won 12-7 thanks to solid defense and tactical play.

After the game, Westrup, one of Tupapa’s key players, shared her thoughts on the game.

“Arorangi really scared us because they were much more aggressive against us defensively compared to our past encounters and it really showed that they have been working overtime this year.”