New Zealand's best women players will create history in 2022, with the announcement of Super Rugby Aupiki.
The four-team competition will be played across next March, with a combined South Island team - under Crusaders administration - joining the Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes.
NZ Rugby women's rugby head Cate Sexton says drawing up the inaugural competition framework has been a collective process.
"We saw a glimpse of how exciting this competition will be with the match between the Blues and Chiefs earlier this year," Sexton says. "It also reaffirmed the need for this level of competition - it will be a great opportunity for developing players.
"Next year is absolutely huge for women's rugby, and this competition will be the perfect showcase to kick things off and get the rugby public engaged in women's rugby."
NZR says Super Rugby Aupiki will provide a crucial steppingstone between Farah Palmer Cup and the Black Ferns, with Aupiki translating to ‘the ascent to the uppermost realm’.
Clubs will contract 28 players, with squads to be named in the next month.
The tournament begins on March 5, with a final between the top two teams on March 26.
In conjunction with the competition announcement, all four head coaches were announced with former Black Ferns Sevens coach Allan Bunting taking charge of the Chiefs.
Wesley Clarke will coach the Hurricanes, while Auckland's Farah Palmer Cup coach Willie Walker will look after the Blues. Blair Baxter will take the reins at the South Island franchise.
"I'm excited about coming into the Chiefs environment, '' says former Chiefs back Bunting.
"I'm a Bay of Plenty boy and when I went for this job, I didn't want to go anywhere else, because it fits my purpose. For women's rugby in general, there's lots of potential that can be brought to life and that certainly excites me, and it's been my purpose with the Black Ferns Sevens.
“I feel like I can really give something to that and help bring it to life in the Chiefs region, especially because I'm connected to there, I'm from there."
Blues coach Walker says it's an exciting time for the women's game.
"I was privileged to guide the Blues team for that first women's game against the Chiefs and humbled that it played a part to where we are at now, which is a meaningful competition for the Super clubs. It is awesome to be part of it and receive this opportunity.
"We showed what the women's game can offer with the game against the Chiefs. Now we get to this starting point and the chance for women to shine.
“There is an incentive for all the women in this competition to show that we can produce rugby to a high standard and a style that is exciting to watch."
