Otago Spirit The squad Forwards: Taylor Anderson*, Eilis Doyle, Sarah Jones, Ella Gomez, Leila Hill, Kayley Johnson, Tegan Willocks, Greer Muir, Rawinia Ngamoki-Moana, Rebekah Wairau, Honour Birks*, Lucy Cahill, Emily Dale*, Olivia Gill*, Shakirah Stephen Backs: Pip Eason, Zaria Murray, Charli Sinclair*, Charlotte Va'afusuaga, Sasha Scott, Oceana Campbell, Te Atawhai Campbell, Georgia Cormick, Sheree Hume, Hannah Norris, Naomi Sopoaga, Madison Flutey, Maia Joseph. *Denotes debut season They won it last year. There is no reason they cannot do it again this year. The Otago Spirit have named a stable squad as they look to build on a standout 2025 season The Spirit went unbeaten last year — led by coach Matt Direen, who is back for his second season at the helm — and won the Farah Palmer Cup Championship. It was a cracking final in which they beat the Northland Kauri 37-12 at Tahuna Park. But they were denied promotion to the top-tier Premiership after a New Zealand Rugby restructure to keep six teams in both tiers after the removal of the Taranaki Whio. The Spirit have maintained a strong squad to guide them to — hopefully — more success in 2026. Stalwart forwards Greer Muir and Tegan Willocks (nee Hollows), who had strong Super Rugby Aupiki seasons for the Hurricanes Poua, hard-working Leila Hill, Eilis Doyle and Ella Gomez and blockbusting ball carrier Sarah Jones, who has also been named in the Black Ferns XV, are vital in the pack. Sheree Hume and Georgia Cormick add experience in the backline, Charlotte Va’afusuaga and Naomi Sopoaga were an electric midfield combination last year and Madison Flutey could be in for more game time after expanding her game during the FPC off season. Flutey headed to England to link up with the Exeter Chiefs after the Spirit season and played for the Chiefs Manawa this year. Hannah Norris, who has speed to burn out wide, is also back and Te Atawhai Campbell and Oceana Campbell, who struggled with injuries last year, are back after guiding Dunedin to the club title last weekend. Maia Joseph has also been named, but will be unavailable due to Black Ferns commitments. But there are a swag of players who have moved on. They include bookend Isla Pringle, who retired from representative rugby at the end of 2025, Paige and Jamie Church, Olivia Fowler and Abigail Paton, who is expected to suit up for the United States during their WXV window later this year. Midfielder Cheyenne Cunningham was unavailable for selection, as were Asha Murphy and Bailey Rae Edwards. University forwards Honour Birks, Emily Dale and Olivia Gill are the newcomers, alongside Alhambra-Union forward Taylor Anderson and back Charli Sinclair. “This year’s squad and Saturday’s club final highlights the depth we currently have in women’s rugby across the province. This is also reflected in the quality of players within our development squad,’’ Direen said. “The squad sees a well-balanced mix of seasoned campaigners, exciting debutants and high-quality players who are on the cusp of taking their rugby to the next level. “We will be looking to return to the attacking style that served the girls so well last year when we begin our campaign later in the month.” The Spirit play a preseason game against Canterbury in Timaru this weekend, before getting their season under way against Wellington at Forsyth Barr Stadium on August 29.
