Freshly promoted to the Farah Palmer Cup presented by Hilux, the Manawatu Cyclones have sent a message to the competition with a 53-22 win over the Bay of Plenty Volcanix.
It looked to be a close match at halftime, with Manawatu narrowly ahead 22-17, but a 31-point unanswered spree in the second half confirmed the threat they will pose in 2026. Manawatu wingers Jacinta Windsor and Wikitoria Viljoen proved a handful, scoring four of their team's tries between them.
Neighbours Counties Manukau and Waikato went to battle further up the country, with the home side celebrating Leilani Perese's 50th cap for the Heat.
It was a perfect start for Counties Manukau, racing out to a 14-0 lead inside the opening minutes. The teams then traded tries before going into the break with Counties Manukau ahead 19-7.
It was one-way traffic in the second half, however, with defending champions Waikato, running in three tries to secure a 28-19 win. Hooker Grace Houpapa-Barrett - Waikato's top try scorer last season - picked up where she left off in 2025, opening her account for the new season.
The final premiership match-up of the weekend saw Canterbury host old foes Auckland on Sunday. Canterbury ran in 24 unanswered first-half points to build an unassailable lead. Auckland clawed their way back into the game in the second spell with three tries of their own, but it was too little, too late, with Canterbury emerging 36-19 winners.
In the Championship, both the Wellington Pride and the Northland Kauri enjoyed strong opening matches, with big wins over the Otago Spirit and Tasman respectively.
Otago hosted Wellington and put up a good fight in the first half, trailing just 12-17 at the break. But the visitors hit their straps in the second spell, scoring four tries, with the accurate boot of Arene Landon-Lane helping the points tally along. Landon-Lane finished with 19 points in the win.
Northland Kauri kicked off what was to be a great weekend for rugby fans from the Far North, with a resounding 51-13 win over Tasman. Lily-Jean Murray-Wihongi bagged a double, while debutant Claudia Meltzer contributed 11 points in the victory.
In Hastings, the Hawke's Bay Tui hosted the North Harbour Hibiscus, and it was the visitors who recorded an upset - their first ever win over the Tui. Paris Robertson, on debut, scored a try in each half, while experienced campaigner Holly Williams scored the match-winner for the visitors.