Mia Anderson (Ngāpuhi) is hoping to join All Blacks Sevens boyfriend Tepaea Cook-Savage on the victory podium this week.
Cook-Savage was part of the All Blacks Sevens who won the Hong Kong Sevens on Sunday, defeating France 10-7 in the final.
Today Anderson, 22, starts for Chiefs Manawa at blindside flanker in the Super Rugby Aupiki final against the Blues at Eden Park.
Despite boasting 15 Black Ferns to 11, Manawa finished second to the Blues after the round-robin and lost the last start to the hosts 40-26 on March 30 in Hamilton.
Anderson isn’t a Black Fern yet, but she played for the Black Ferns XV in their 38-12 win over Manu Sina last year. She has featured in all six Manawa matches and has impressed with her rugged running and abrasive defense.
Manawa started with four consecutive victories but have dropped their past two games.
“We’re our own worst enemies at the moment. We can one hundred percent win this weekend. We’ve put ourselves under unnecessary pressure the last two weeks. We’ve flipped that and been really positive this week,” Anderson said.
“We have an exciting game plan which no one else is doing. It’s been a big learning curve. It’s such a weapon when it works. When it doesn’t work it goes the other way.
“Most teams play a 1-3-3-1 shape. We’ve changed that up and designed it for our skills so we can express ourselves more. It’s about letting the ball do the work. The props for example don’t just run it straight, they’re in motion. It’s hard to explain in words, a bit nerdy actually, but it’s like moving pieces on a chess board quickly and comes intuitively.”
Previously Anderson had never been used as a strike runner from lineouts. The Chiefs lineout is an imposing beast locked by Black Ferns Charmaine Smith and Chelsea Bremner with Anderson a capable jumper. Hooker Luka Connor holds the Aupki record for most tries with 16 in the 13 matches. Most of those have come from lineout drives.
Manawa has made 15 more clean breaks than the Blues with less possession. Black Ferns winger Ruby Tui has run for the most meters in Aupiki.
Chiefs Manawa won the 2022 decider 35-0 against the Blues. It was not an official final but the last round-robin match which Manawa won to top the standings. Connor, Tui, Hazel Tubic, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (potentially playing her 100th first-class match for the Blues), and Langi Veainu scored tries. Kelly Brazier slotted two conversions and two penalties.
Including a 39-12 win over the Blues at Eden Park in 2021 pilot Manawa has the best record of any team in the competition. They have won 11 of 14 matches. The Blues have won 7 of 12.
Manawa was dramatically toppled in the 2023 decider 33-31 in Hamilton by Matatū after leading 19-0 in as many minutes.
Anderson didn’t play that day – she was on maternity leave with her and Tepaea’s boy, Kairewa. She’s no stranger to finals, however. In 2021 Anderson played for Waikato in its 22-20 upset of Canterbury in the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) final. Canterbury beat Waikato 8-7 in 2020, a final in which Anderson also featured.
“It’s going to be like that this weekend; super close, they’re an amazing side. Everyone is going to have to be switched on for 80 minutes to get the job done,” Anderson said.
Anderson has played 19 games for Waikato and enjoyed 16 wins since 2020.
One of four siblings, Anderson’s rugby started as a five-year-old with boys at the Opononi Rugby Football Club on the south side of Hokianga. Her parents have deep roots in Northland. Her father Mark sold his Bridgestone tyre business in Kaikohe and now farms in Kerikeri. Mum Nicole is a board director with governance experience in health, economic, commercial, and Iwi development, conservation, energy, and accreditation. Bodies she’s worked for include Te Runanga A Iwi O Ngāpuhi and the Northland District Health Board.
“I grew up in the country in the middle of nowhere basically. My parents are amazing. I couldn’t tell you everything they’ve done but they drive a mile to watch me play and look after baby,” Anderson said.
“I went to a Kura Kaupapa and then Kerikeri High School where I played heaps of sevens. We went to the Condor Nationals which was awesome.
“In 2019 I was picked for Northland when they restarted in the Farah Palmer Cup. I was so young, but it was so special to be coached by two Black Ferns, Susan Dawson, and Cheryl Waaka.”
Anderson played all seven matches for Northland that season, the Kauri achieving a respectable four wins.
She migrated south to Hamilton to study business and sports science at the University of Waikato in 2020. When Tepaea Cook-Savage walked into the same classroom the chemistry was palpable.
“Baby was a surprise, a bump in the road. I thought it would be so hard, but it’s turned amazing,” Anderson said.
