The Blues have defeated the Waratahs 36-5 to be crowned champions after the inaugural clash between the Super Rugby Women and Super Rugby Aupiki winners. The Blues and Waratahs faced off in the first Super Rugby champions final and had to deal with awful conditions in Auckland due to Cyclone Tam. It was the home side who could deal with the wind and rain the best, winning 36-5. Blues captain Maiakawanakaulani Roos described herself as “so proud” when reflecting on the victory. “We have such a beautiful group of girls. We’ve worked hard all season and to be able to have the opportunity to play against our Tasman sisters was really cool,” she told Sky Sport NZ on Stan Sport’s coverage. “It’s a really big step towards growing the game and we’re just so happy to be here and take the win.” Teenage star Braxton Sorensen-McGee started the party for the Blues when she collected the ball 35 metres out from the line. The fullback broke the tackle of Waratahs winger Jade Sheridan and stepped past halfback Tatum Bird to score a brilliant solo try. Sorensen-McGee had scored the winner in the Aupiki final. As the wind swirled and rain continued to come down, the Blues moved ahead with Elizabith Moimoi making it 12-0. Once again, Sorensen-McGee showed her class in the 27th minute, running from halfway and throwing a dummy to fool Caitlyn Halse before scoring. At half-time, the Blues led 19-0. Domination from the home side continued when centre Portia Woodman-Wickliffe bulldozed her way over. Moments later the Blues were denied another try after Tahs second-rower Kaitlan Leaney was judged to have been obstructed after the lineout before Taufa Bason crossed the line. However, the Blues were in a mood to seal it. Just after their players had been captured playing up for the cameras on the sideline, the biggest cheer came when Cheyenne Tuli-Fale scored. The Blues turned over the ball in the ruck and immediately shifted to the right. The ball went through five sets of hands with seven passes all up. Tuli-Fale then beat three defenders to score and make it 31-0. Finally, the Waratahs were on the board through Desiree Miller who won the race to a kick from Arabella McKenzie. The Blues had the last hurrah, though, when Krysten Cottrell dived over in the corner to seal a 36-5 championship victory. Despite the disappointment, Waratahs captain Emily Chancellor described the occasion as a “huge honour”. “As you might be able to tell from the way we played, we haven’t had a lot of practice in those sorts of conditions in Australia this season, so it was a really difficult game, but it was also really fun,” she said. As Super Rugby powerbrokers ponder what’s next after the inaugural championship clash, Roos had three simple wishes. “More support, more resources and more games against the Aussies,” she said. SOURCE: Wide World of Sports