Nā Hora Kairangi Nicholas tēnei atikara
Netball champion, Paris Lokotui (Ngāi Tahu, Ngati Kuri, Te Rarawa, Tonga) is one of the newest additions to the Matatū squad for the 2026 Super Rugby Aupiki season, joining six other newcomers in a team blending Black Ferns, current players and emerging talent.
“I've got a lot to tick off in terms of winning and one of those is winning Aupiki this year.”
Lokotui’s move marks a high-profile switch of codes. After helping the Mainland Tactix secure their first ANZ Premiership title and reaching 50 domestic netball matches, the 24-year-old is turning her focus back to rugby, a sport embedded in her upbringing.
“When you've got a dad that plays professional rugby travelling around the world, getting to do something he loves, it's really cool and inspiring to see” she says. Her father, Tukulua Lokotui, represented Tonga at two Rugby World Cups, a legacy that continues to shape her ambitions.
“So I thought, why not give rugby a go?” Despite her success in netball and experience representing Aotearoa across multiple sports, Lokotui said the decision to take on rugby came from a desire to test herself.
Matatū head coach Blair Baxter said Lokotui’s transition has been promising, even as she adjusts from the court to the physical demands of rugby. “I've had some really good words from our forward’s coach … she's gonna end up in the scrum. She understands her body in different positions and she’s doing exceptionally”
Lokotui is currently training across multiple forward and backline roles, highlighting her versatility as she adapts to the game.
Her arrival comes as Matatū continues to build toward another title run after winning the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki championship in 2023 and reaching the final again last season. Baxter stepped into the head coach role this year following Whitney Hansen’s promotion to the Black Ferns, signaling a new chapter for the franchise.
“We'll keep building on our culture. I think that's part of the thing we do really well.”
Matatū’s 2026 squad includes seven current Black Ferns and maintains a strong Te Waipounamu identity, with players representing unions across the region. The mix of experience and new talent has created optimism within the camp ahead of the new season.
The competition opens June 13, when Matatū faces Chiefs Manawa in the opening round, an early test for a team with championship ambitions and a newcomer determined to make an impact.
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Kua tapaina te toa poitarawhiti, a Paris Lokotui (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kurī, Te Rarawa, Tonga), hei tētahi o ngā kanohi hou e whitu o te rārangi kapa o Matatū mō te kaupeka Super Rugby Āupiki 2026. Kua uru atu ia ki tētahi kapa e whakakotahi ana i ngā Black Ferns, ngā kaitākaro o nāianei me ngā pūmanawa e piki ake ana.
“I've got a lot to tick off in terms of winning and one of those is winning Aupiki this year.”
He tohu nui tēnei nekehanga nā Lokotui, arā, kua whakawhiti hākinakina ia. Whai muri i tana āwhina i te kapa Mainland Tactix kia riro i a rātou tā rātou taitara tuatahi o te ANZ Premiership, ā, kua eke hoki ia ki ngā kēmu ā-motu e 50. Nōnaianei, kua huri anō tōna aro ki te whutupōro — he hākinakina ā whānau.
“When you've got a dad that plays professional rugby travelling around the world, getting to do something he loves, it's really cool and inspiring to see”.
I whakakanohi tana pāpā, a Tukulua Lokotui, i a Tonga i ngā Whakataetae Whutupōro o te Ao e rua, ā, kei te whakaawe tonu taua taonga tuku iho i āna wawata.
“So I thought, why not give rugby a go?” Ahakoa ōna angitūtanga i te poitarawhiti me tōna wheako hei repe o Aotearoa i roto i ngā hākinakina maha, ko tā Lokotui, nā te hiahia ki te wero i a ia anō i kōkiri ai ia ki te whutupōro.
E ai ki te pouako matua o Matatū, a Blair Baxter, he pai te whanaketanga o Lokotui, ahakoa kei te whakarite tonu ia mai i te kōti ki ngā āhuatanga ā-tinana o te whutupōro. “I've had some really good words from our forward’s coach … she's gonna end up in the scrum. She understands her body in different positions and she’s doing exceptionally”
I tēnei wā, kei te whakangungu a Lokotui i roto i ngā tūranga maha, i mua, i muri hoki, ā, e whakaatu ana i tōna āheinga whānui i a ia e urutau ana ki te kēmu.
Ka tae mai ia i te wā e whakapakari tonu ana a Matatū mō tētahi atu whāinga taitara, whai muri i tā rātou toa i te whakataetae Super Rugby Āupiki i te tau 2023, ā, i eke anō ki te whiringa toa i tērā kaupeka. I eke hoki a Baxter ki te tūranga pouako matua i tēnei tau, whai muri i te tūāteatanga o Whitney Hansen ki te kapa Black Ferns, e tohu ana i tētahi wāhanga hou mō te kapa.
“We'll keep building on our culture. I think that's part of the thing we do really well.”
E whitu ngā Black Ferns o nāianei kei roto i te rārangi kapa o Matatū mō 2026, ā, e mau tonu ana te tuakiri o Te Waipounamu, me ngā kaitākaro e māngai ana i ngā uniana puta noa i te rohe. Nā te whakakotahitanga o te wheako me ngā pūmanawa hou, kua piki te manako i roto i te kapa mō te kaupeka e tū mai nei.
Ā te 13 o Hune ka tīmata te whakataetae, ā, ka tuki rae ki te rae a Matatū me Chiefs Manawa i te rauna tuatahi, he whakamātautau wawe mō tētahi kapa e whai ana i te taitara, me tētahi kaitākaro hou e ū ana ki te whai pānga nui.