Harlequins seek redemption, Juggernauts eye maiden title

Last year’s NiuPower Capital Rugby Union Women’s (CRUW) runners-up, the Supreme Industries Harlequins, are on a mission to redeem themselves this season when they take on the resurgent Chemcare Juggernauts in the Open Women’s Grand Final on Saturday, September 6th, 2025, at Santos National Football Stadium.

The Harlequins have been the premiership contenders since the inception of the women’s competition to date. Last year, they were inches closer to stealing the elusive silverware, but the raging FinCorp University Piggies, led by Joanne Lagona and Joanne Butler, shattered the Harlies’ hearts to snatch the inaugural title. 

The Juggernauts also had a decent season last year. They reached the playoffs but bowed out in the semi-final. The women in pink have made three grand final appearances against the Harlies already, but lost all three deciders. However, they asserted their dominance this season and topped the table, planning to take revenge on the Harlies and claim their first title. 

With both sides fighting for the coveted trophy, this match promises to be intense and physical as the players strut their stuff on the pitch to entertain the die-hard rugby fans. The Juggernauts dominated the Harlequins this season, so the jokers have a score to settle with the minor premiers in the big dance.

Losing to the Piggies last year was devastating for the Harlequins, but the Supreme Industries-sponsored women are ready to make amends this weekend, with coach John Pangkatana admitting that he wrote the Harlies off, but they defied the odds and marched to the decider.  

“The ladies struggled a bit during the season but bounced back in the second round. It’s a good feeling because they fought hard to reach the grand final. They were not expected to make the top 4, and I did not expect them to make the top 4 as well, but they proved us wrong,” Pangkatana said. 

Harlequins’ captain Letitia Gabi added: “This will be our third grand final against the Juggernauts, and it’s never been easy. This season, we haven’t beaten them yet, so it will be a very big challenge for us. We spoke about sticking to the basics, playing simple rugby, fine-tuning on where we need to improve, and turning up on game day.”

Juggernauts team manager Scholar Kanau stated that they were heartbroken last year, but they are now ready to mend their broken hearts, saying: “Last year, it was sad we didn’t get the job done. This year, I told the girls to maintain their win, in which they listened to my advice and performed exceptionally well to reach the grand final. I’m proud of my girls.”

Skipper Helen Abau noted that they needed to stick to the game plan, stating: “We are looking forward to getting the basics right to win the grand final this year. We played against the Harlequins three times in the grand final, and they won all 3 deciders. Missing out last year challenged us to work hard this year. We are happy to be in the grand final and look forward to taking revenge on the Harlies.”

With no love lost between the Harlequins and Juggernauts, so much is at stake for both sides. After having their hearts shattered last year by the Piggies, the Harlies are seeking redemption, while the Juggernauts are setting their sights on bagging their inaugural premiership in the club’s history.