Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse have stormed into the ANZ Premiership Grand Final with an assertive 58-44 victory over their closest rivals, Trident Homes Tactix, at the TSB Arena in Wellington on Monday night.
Take a look at the three match-ups coming in Round 15 of the 2024 ANZ Premiership.
Hosting rights for the ANZ Premiership Grand Final will be determined in the last round of the regular season with the Trident Homes Tactix and Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse fighting for the honour.
Flexing their credentials, the MG Mystics remain well on track to secure a place in the Finals Series after a comprehensive 68-58 win over the table-topping Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse in Auckland on Saturday.
Based in Wellington, the Pulse were formed in 2007 and represent the Netball Central Zone which embodies Hawke’s Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, Taranaki and Wellington Regions. The Central Zone has 13 Netball Centres.
Following their merger from two former National Bank Cup teams, the Capital Shakers and the Western Flyers, the Pulse subsequently became founder members of the new trans-Tasman competition, the ANZ Championship which heralded the introduction of the semi-professional era in 2008.
When that league ended in 2016, they have since represented Netball Central in the ANZ Premiership which started in 2017.
Singapore head coach Kate Carpenter was appointed the Pulse’s first coach with Frances Solia becoming the team’s first player and captain.
The Pulse hosted the first match of the semi-professional era but had little joy in those early years. That all changed with the introduction of the New Zealand standalone ANZ Premiership in 2017 when the Pulse established themselves as a dominant force.
Breaking their duck to win an elusive first-ever title at the elite level in 2019, the Pulse backed that up with further wins in 2020 and 2022, all under coach Yvette McCausland-Durie.
Yellow and black are the Pulse’s traditional colours but they also play in an alternative green strip, designed by their principal partners Te Wānanga o Raukawa.
The Pulse’s home venues are TSB Arena, Wellington, Te Rauparaha in Porirua, and Fly Palmy Arena in Palmerston North.