Every road in the season leads here, and on Saturday 25 October at Aorere Park, Finals Day delivered a champion. Sale'imoa lifted the Cup, the union's premier title, capping one of the great finals runs and being crowned 2025 champions in front of the whole community.
Few would have picked it. Marist Old Boys went into the Cup Final unbeaten and as the clear form side, having powered through the finals with a 57-10 quarter-final and a 42-27 semi-final. But Sale'imoa had earned their place the hard way, upsetting B/Y Vaiala in the quarter-finals and edging Vaimoso 32-27 in the semis, and on the day that mattered most they finished the job, taking the Cup and the Shield.
It was a champion's run built on belief: a side that peaked exactly when it counted, and a village that backed them every step of the way.
The silverware was shared around. B/Y Vaiala (Vaiala NZ) won the Plate, and Leulumoega-Tuai claimed the Bowl, so three villages went home with trophies and every team finished the season with meaningful finals rugby. It is the union's three-bracket format at its best: every village gets its day.
The union thanked all the finalists and teams for completing the 2025 season, and all its sponsors and grant funders. Finals Day is the union at its best: aiga everywhere, every village represented, and a season's worth of mana decided on the field. Malo Sale'imoa. Champions 2025.
Tautua mo Sāmoa
