It is a stark turnaround for Matatū from last year’s inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki season — one flanker Kendra Reynolds is wholeheartedly embracing.
The addition of Dan Cron as scrum coach has paid dividends, helping the team front up physically.
"I guess if we’re honest with ourselves, last year we got physically bullied," Reynolds said.
"He’s really, really working on our physicality at the breakdown area and I think that’s showing.
"We’re able to stay in the physical fight longer, take out more players in that area and we’re effecting a few breakdown turnovers."
That, combined with assistant coach Tony Christie’s work on transition attack, has elevated Matatū to another level and secured second spot in the standings.
Matatū plays the Blues in the first semifinal tomorrow in Auckland.
The South Island team will be filled with confidence, having beaten the Blues 33-31 earlier this season.
Reynolds, who has been a workhorse for her side, wanted Matatū to "pull out" an 80-minute performance this week.
"We don’t want to look too far past this game. We are throwing everything at this game.
"The Blues have a few exceptional players. A lot of us have been their team-mates in the Black Ferns.
"It’s kind of fun because you know what players are going to do, but in the same [time] they probably know what we’re going to do.
"I think it really is just going to be a battle out there."
Matatū’s fortunes have changed this year — after going winless in the inaugural season — and Reynolds, who is a Black Fern, believed it was on the back of the momentum from the Rugby World Cup.
It helped that players and staff were having open conversations, resulting in better connections on and off the field.
"We’ve been doing a lot of work on having upfront, courageous conversations and demanding the best out of everyone.
"Whereas I feel in the past we probably held back a little bit.
"The group down here are truly connected."
