Website language
English
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • 日本語
Rugby World Cup 2021 - Symbol
Sign up for the latest news and ticket information.
Sign Up
Worldwide Partners
Worldwide Partners
Rugby World Cup 2021 - Symbol Rugby World Cup 2021 - Symbol Rugby World Cup 2021 - Logo
Listen Live
  • Tickets
  • Matches
  • Knockouts
  • VIDEO
  • Tickets
  • Video
  • Matches
  • Knockouts
  • Teams
  • Stats
  • Store
  • Play Predictor
  • Play Dream Team
  • Where to watch
  • News
  • Officials
  • Visit
  • POI
  • Official App
  • About RWC 2021
  • Hospitality
  • Sustainability
  • ChildFund Rugby
  • Media
  • Qualifying
  • Women In Rugby
  • Contact us
  • ← Rugby World Cup
  • ← World.Rugby
Website language
English
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • 日本語
Website language
English
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • 日本語
  • Play Predictor
  • Play Dream Team
  • Where to watch
  • News
  • Officials
  • Visit
  • POI
  • Official App
  • About RWC 2021
  • Hospitality
  • Sustainability
  • ChildFund Rugby
  • Media
  • Qualifying
  • Women In Rugby
  • Contact us
  • ← Rugby World Cup
  • ← World.Rugby

Our Social Channels

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Latest News
New Zealand v England - Rugby World Cup 2021: Final

Rugby World Cup 2021

The story of the Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup 2021 winning year

We caught up with columnist and Women in Rugby Aotearoa trustee, Alice Soper to discuss an incredible year for New Zealand that ended with the Black Ferns securing a sixth women’s Rugby World Cup title.
Wed 11 January, 2023
· 6 min read
Jessy Trémoulière meets Jessy

Rugby World Cup 2021

‘Try and Stop Us for Children’ helped pupils “discover the world through rugby”

Following the conclusion of Rugby World Cup 2021, we caught up with Olivier Reggiani whose project brought schoolchildren from across the globe together in support of the tournament.
Thu 1 December, 2022
· 2 min read
World Rugby logo - one to use for generic releases

media statement

Independent disciplinary process update: Lydia Thompson (England)

England winger Lydia Thompson has been suspended for three matches having received a red card in the Rugby World Cup 2021 final for an offence pursuant to Law 9.13 (Dangerous tackle).
Tue 22 November, 2022
· 1 min read
New Zealand v England - Rugby World Cup 2021: Final

Rugby World Cup 2021

Rugby World Cup 2021: Tournament in numbers

We look at the vital statistics behind a record-breaking Rugby World Cup 2021.
Tue 15 November, 2022
· 2 min read
New Zealand v England - Rugby World Cup 2021: Final

World Rankings

New Zealand close gap at the top of the World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini

The newly-crowned world champions are within touching distance of England following their epic 34-31 win over the Red Roses in the Rugby World Cup 2021 final.
Mon 14 November, 2022
· 1 min read
Latest Videos
Best Moments Of The Tournament
03:01 mins

Best Moments Of The Tournament

Fri 18 November, 2022
RWC Best Scrums
02:16 mins

RWC Best Scrums

Fri 18 November, 2022
RWC Best Offloads
02:33 mins

RWC Best Offloads

Fri 18 November, 2022
RWC Best Kicks, Steps, Dummies
04:01 mins

RWC Best Kicks, Steps, Dummies

Fri 18 November, 2022
RWC Top Speedsters
01:31 mins

RWC Top Speedsters

Fri 18 November, 2022
Rugby World Cup 2021
Wednesday 21 September, 2022
· 3 min read

Rugby World Cup 2021 Coaching Internship Programme having an impact as kick-off nears

Presented By
We give you an update on the RWC 2021 Coaching Internship Programme, which was launched in September 2020 to help develop inspirational female leaders on the road to New Zealand.
  • label.share.via_facebook_messenger
  • label.share.via_whatsapp
  • label.share.via_facebook
  • label.share.via_twitter
  • label.share.via_copy
    URL Copied

When Rugby World Cup 2021 kicks off in Auckland next month, 10 of the 12 competing nations will have a participant in the Coaching Internship Programme in their backroom team.

Created as part of the 2017-25 Women in Rugby strategic plan, the programme was designed to support World Rugby in its aim to develop inspirational female leaders and hit its ambitious minimum target of 40 per cent of all coaches at RWC 2025 being women.

To that end, Inge Visser (Australia), Maria Gallo (Canada), Lailanie Burnes (Fiji), Michela Tondinelli (Italy), Aya Nakajima (Japan), Claire Cruikshank (Scotland), Laurian Johannes-Haupt (South Africa) and Kate Daley (USA) will all be embedded with their respective teams.

RWC 2021 Coaching Internship Programme alumni Whitney Hansen (New Zealand) and Gaëlle Mignot (France), meanwhile, have been promoted to full-time assistant coaches with their nations in the build-up to the delayed showpiece tournament.

Opening doors

Both Hansen and Mignot remain enrolled on the learning programme and will be invited to the sessions being run on the ground in October and November, as will Alana Thomas, who will be in New Zealand with Australia.

From experiencing it as players to being there in a coaching capacity

Coaches from Fiji, Italy, Japan and Scotland have been selected to join the Rugby World Cup 2021 Coaching Internship Programme

— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) June 1, 2022

The coaching interns will take part in online sessions during the first half of RWC 2021, and those participants whose teams are knocked out of the tournament will stay on for a series of workshops and high-performance visits.

Fellow alumni Sophie Spence (Wales), Céline Allainmat (France) and Amy Turner (England) will also have access to the online sessions and remain part of the network.

“I’m really pleased with how the programme has gone,” World Rugby consultant Carol Isherwood, who is leading the RWC 2021 Coaching Internship Programme, said.

“The programme helps build the coaches’ confidence and competence, but the big change is really raising their visibility and credibility with the players, the other coaches and performance teams. Particularly the people who make decisions within unions.

“The fact that Whitney has been able to prove herself by being with that squad and Amy showing what she can do and what she’s learned, has led to them getting these top roles. Which is exactly what the programme was meant to do.

“It’s not just about fixing the women’s [pathways], it’s about systems and structures and opening the doors so people are aware how good these coaches are and how much value they can add to existing coaching teams.”

RWC 2021 focus

Black Ferns assistant coach Hansen was promoted to that role earlier this year, and she detailed her vision for the team when the hosts’ squad was announced last week.

“We wanted fit, fast, explosive, powerful athletes who were pretty good at rugby,” Hansen said.

“That sounds like a silly thing to say but it's not enough to just be able to scrummage anymore.

“Work rate was massive and character was really important. When you go away for eight or nine weeks together sometimes the right person is the right person.”

Hansen, who is the daughter of men’s Rugby World Cup-winning coach Steve Hansen, has been working closely with her dad’s old All Blacks colleague Wayne Smith.

According to Hansen, Smith has advocated “controlling the controllables” and one area she has looked to focus on ahead of RWC 2021 is the Black Ferns’ set-piece.

“It is about getting those combinations right come lineout time and continually work on our scrum,” she said.

“There’s not a lot of people who we can play against that are going to replicate what we might face when we come up against those Northern Hemisphere teams like England and France, so we’ll be finding ways to challenge the girls.

“We will look to do that by getting in some competition with the likes of Japan in the lead-up but also getting in some scenario stuff with some age group men’s teams.”

Gaining insight

RWC Coaching Internship Programme alumni Amy Turner became the latest participant to secure a senior coaching job when she was appointed Harlequins Women head coach in July.

Turner had combined her place on the programme with her role as England women U20 coach and previously spoke about how much she learned from being part of Simon Middleton’s Red Roses set-up.

“It has been really good to observe and be privy to some conversations that are necessary and needed within a high-performance environment,” she told World Rugby in February.

“Whether that be staff-oriented logistics or recognising the importance of language within the staff group that translates into the player group.

“Being able to observe that has definitely given me a really good, meaningful insight into what it means to be high performance and how to run a high-performance environment.”

Related News
Wallaroos v Fijiana

Rugby World Cup 2021

Rugby World Cup 2021: Find out who will be playing in New Zealand as squads are named

With just over a week to go until Rugby World Cup 2021 kicks off in Auckland, competing nations have named their squads for the tournament.
Wed 21 September, 2022
· 8 min read
Rugby World Cup 2021 - Logo

Teams

Video

News

Volunteer

Tickets

  • Rugby World Cup Limited © 2007 - 2023. All Rights Reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Cookies Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Rugby World Cup
  • World Rugby Media Zone