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Crystal Kaua talks 'the impossible task as a head coach' ahead of Aupiki season
Chiefs Manawa coach Crystal Kaua quickly garnered huge respect from her players through her direct approach, and it paid off on the field with the team going undefeated up until the final in 2023.
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That was her first year as head coach with the team, having acted as now Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting’s assistant in the team’s championship-winning debut 2022 campaign.
That direct approach extends to her view on the state of the women’s game.
Ahead of the 2024 Super Rugby Aupiki season, New Zealand Rugby announced an extended format for the competition, including longer pre-season, more games, more roster spots and inevitably more pay for the extended time commitments.
While a paid eight-week window prior to pre-season was introduced, the four weeks of pre-season training the teams get before the competition begins is still some way off what is needed, says Kaua.
“Not even a club rugby team gets a window that short for prep for a competition,” she told RNZ. “If you think about the break that’s been since international, since FPC, we have 16 days to prepare athletes to scrum, to go full live into contact and to play the best women in the country. I don’t know any other team in rugby, especially at a semi-professional level, I’d say anywhere in the world that does that.
“My biggest thing is I want the public to understand and the fans to understand what we put together given the hand we are given is spectacular. You watch the quality of rugby at Super level and when people watch our first-round game please note the number of days we’ve had together because that’s the quality of rugby we’re putting together.
“You’re putting together new game plans, new [defence] systems and new attacking structures with that many days. There’s an art to that, creating a culture where people care about each other, enjoy and love the game as well as play good code. It’s almost like the impossible task as a head coach to try navigate it but I think that’s why I love it so much, because it is challenging.”
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While pre-season fixtures against Super W were reportedly being discussed, it looks unlikely to happen now with the season kicking off on March 2.
That is something to potentially look forward to in 2025 – a Rugby World Cup year – along with some other key advancements that Kaua says are needed.
“It’s movement in the right direction but it needs to be better. When you’re looking at players and staff, when ultimately we are coaching seven games of rugby a year and we have our team together for Thursday to Sunday it’s hard to progress one as a coach and two as a player I think we are scraping the surface of potential and so I think we’re doing better than we’ve ever done before, New Zealand Rugby is doing better in the women’s game than we’ve ever done before but we’re still scraping the surface of what we could potentially be.”
As for the season at hand, Kaua and the Chiefs Manawa may be 11 months removed from the 2023 final, but the emotion from the loss is still felt strongly within the team.
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“It’s always going to create a different level of hunger, for me personally I’ve never lacked hunger of learning, of knowledge, of growing, but it deepens that. All coaches lose, all players lose, all teams lose at some point and often from that you get more than the wins so hopefully we see growth.”
Former Chiefs utility back Dwayne Sweeney and former Chiefs Manawa midfielder Carla Hohepa joined the coaching setup for the coming season, and Black Fern Kennedy Simon is set to return as captain.
“Every player we pick every year is what we believe is the best at the time so I believe the people that we’ve picked in our squad are the best people for us based on where we are at today and the way we want to play the game and I thought the exact same thing in the selections last year and so I believe that the people that we’ve picked are here for a reason because they bring something to the table that we need.”
Each player stepping into the environment can expect Kaua’s trademark leadership style in full, one she says is rooted in care.
“It’s just an honesty but with a deep care that underlies that. I think that when people know that you care about them you can say anything and they hear it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
It might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
4 Go to commentsCan we also show some love for Tane Edmed’s fantastic draw and pass? Put his body on the line and committed the defender before letting go of that pass. Flawless skill.
4 Go to commentsYou forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time. For Rassie, a loss is never a loss because he uses it as a chance to learn and improve. Sometimes during a game, again like the England match in last year's Semi Final.
7 Go to commentsDanny don't care. He pretends to care but he don't. He says all this stuff to justify his reasoning but no one can claim that legitimately. He knew exactly what he was doing and wondered if his old team mate would overlook it, which he did. Ref has got to be sidelined or properly trained. It's one thing for refs to move up the ranks but if it was me I would require refs to either have played in different clubs or not at all having the temptation to bias in high stakes games like this. This has got to be stamped out. But then again World Rugby is so destroying the game of rugby in an attempt to be more “safe” and “concussion free”. What they are doing is making it more infuriating for the fans and more difficult for the refs to officiate evenly and consistently. It's fast become Australian Rules football. If guys don't want concussions, they should have played chess. Stop complaining you oldies of the game. When they played the game was vastly heavier hitting than it is now but of course they can't see that.
2 Go to commentsJa, why do Bulls get flack for not bringing their best but Leinster never bring their best and it goes “unnoticed”?
3 Go to commentsIt’ll be very interesting to see how Razor’s AB’s handle the new England rush D. It’s basically the Bok recipe they copied, so if England goes well then we know most likely the Boks will go well too. If England cops a hiding then we’ll have to study and adapt.
7 Go to commentsTypical trait of an australian is to moan. Goes well with there lack of humbleness as evident by the Reds bench on the weekend.
4 Go to commentsSBW’s bro’town commentary and lazy default to hyperbole should be ignored, a technical analyst he is not. Sotutu is a good player when games get goosey loosey, high skill set that fans of Zinzan recall with starry eyes. But you need power and mongrel at no8 in the Test arena and Sotutu gets found wanting there, much like Akira Ioane. No8’s like Zinzan and Ardie have bucketloads of mongrel and power and tenacity which allow the skill sets to flourish.
11 Go to commentsAn inside pass to attacker on the angle can make a drift defence look lead footed. Relies on fleet footed forward/s to get across from the breakdown. An argument for the smaller faster 7 perhaps?
7 Go to commentsSensational tackle. The reds one was late and rightly penalised. The other two were simultaneous with the pass. If nitpicking TMOs can’t find fault there clearly isn’t any.
4 Go to commentsBrumbies fully deserved their win on the back of their physicality and desire to control the ball. Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Tyrel Lomax should be the ABs starting front row when we start our test schedule. They have “come of age” and have bested all they have faced as well as been dominant with ball in hand in making the gainline. With De Groot, Tamaiti Williams and Fletcher Newell backed up by Taukei'aho and Cody Taylor there's not an international front row that can trouble us. Can't wait to face the Boks over there, won't be no one point game this time.
7 Go to commentsKinda strange that he wasn’t with a premiership team or a higher level of rugby? Start playing late or something? With that kind of size and athleticism you’d think someone would have picked him up?
2 Go to commentsShows how much attitude matters. Last week the Brumbies got done, this week they dominated the tournament leaders, who were likely thinking they could cruise to victory.
7 Go to commentsA Turtle has more pace and leg drive than Owen Franks, so it’s a good thing he only had to run 90 metres for that try.
2 Go to commentsOh Tamati Tua was in the vastly over-rated Leon MacDonalds Blues system? Well, no wonder he was wasted, much like Emoni Narawa and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens under MacDonald. now look at them. Good thing Tua isn’t eligible, the Aussies latch on to any player who isn’t tied down.
7 Go to commentsMark Telea is a lot of things, but a defensive juggernaut has never been one of them. There will be far bigger tests in that regard for the youngster.
11 Go to commentsLove and respect to Fiji but not a chance outside of 7s
4 Go to commentsGood summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
7 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
7 Go to comments