'It's really distressing': NZR responds to allegations against Black Ferns coach
New Zealand Rugby [NZR] has responded to allegations made by Black Ferns veteran Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate against the team’s head coach Glenn Moore.
Ngata-Aerengamate, a 32-test hooker who was part of New Zealand’s 2017 World Cup-winning team, took to social media on Monday to reveal she had a mental breakdown during her side’s recent winless tour of England and France in November.
The Black Ferns suffered their four heaviest defeats in history last month, less than a year out from the World Cup in New Zealand.
Ngata-Aerengamate said that during the squad’s time abroad last month, she had a mental breakdown “in front of everyone”.
The 30-year-old claimed her breakdown came after years of mental struggles since her Black Ferns debut in 2013, before making a series of allegations against Moore, the former Highlanders head coach and Blues assistant who has been in charge of the Black Ferns for six years.
Ngata-Aerengamate said that during her time in the Black Ferns, Moore has said to her she had been selected but didn’t deserve to be in the team, that he was embarrassed for her, and that he couldn’t tell her worth in the squad.
She claimed Moore asked her what her students would think of her, and that she was sworn at for wearing her jacket around her hips, yelled at running to rucks, and for how she ran the ball.
Ngata-Aerengamate added that she was recently told that she was only picked in the Black Ferns to play the guitar, and that anything she did she felt like she was doing wrong.
She said these alleged comments led her to go crazy as she claimed she underwent anger management after experiencing anxiety and hyperventilation for the first time in her life.
“I could hear these comments in my mind as I threw the ball,” she captioned her social media post.
“My confidence and self esteem was so low that it made me play like I was walking on egg shells and was constantly too scared to express myself. I invited self doubt and insecurities; some being unbearable to look myself in the mirror.
“The reality is that I had been defeated and it was so dark that I could no longer see my why. I had forgotten about the 5-year-old girl who started playing rugby with her cousins 25 years ago.
The Black Ferns veteran has gone public with her ordeal after becoming ‘mentally ill’ with the sport. https://t.co/8kjvwKjqtn
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 6, 2021
“I let the words over the years get to me, the words became the flesh.
“Lesson is, never let anyone dim your light. Be proud of who you are. If you are treated unfairly, hit them up unapologetically because at the end of the day it’s your mana on the line.
“I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m still a person and at the very least deserve to be treated with respect.”
A day after Ngata-Aerengamate’s post, NZR general manager of performance Chris Lendrum told media that her allegations against Moore were “really distressing”, “very serious” and “thought-provoking”.
“My first reaction is it’s really distressing to read. You never like to see any human describe their own situation in the way that Te Kura has,” Lendrum said.
“We feel for her. Our first priority is to make sure she is okay. Clearly we take any issues raised like this very seriously.”
Lendrum said he had been in contact with Moore for “an initial conversation” on Tuesday and said that he is “distressed and upset” by the allegations made him by Ngata-Aerengamate.
“I think it’s really important for me to acknowledge we’ve got duties to everyone involved in this case,” Lendrum said.
“Glenn is a long-serving employee of New Zealand Rugby and Te Kura is a long-serving Black Fern and they’ve worked together for a long time.
“We’ve got some work ahead of us to explore this issue as part of the review. Glenn will be part of that. It’s a tough time for him and his whanau as well absorbing those comments.
“We’ve had an initial conversation but we have to get our processes right in order to get to the bottom of this situation and I don’t want to pre-judge any of that now.”
All Blacks star Will Jordan has identified where his side need to improve next year after finishing their 2021 season with successive defeats to Ireland and France. #AllBlacks https://t.co/wem4rpmBE3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 7, 2021
Lendrum added that is was “concerning” that Ngata-Aerengamate felt the need to address her challenges on social media, despite the presence of a mental skills specialist, who is a qualified psychologist and doctor, on the Black Ferns tour.
“Last night’s post was a surprise, definitely. We’re a big environment and we’re not immune to mental health challenges. Sometimes they can come into the workplace and sometimes they can be triggered by other things,” he said.
“Whilst we’re really confident in the support structures we have they are never a guarantee of outcomes. That’s the case for any part of society.
“There was a lot of support available for Te Kura but she’s detailed the challenges she faced on that tour and it’s not nice reading for anybody.
“I’m not aware of other issues being raised by players at the moment but our team management and the culture of the Black Ferns will be at the core of our review.
“It is concerning that in spite of those range of outlets Te Kura felt making her comments on social media was how she needed to have her voice. When we get the opportunity to sit down with her we’ll try to understand why that was a necessary step for her.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments