Steve Hansen shares pride at daughter Whitney's Black Ferns appointment

Coaching great Sir Steve Hansen sees a big opportunity before the Black Ferns after appointing Whitney Hansen, his daughter, to the head coaching role for 2026 and ’27.

It was announced on Friday that the younger Hansen would leave Matatu and succeed Allan Bunting as head coach of the New Zealand national side, becoming the second woman to occupy the top job after Vicky Dombroski in 1994.

The rugby pedigree is evident, and Hansen’s individual coaching journey has seen her join the Black Ferns as an assistant coach for the all-conquering 2022 Rugby World Cup, serve as a head coach for Matatu in Super Rugby Aupiki, and serve as the inaugural head coach for the Black Ferns XV.

“We’re all very proud of her, as we are of all our children,” Steve Hansen told D’Arcy Waldegrave on Newstalk ZB following the announcement.

“She’s worked really hard, and she’s been pretty deliberate about when she’s wanted to have a crack at the job. She thinks she’s ready, and obviously, other people do too. It’s a wonderful opportunity for her, and as I say, we’re all very, very proud of her.”

While there’s a wealth of knowledge within the family for her to tap into, Whitney’s decision to put her hat in the ring for the Black Ferns role was made without any influence from Steve.

“No, she’s her own person,” he reflected when asked if Whitney had sought his counsel on the bid. “She knows what she wants to do and when she wants to do it. I think it’s important that your kids make their own decisions about where they want to go and what they want to do, so we’re just there to support when we need to, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Speaking to the media on Friday, Whitney reflected on her late arrival to rugby and her father’s influence on her career. For Steve, any advice he has to offer is already well-known to the next generation of the Hansen dynasty. While he offered some words of wisdom regardless, he said the insights would be nothing new.

“It’s different to normal in-competition rugby,” he said of the international arena. “There’s a lot more pressure, a lot more scrutiny, but you’ve got to stick to your own processes and stick to the things that you know work. But also be flexible and trust the people you’ve got working with you. She knows all that anyway.”

The Black Ferns have 11 Test matches in 2026, a full slate that includes historic fixtures in Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium against France and in Johannesburg against South Africa on the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.

It’s a demanding, new-look calendar for a first-year head coach, but that’ll suit Hansen just fine, according to her dad.

“There’s not (a soft introduction), but you wouldn’t want there to be, either. If we’re going to do women’s rugby, then we need to support it to the fullest.

“It’s its own brand, in its own right, I think. It’s a separate brand to the All Blacks, and it stands alone on its own two feet. It’s capable of doing that if marketed properly and played properly.

“They’ve got a big opportunity, her and the team, to go to that next level.”