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Super Rugby Aupiki coaches confirmed for 2024 season
Some new faces will lead Super Rugby Aupiki teams in 2024, as various movements reshape the coaching landscape in the penultimate season before 2025’s Rugby World Cup.
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The ever-expanding Aupiki competition will feature in its longest format to date in 2024, with two preseason games followed by six weeks of round-robin action culminating in a final.
The squads have been expanded by two players each to now offer teams 30 roster spots while the minimum pay of contracted players has doubled.
The two Super Rugby competitions from either side of the Tasman are yet to merge but New Zealand Rugby General Manager Professional Rugby and Performance Chris Lendrum revealed the potential of a first step in that direction could take place in the 2024 preseason.
“There remains potential in the future to combine in some way with Super W in Australia and that will continue to be explored. In the short term, we are hopeful we will arrange some preseason fixtures with our trans-Tasman rivals.”
Those details are yet to be revealed and so too are the Aupiki 2024 squads. The coaches however are locked and loaded for the respective campaigns.
Matatu
Rugby royalty flows through the blood of incoming Matatu head coach Whitney Hansen, who is promoted to the top job in 2024 after acting as assistant in this year’s title-winning effort as well as 2022’s debut season.
Hansen takes over from Blair Baxter, who has accepted a role with China Women’s 7’s side as Assistant Coach, as they seek qualification for the 2024 Olympics.
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The daughter of former All Black head coach Steve Hansen, Whitney was an assistant under Sir Wayne Smith in last year’s Rugby World Cup-winning Black Ferns campaign. She also coached the Black Ferns XV in the team’s debut match against Samoa this year.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue Matatu’s journey, to build on the foundation we have, and support our people to be the best they can be,” she said in a statement.
“We’re underpinned by our commitment to high work ethic, strong connections, and a dedication to adding positively to a growing legacy.
“There will always be things year on year we look at doing differently, but in large part we will continue to look deeply at how we can keep getting better as a group and as individuals.”
Matatu general manager Sarah Munro labelled Hansen “a natural leader who challenges the norm to grow the wahine (women’s) game and lives our Matatutanga (values) every day”.
One of Matatu’s 2023 assistants, Tony Christie, landed a role with the Black Ferns under Allan Bunting’s new staff while another, Dan Cron was an assistant with Tonga at the recent men’s Rugby World Cup in France.
Hurricanes Poua
Victoria Grant will be absent from the Hurricanes Poua’s 2024 Super Rugby Aupiki campaign as she welcomes the birth of her second child.
The former Black Ferns captain will return as head coach in 2025, and fulfil the role of director of rugby in the meantime.
Ngatai Walker will assume the head coaching role for 2024, becoming the third coach in as many years for the Wellington team after stints with the Taranaki development side and Maori U18s. Former Black Ferns Melodie Bosman and Emma Jensen will join him in the coach’s box.
Ngatai, a lifelong Hurricanes fan, said landing the role was a “huge honour”.
“The Hurricanes region is my whakapapa,” he said. “Some of my earliest memories of going to rugby games are with my family at Athletic Park and Sky Stadium as we have been season ticket holders with the Hurricanes from the beginning.
“Now, to be able to build off the foundational work that Victoria and the team have put in over the first two years of Aupiki is exciting and humbling.”
The 44-year-old enters the role with a glowing endorsement from Grant.
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“I’m definitely going to miss our people the most and not being a part of the daily hustle and bustle of the team environment. I’m looking forward to the birth of our second child and having the space to enjoy the first few months with baby,” she said.
“My focus this season will then eventually shift to a bird’s eye view as director of rugby. I am grateful that I will still be able to contribute to the growth in our team through continuing to build on the foundations that have been set over the past two years.”
Blues
The Auckland side are running it back in 2024, with the club announcing no changes from their 2023 campaign’s coaching staff.
Head Coach Willie Walker, who guided Auckland to Farah Palmer Cup glory earlier in the year, will once more enjoy the assistance of Linda Itunu, Carlos Spencer and Census Johnston.
“We didn’t quite get the results we wanted last season, but I took heart from what I saw both on and off the field – we’ve got something to work with for sure,” said Walker.
“It’s great to have Linda, Carlos and Census back with us for another season. It gives us a level of consistency with familiar voices and processes which will help us to hit the ground running when we come together in February.”
Blues Head of Performance Development, Chad Shepherd, expressed a similar sentiment to Walker in regards to building on last season.
“This coaching group will benefit from a year together, coupled with the fact they’ll have a large number of returning players to work with and develop,” said Shepherd.
“Willie, Linda, Carlos and Census’ personalities and skill sets complement each other and their values align with those of the club, understanding the importance of people, connections and excellence.
“Sport is very much about relationships and we feel this group of coaches have the relationships in place to push our nib Blues wahine forward in 2024.”
Chiefs Manawa
Crystal Kaua returns as head coach for the Chiefs Manawa in 2024 after a 2023 season where her team won everything but the final.
It was a spectacular debut head coach season at Super Rugby level for Kaua, who succeeded new Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting following last year’s Rugby World Cup.
Prior to her promotion to the top job, Kaua operated as the team’s set piece coach and before that, she was leading Hamilton Girls High to three consecutive Condor Sevens national titles and 2 Super Four National 15s titles.
“This region means a lot to me,” she said upon re-signing for the 2024 season. “I have spent thousands of hours on the grass as a player and coach, deeply connected to the high school, club and provincial teams that I have been a part of.
“It’s always a privilege to whakamana a group of wahine toa. The final was tough last year but we know every player and staff member that went through that will come into this season better, there will be another layer of edge, of resilience, of hunger, of connectedness. That was our first loss in our three-year history. Personally, it’s made me dig deep over the off-season, look hard at myself and how I can be better, and how we as a management and team can be better.
“We have a skilled and uncompromising playing group, who by nature play with both brutality and beauty. Ultimately we want to dominate rugby and grow mana in the process, for our players and our management, for our communities and women’s rugby as a whole. ”
Comments on RugbyPass
“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments