Three-time Super Rugby winning head coach will lead Fiji into new era

Three-time Super Rugby Aupiki winning head coach Willie Walker has signed on to be head coach of Fiji Women.

Walker has enjoyed established success with the Blues Women in New Zealand since Super Rugby Aupiki’s establishment in 2021, and led them to consecutive titles in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

The 48-year-old concluded his time at the Blues with a win over the NSW Waratahs in a close-fought Super Rugby Champions final in Sydney.

Walker said: “It is a privilege to be entrusted with leading the Vodafone Fijiana XV. Fiji has an incredible rugby culture and a talented group of athletes with enormous potential.

“I look forward to working with the players, management and Fiji Rugby to continue building a high-performance environment that inspires success and makes the people of Fiji proud.”

Walker has had a taste of women’s international rugby in 2025 when he led the Black Ferns XV. In the same year Walker was names ASB National Women’s Coach of the Year at the 2025 New Zealand Rugby Awards.

There will be no time for Walker to settle, with the Fijiana taking on South Africa across the next fortnight in Suva and Lautoka.

It is hoped that Walker will build on the unions pre-existing women’s rugby programme, strengthen coaching pathways, establish robust systems and contribute to the long-term success of women’s rugby in Fiji.

During his playing career Walker earned selection for the New Zealand Maori and represented the Highlanders, Gloucester Rugby and Worcester Warriors.

Upon his departure from the Blues, the team’s General Manager of Rugby, Murray Williams, said: “Willie leaves an enormous legacy at this club. To take a team from its very first game to three consecutive titles speaks to the calibre of coach and person he is.

“He’s not just built a winning team; he’s built a culture that players want to be part of, and that will be his lasting mark on the nib Blues.

“We’re grateful for everything he’s given this club, and while we’re sad to see him go, we understand why an opportunity like this is one he had to take. We wish Willie and his family all the very best, and he will forever have a home at this club.”