Whitney Hansen: Black Ferns 'need to be multi-dimensional'

After the announcement that she will be taking the reins recently left by Allan Bunting as Black Ferns head coach, Whitney Hansen fronted the media in Auckland to outline the bones of her vision for the team.

While Bunting’s role was announced as Director of Rugby, the title accompanying Hansen’s announcement was head coach, signalling a less overarching leadership role and one more focused on team tactics.

But when the question was put to her, Hansen said she’d embrace both a hands-on coaching role as well as a broader leadership role, building player development and the high-performance pathways.

“I think I’ve got to be both,” she said. “Coming into this space, one of the things around my appointment was a rugby vision, and where that’s going to go. But we’re also in a special time when we’re still developing the pathways.

“Professionalism in the women’s space is still very much in its infancy, and we’re going to have to be good at both of those things.”

Expanding on the pathways topic, the former Matatu head coach said New Zealand’s systems “could absolutely be better”, but added that sentiment applies to women’s programs the world over.

“This has got to be a family; the Black Ferns can’t be standalone. The people who helped to build us absolutely have to be brought in to that and are going to be a special part of making it happen,” she said.

On the coaching side, Hansen acknowledged that the team is coming off a Rugby World Cup campaign in which the semi-final performance left something to be desired.

“I think the reality is our game’s cruel sometimes, it doesn’t always love us back. And at the World Cup, that team didn’t get some of the outcomes that they were working towards.

“But what I do know from the information that I’ve been given so far, and from looking on from the outside, is we’ve had incredible growth in the Black Ferns over the last little while around culture, around athleticism, and around the way we’re playing the game.”

Hansen expressed plenty of excitement for building on the growth her predecessors had achieved, and emphasised the need to push the boundaries further.

“I think where we’re at, and the reality of the game is we’ve got to be ever-evolving, and we’ve got to be multi-dimensional.”

With the evolving nature of women’s rugby, the calendar continues to expand and with it, the opportunity to spend more time together as a team.

But for the new head coach, the room for growth isn’t limited to the time together in camp.

“Time definitely plays a part in that, but I think more than anything, it’s about having a really clear direction in how we want to play, and then being really intentional about how we get after that when we are together, but also what they’re doing when they’re at home.

“That needs to lift, and we need to be better in both of those spaces.”