Black Ferns Women’s Sevens coach appointed
New Zealand Rugby have announced that Allan Bunting has been appointed as the new Women’s Sevens Coach of the Olympic silver medal winning Black Ferns Sevens.
Making the announcement, New Zealand Rugby General Manager of Rugby Neil Sorensen said that promoting Bunting to the head coach position was about ensuring continuity for an already successful team. “We are very excited to have a coach of Allan’s caliber lead the Black Ferns Sevens. To build on the successful foundation that is already in place. Allan brings a fresh long term vision to achieve our key strategic aim which is to win gold in Tokyo.”
With the knowledge that Bunting (above) already holds, the transition to head coach should be a positive step. Familiar with all the girls, he will have a head start in gaining the players confidence – a critical component that should amount to immediate buy-in from players.
New Women’s Sevens Coach Announced
Former coach Sean Horan vacated the position in September, after guiding the women’s team into the professional era. Claiming the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens title in Russia, his decision to leave the year before the next Sevens Rugby World Cup (in Dublin, 2017) means Allan Bunting will have his hands full.
“I want to build on the existing culture and grow a player-led environment. One that thrives on being challenged and is focused on enjoying our journey; a team culture based on whanaungatanga [relationships],” he told the Rotorua Daily Post.
His primary short-term goal will be preparing the extended squad for the upcoming Dubai Sevens event, on December 1-2. That will begin the five round HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, in which the Kiwi side finished third last year. For 2016/17, Australia and England enter the series as the two favourites.
Bunting, along with current women’s captain Sarah Goss (pictured below) will need to study the opposition and plan for a new phase in the team’s history. Goss, along with Portia Woodman, Niall Williams and Tyler Nathan-Wong (also pictured below) will aim to return the women to the top of the world standings. That means good preparation, selection and a collected goal to achieve in 2016/17.
Allan Bunting – mini biography
Allan Bunting has been the assistant coach of the Black Ferns Sevens team since March 2012. During this period, the squad have won three Sevens Series titles, the Women’s Sevens Rugby World Cup and silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Allan has previously been the skills coach for the All Blacks Sevens men’s side, and assistant coach for the Wellington Lions Sevens.
A professional rugby player from 1999 to 2009, Bunting himself played for the national men’s Sevens team, the Chiefs, the Bay of Plenty Steamers and Tokyo Gas in Japan.
____________________________________________________________________
In terms of the men’s side, the situation is not as straight-forward. The team, whose head coach Sir Gordon Tietjens resigned after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, is yet to have a new leader appointed. There is a pause in proceedings, with a noticeable delay in his replacement, which has some concerned.
Since August, when Tietjens and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) parted ways, the assumption has been that a decision would come easily. There are multiple options; good candidates must have put their cases to NZR for the role. So why do we still not know who will coach the men’s team?
This delay in naming the coach is unnecessary
From the outside looking in, LWOR cannot assume the decision making process. What fans do know, is this: the Men’s sevens team is one of the premier commodities of the organisation. 12-time Sevens Series champions, multiple Sevens Rugby World Cup winners, Commonwealth Games gold medalists and greatly respected under the Tietjens reign. The All Black Sevens reputation was hard to achieve, and we’ll respected but that could all be too easily lost now, by an indecisive management appointment.
If that is to remain, then attention must be given to the sport – both Men’s and Women’s sides. Their inability to win either Gold medal in Rio must direct the organization to invest in strategies to reverse that outcome before 2020.
With the women’s head coach being named first, can we assume that there has been difficulties in deciding on the right candidate? Are there issues with the players, or the management structure?
And how have senior players Scott Curry, Tim Mikkleson and DJ Forbes been consulted in this process? The men on the field have much to offer, and fans would hope that they hold a considerable amount of sway in the final placement.
The right person must be selected, right now
Selection of both coach and players is key to success, obviously. The person must be suitable, must be popular and must be agreeable to the existing group. They must also be available–news that Clark Laidlaw, 38, is said to be highly regarded, puts him high up on a shortlist. Other reports indicate a clash of contracts might be one reason the announcement has not occurred sooner [unconfirmed].
Other names mentioned are Scott Waldrom and Sean Horan, but even if the list is small, some wonder if the full month of contemplation taken is too long. New Zealand Rugby High Performance Manager Don Tricker would have had a full-plate; with both Sevens head coaching positions to fill, but the timeline is quickly running short.
The start of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is on December 2-3; less than a month away, and yet only the Women’s team head coach has been named. Less than ample time for any proficient coach to organize, plan for and instigate a ten round, International quality Sevens competition.
NZ Rugby decision pending
Expect an announcement next week. Possibly Tuesday, and you would expect the organisation to act fast. Really fast, as time is running short. The successful candidate may in fact already know that they have the role–that would be a positive step.
The All Black Sevens – the most successful sevens rugby side – has some catching up to do. Although players will surely have been assigned personalized performance programs, their motivation may be the one factor poorly managed.
I know a lot of other countries are already playing 7s tourneys. But if any1 can front it's NZ
— Karl Tenana (@KT_Ten10) November 3, 2016
A comment on social media by Karl Te Nana shows that ‘NZ7s’ supporters still believe they can meet the challenge ahead. Now the organization that is supposed to provide the leadership, resources and inspiration needs to ‘play their part’.
Selecting the right coach is their first step toward that.
“Main photo credit”
