Gallagher High Performance Academy 2024 Female Coaches Announced

World Rugby have today announced that Yoko Suzuki will join the Japan coaching set-up as part of the Gallagher High Performance Academy linked to the WXV2 2024 competition, and is one of 11 female coaches that will head to WXV 2024 as part of the programme.

Yuka Kanematsu, who was also recently announced as the new Head Coach of the Japan Women’s Sevens team, is a previous Academy coach and her appointment means that a third of coaches for the women’s teams on HSBC SVNS Series 2025 will be female for the first time.

Samoan Bella Milo was also selected and she has been playing and coaching rugby in Hong Kong since 2015. She is now the player/coach and general manager at Valley RFC.

World Rugby and Gallagher confirmed the 2024 batch of coaches who will benefit from the “fully immersive global development and leadership programme” which is dedicated to enhancing the prominence of female coaches heading into Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025.

The Gallagher High Performance Academy has supported 26 female coaches since 2023 and Gallagher said online, “Gallagher is proud to be the founding partner of the Gallagher High-Performance Academy – a global immersive programme, improving the pathway for female coaches and other high-performance roles in women’s rugby.”

Some of the success stories since WXV 2023 when coaches were embedded, include:

• Larissa Muldoon has taken on the role of Assistant Backs and Attacks Coach for Ireland at the Guinness Women’s Six Nations and also became the Head Coach of Ireland U18s.
• Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin coached the Gwalia Lightning in the Celtic Challenge and progressed to the position of Defence Coach for Wales U18s and U20s.
• Emma DeLory was selected to travel with Canada as a coach for World Rugby’s Pacific Four Series in 2024 following her involvement in the HSBC SVNS Series.
• Patricia Garcia Rodriguez was named as Assistant Coach of the Women’s Barbarians team that played the Springbok Women before WXV 2024.

Who Are The Gallagher High Performance Academy 2024 Coaches

World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox said: “We are delighted to welcome the 11 coaches joining us for the next edition of this vital programme. The Gallagher High Performance Academy has been pivotal in advancing the careers of female rugby coaches, and it has been inspiring to follow the progress of the participants so far.

We know that one of the barriers to growing girls’ and women’s rugby is the lack of female coaches in the sport. The GHPA plays a critical role in helping us to address this.”

The 11 coaches announced are:

• Australia – Gill Bourke
• Canada – Carolyn McEwen
• Fiji – Tavaita Rowati
• Italy –  Michela Merlo
• Ireland – Maz Reilly
• Japan – Yoko Suzuki

Yoko is a former Japan 7s and XV international who stopped playing due to injury in 2023. “I realised that I wanted to be a coach when I first started teaching rugby to primary school children. I really enjoyed it, and the opportunity to be able to grow every day,” Suzuki told World Rugby. 

• Madagascar – Dina Razafindratsara
• Netherlands – Elke van der Meer
• Samoa – Bella Milo

Bella has been to three Women’s Rugby World Cups – as a fly-half playing with Samoa in 2006 and 2014 and as Hong Kong China’s assistant coach at RWC 2017. “You have to understand everyone’s ‘whys’. The team has to buy into the same goals and take accountability for each other. You also have got to have fun doing it, both on and off the pitch, through social challenges and hard work.” 

• Scotland –  Claire Cruikshank
• Wales – Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin

Horox added, “We set ourselves the ambitious goal of achieving 40% female coaches in the coaching teams at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. It is encouraging to see that we are on track to meet this target. This initiative reflects both our and Gallagher’s unwavering commitment to fostering diversity and striving for gender equity in rugby.”

Rugby Development and Partnership News 2024

• Fans Guide To HSBC SVNS Series 2024-2025.
• England Touch CEO Chris Simon was Appointed Chief Operating Officer of FIT.
• World Rugby Extends Partnership With Two Circles.
• Gallagher Announced As Official Partner of Women’s Rugby, WXV and RWC 2025.