Rugby: Manawatū Rugby launches women’s academy

Manawatū Women’s Academy player Ffion Barr feeds the Manawatū Wāhine Development XV scrum.

Manawatū Rugby has launched a women’s academy to focus on developing players into future Cyclones.

The 2024 Women’s Academy intake consists of 11 players, six of whom are at secondary school.

The idea of a women’s academy started to gain traction last year during the inaugural Manawatū Wāhine Development XV’s campaign. Coaches noted key players in the squad could be good enough to play for the Cyclones if they had the right kind of support in their rugby and personal lives.

Cyclones and Wāhine Development XV coaches met to discuss where there were gaps in the women’s game locally and identified positions that had the greatest need for player development.

Like the men’s academy, women’s academy players will have access to a strength and conditioning coach, physiotherapy, a nutritionist, mental skills coaching, and the union’s personal development manager for assistance with life outside of rugby.

Many of the academy players have come through Manawatū age-grade representative teams.

Manawatū Rugby women and inclusion lead Kahurangi Sturmey is temporarily overseeing the academy until a women’s performance manager is appointed.

Sturmey says the women’s academy bridges the gap between Manawatū Under-18s and the Cyclones.

“There was a need to provide an opportunity for women and girls to receive the training and professional development support to grow as players,” Sturmey says.

Manawatū Rugby interim chief executive Shaun Eade says establishing the academy is a key part of future-proofing the Cyclones.

“We are hugely ambitious about what our Cyclones programme can achieve, but that requires us to future-proof the programme and not only look at what the team looks like this year, but what it could look like a couple of years into the future.

“It is exciting to see this group come together. We were really heartened by the quality of the inaugural Wāhine Development XV campaign in 2023, and some of the players really stood out and showed their class. It is great to be able to reward them for their performances and hopefully give them the support they need to take the step to the next level.”

Women’s Academy 2024 Intake

Ffion Barr – halfback, Old Boys-Marist

Lashaye Blake-Thompson – hooker, Kia Toa/Manukura

Manaia Blake-Thompson – midfield back, Kia Toa/Manukura

Gracie Donaldson – lock, Wairarapa Wāhine Toa

Anahera Hamahona – flanker, Old Boys-Marist

Kaelyn Ilangana-Latu – halfback, Palmerston North Girls’ High School

Tayma Jahnke – first five-eighth, Freyberg/Palmerston North Girls’ High School

Briahna Roache-Jackson – prop, Old Boys-Marist

Havahna Tuwhangai-Moon – five-eighth/fullback, Kia Toa/Feilding High School

Shakariyah Waiwai – loose forward, Kia Toa/Feilding High School

Kaia Walker-Waitoa – wing/midfield back, Bush