Look for a new USA Women’s National 15s Team Head Coach to be named as early as Christmas
A varied pool of applicants have applied and the application window is expected to close by the end of the month. Then the sifting through the applicants begins.
USA Rugby HP Director Tamra Sheppard echoed the opinions of players that consistency is hugely important for the program, especially after a short period between the last two World Cups (with the 2021 tournament being delayed until 2022) and a delay in getting Sione Fukofuka signed on things were just in flux for far too long.
Fukofuka has now stepped away, in part due to family reasons that are totally understandable, but what this presents is a chance, as GRR put it to Sheppard, to get someone to sign on for four years.
Sheppard replied, “yes, or longer.”
And in a way that’s a departure from what has been the MO in some international coaching quarters—the old idea was to bring in a coach for a finite period. But what if you brought someone in and hoped that she or he would be there for eight years? That might be better.
It’s also clear that being a quote-unquote “women’s coach” isn’t necessary. No one would say John Mitchell was a specialist women’s coach and the former All Black’s and USA Eagles men’s HC just led England to a women’s Rugby World Cup championship.
“We are recruiting a coach that will see us through the next World Cup,” said Sheppard, or, the implication is, further. “And we want someone who will connect the game model of the Eagles through the pathway, and be visible. But, ultimately, we want the best coach in the right environment to take those girls through to the next World Cup and possibly beyond. You know, we’ve got an eight-year runway to a home World Cup.”
And the Eagles need to perform better.
But how much better? Sheppard, who was in the meeting room with the USA team when they essentially said goodbye to their World Cup hopes is not afraid to say she shed a tear in that meeting. The players had put so much into it. But at the same time, they were very close to a quarterfinal spot. A tie against Australia would have been a win.
“We actually passed the ball the most, so we shifted the ball. Our accuracy in set piece play and some other measurements were very favorable compared to other teams," explained Sheppard.
