Rotoiti women's coach Victoria Grant is moving to Japan to coach the Tokyo Phoenix. Photo / File
Rotoiti women's coach Victoria Grant is moving to Japan to coach the Tokyo Phoenix. Photo / File
Ever since her days of playing rugby finished, Rotorua's Victoria Grant has been working hard at the craft of coaching.
She has steadily progressed through the Bay of Plenty and New Zealand Rugby ranks and now a professional Japanese sevens team has come calling.
Grant left New Zealand this week to take up a four-month role as the head coach of the Tokyo Phoenix, who play in the Japanese national Sevens championship.
Since hanging up her boots she has coached the Rotoiti premier women's team, the Bay of Plenty women's sevens team, the New Zealand under-18 Sevens team and is the current Black Ferns Sevens Development head coach. She says it is her current role which has given her the exposure to be recognised by a club like the Phoenix.
"It's an opportunity to coach fulltime and for me to get paid to coach is pretty exciting. It can help me develop my craft, it will be a massive learning experience.
"My family is coming as well, my husband and my daughter, that was a massive part of the deal which made me decide to go. It's also only four months so it works in well with family life and stuff."
It will not be a totally unfamiliar environment. Grant has been to Japan twice with the Black Ferns Sevens Development team - in 2017 as assistant coach and earlier this year as head coach.
Victoria Grant (third from right) with the rest of the Black Ferns Sevens Development coaching team. Photo / Supplied
There are also three Bay of Plenty women playing for the Tokyo Phoenix; Hope Garner, Rebecca Kersten and Mererangi Paul.
"That's pretty exciting, it will make things easier. I don't think [the language barrier] is too much of an issue, most of the Japanese players speak English and the owner of the club, who has played for Japan and spent a couple of years in New Zealand, he speaks good English as well," Grant says.
Her biggest goal while in Japan is to "add value where I can" and learn as much as possible.
"I want to fit in with what they're already doing because this team has been going for the last six years, they're not new to the competition and I want to learn from their culture and how they do things.
"They are pretty structured in the way they play, that will be interesting, we do have X-factor players so it's just trying to find that balance."
While she heads back to New Zealand before the Rugby World Cup starts in Japan, she is looking forward to being there in the lead-up.
"I was in Japan two weeks ago and there was a massive buzz around the Rugby World Cup and also heaps of Olympics stuff."
For Grant, the hardest part of taking the job in Japan is handing over the reins of the Rotoiti women's team who she has coached for the last four years. However, it was made easier by the fact she is leaving the team in safe hands.
"That was part of the decision as well, it's hard leaving the girls and not being there to help them out. A big priority this week was getting another coach for this year and we got Karen Vercoe, she was a Black Fern, a first five, and she used to play for Rotoiti.
"She'll be amazing for the girls and I'm really excited to have her on board and hopefully she stays when I'm back. I always follow the girls and the club in general wherever I am.
"Getting the next generation of young girls out here playing and active is really important and what drives me in the club and community space."
