Rotorua's Allan Bunting has been named head coach of the Chiefs Women's team.
Former Black Ferns Sevens head coach and two-time NZR Coach of the Year Allan Bunting has signed on as head coach for the Chiefs Women's team ahead of their maiden 2022 Super Rugby campaign.
The country's leading women players will set the rugby landscape alight in 2022 with the inaugural season of Super Rugby Aupiki.
The Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes, as well as a combined South Island team encompassing the Crusaders and Highlanders' regions, will play across four weekends starting in March 2022.
The name Super Rugby Aupiki reflects the competition being a crucial steppingstone between the Farah Palmer Cup and the Black Ferns, with Aupiki translating to "the ascent to the uppermost realm".
Allan Bunting has been named head coach of the Chiefs Women's rugby team. Photo / Supplied
Bunting recently announced his departure as head coach of the Black Ferns Sevens after their successful Tokyo Olympics campaign which saw them beat France in the final to secure New Zealand a gold medal. He said he was excited to join the Chiefs environment.
"I'm a Bay of Plenty boy and when I went for this job, I didn't want to go anywhere else because it fits my purpose," he said.
"For women's rugby in general there's lots of potential that can be brought to life and that certainly excites me, and it's been my purpose with the Black Ferns Sevens. I feel like I can really give something to that and help bring it to life in the Chiefs region, especially because I'm connected to there, I'm from there."
Bunting's connections in the Chiefs region run deep, having previously shared the field with Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan.
"I've played a lot of rugby and Clayton's been my captain, right from Whakarewarewa back in Rotorua and he sort of coached alongside me with Bay of Plenty being right next to us in the High-Performance Centre. So there's a lot more than just the rugby, there's quite a bit of connection there."
Reflecting on the first New Zealand Super Rugby match featuring female players which occurred on May 1 this year, Bunting said he was excited about what he saw in the Chiefs Women's victory over the Blues Women.
"Watching them play and seeing the speed they played at and their intentions to find space, their connection and desire to play for each other throughout that whole match… that's when I really thought far out, this is the start of something coming to life.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching our talented wāhine over the years. They've got so much desire to learn and grow and if you can give them a little bit more time and some guidance to set them free then the future looks really bright and it's going to be really exciting."
Allan Bunting, pictured with Sarah Hirini in 2016, was involved in the Black Ferns Sevens programme for 10 years. Photo / File
Chiefs Rugby Club CEO Michael Collins is thrilled to have signed the Olympic gold medal-winning coach for the club's women's team.
"We're really excited about having Bunts join our environment. He's been on a hugely inspirational journey with the Black Ferns Sevens, from the Rio campaign in 2016 to this year winning an Olympic gold medal and helping that team become a dominant force in international women's sevens across numerous years.
"We're always looking to source quality talent from within Chiefs Country. Allan's from the Bay so he's connected to our region and has a long track record of enabling players to perform at their absolute best.
"He is highly respected and holds a lot of mana within our industry, we can't wait for him to be a part of our club and our history in the first New Zealand Super Rugby competition to feature female players."
Clubs will contract 28 players, with squads expected to be named in the next month. Players will assemble for one pre-season match before coming together four days a week through the competition window in March.
Competition format Super Rugby Aupiki will kick off and run across four weekends in March, kicking off on March 5/6.
The following two weekends will see home and away fixtures for each team before the top two meet in the final on March 26. The competition draw will be confirmed later this year.
