In a revolutionary coaching program designed to enhance the development of women’s rugby globally, World Rugby in partnership with leading global insurance brokerage firm, Gallagher, selected two coaches from the Pacific for the Gallagher High Performance Academy (GHPA). Fuimaono Bella Milo (Samoa) and Tavaita Rowati (Fiji) are amongst 11 women coaches handpicked from around the world.
Recently, they were part of the coaching panel for each of their national sides in the WXV3 tournament in Dubai.
Samoa narrowly missed out on winning the tournament. They were edged out of the leaderboard by Spain, who had earlier narrowly escaped with a two-point victory over Fiji.
However, Samoa, is happy to have qualified for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will be held in England next year.
Fuimaono Bella Milo (Samoa)
“I’m very honored to be here to try and offer my experience and knowledge to our players and help where I need to. Last year, I was a player in the WXV for Samoa. So being able to have an opportunity to represent Samoa as an intern is very exciting. I’m grateful to be able to finish playing and get this opportunity,” said Milo.
Milo shares about the many key coaching lessons she’s learned so far.
We’ve had monthly workshops with World Rugby. We’ve had different seminars with other coaches sharing their experiences. We’ve had workshops around building culture, shaping your team attack, and just being able to identify my strengths and weaknesses as a coach was one of the tasks we were set out to do.
“One of the best things about this Gallagher program is being able to network with other coaches. So without this opportunity, I don’t think my name would be out there and our women won’t have the opportunity to share their values and what they are going through. It’s another opportunity for us to uplift Samoa and Manusina [Samoa’s national women’s team]. To be able to grow our game and grow around female coaches. I think the Gallagher program has done very well,” she added.
According to Milo, women’s rugby is rising in the island.
“A lot of the women are getting into 7s. I know that 7s is being played in schools and senior rugby, with some clubs playing 7s rugby,” she said.
In September, the Manusina secured a historic win against Australia A at Apia Park, Samoa. The home game experience had a positive influence on the team. “Our players were sharing how cool it was to play in the islands. There’s a different meaning to the jersey now that our players have gone back to Samoa and see the people,” said Milo.
“I think, given more test matches in Samoa or more visibility, women’s rugby will continue to grow in both 7s and 15s,” she added.
Milo also highlighted some areas where she hopes to see improvement. “We need resources to attend training, run more clinics in schools, and expand the school games. I also think we need to have financial stability that will provide better resources for coaches to specifically focus on our school game with girls. We need to build our pathways and more opportunities for our women players in Samoa.
“We’ve also got three strong local-based Samoan women here with our team in Dubai. They continue to put Samoa on the map in their own right. That’s exciting, and if we can get more players to play at this level, given those opportunities, I think we will grow the women’s game in Samoa,” she said. Milo says the people of Samoa love rugby and hopes to see more awareness and coverage for women: “Our country is a proud country. When they know, they will support. We need more media on our women’s game. There needs to be more light shone upon our game.
“I think social media presence is huge and that’s going to help us build our brand in Samoa. We need to use social media to let the public know that the Manusina are here. When we continue to shine light on some of our local players, that’s going to build an impact on the younger girls playing back home,” said Milo.
Proudly representing the villages of Salani and Solosolo, Bella Milo offers encouragement to young women who one day dream to coach in rugby.
“Continue to learn. Be courageous in this space. There are a lot of opportunities for female coaches out there. Be strong in your coaching philosophy. Stay strong to your word and not sway when you have different personalities from different coaches. As a woman, it’s not easy for us but having a big support network around you will help you serve your country. So continue to push through those barriers and boundaries.”
Tavaita Rowati (Fiji)
“It is exciting for me to learn and grow in that environment and to be part of that global rugby network where I can build my connections and hopefully my leadership qualities as a coach,” says Fiji’s Tavaita Rowati.
She says the GHPA has shown her: “It’s important to understand what high performance is and how it works at an elite level. Most of my learning is around that and the responsibility of building a culture to empower young girls.
“It is about getting more visibility, breaking through the coaching position and getting more opportunities to coach. It’s important for me to know when that opportunity is given, I know I’m credible enough,” said Rowati.
In terms of the current status of women’s rugby in Fiji, Rowati believes that momentum is building through the strides made by the national Fijiana 7s and 15s on the international stage. “This momentum has brought more girls into the grassroot level and more participation in Fiji.
“The support from World Rugby and Fiji Rugby has been good in terms of equal participation and opportunities for women, not only for players but also for women in coaching and working in a high performance environment,” she added.
Rowati emphasised more alignment is needed in women’s rugby in Fiji, saying: “We need both women and men who are passionate about coaching women. We need the right resources to build more women players and create healthier competitions. We need to establish how players can follow the right pathways to reach the national level. We really need support in this space.”
She adds: “Having the right pathways will help our women players grow. Sometimes, we get excited when we have a lot of players coming in, but we don’t have the people to take care of them, look after their welfare, teaching and coaching them the right rugby technique and skills that are needed at the elite level.”
“A lot of girls fall short of reaching the national level because they don’t have the right support at the grassroots level. In order for us to have good players, we need to refine the grassroots level.
A specific highlight by Rowati was on coaching players from different backgrounds. “It is about understanding the player. We have to identify what works best for the player, what opportunities they can pursue, and what kind of support is available. There’s no need to shoot for the moon when we really don’t have the resources to do so. We must work within our means with what we have.
“Developing a female player is very different from a male player. We should understand that a female player also has many responsibilities at home. We have other priorities beyond just training for rugby. It’s part of our culture, and we must acknowledge that. This involves training our families to support the players, helping them understand how to best build the player into the best version of themselves,” she said.
