As posted by Canterbury Rugby League

Former Canterbury Bulls and CRL premiership-winning coach Andrew Auimatagi has been added to the Kiwi Ferns’ coaching staff for the upcoming Pacific Championships campaign.

Named as an assistant to head coach Ricky Henry, Auimatagi’s momentous call-up comes just weeks after guiding St Thomas’ of Canterbury College to a second straight New Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament triumph in Auckland.

“It has been a big year and it’s still sinking in I guess, but I’m excited about what’s ahead,” Auimatagi says.

A long-serving Canterbury representative and grand final winner with Linwood as a player, Auimatagi was head coach of the Bulls from 2016-21 – a period that also saw him steer the Keas to four straight titles.

The Kiwi Ferns posting is the culmination of a decade in New Zealand Rugby League’s coaching pathways, going back to his New Zealand Secondary Schools head coach role in 2014.

Auimatagi has since coached New Zealand Residents and multiple New Zealand age-group teams.

“It’s something I’ve been working towards and I’ve been plugged into the Core Knowledge program, which is linked to High Performance Sport New Zealand,” Auimatagi explains.

“There’s been some stuff going on in the background for a number of years and this is a great opportunity to move into that high-performance space.”

Auimatagi’s relationship with Kiwi Ferns coach Henry spans 20 years, when the pair were Bartercard Cup opponents and subsequently New Zealand A teammates – Henry as co-captain – under the coaching of Phil Prescott.

Combining on a coaching staff is something that has been in the works since Henry, who also took over as North Queensland Cowboys’ NRLW coach this year, was appointed as Kiwi Ferns mentor in 2020.

“There was an opportunity a couple of years ago when I flew up to take part in the Kiwi Ferns camp in Rotorua, connected with him there, and I was supporting a couple of girls in the Kiwi Ferns squad [Charntay Poko and Lupe Manu] in a satellite coaching role.

“I had a good chat with Rick the other night and there will be a few more Zoom calls to come before we assemble.”

Meanwhile, the Canterbury connection in the Kiwi Ferns set-up extends to another representative breakthrough for the vastly experienced and widely respected Lee Mou, who will be an assistant trainer for the team.

A stalwart and leader in the strength and conditioning sphere in Canterbury and South Island rugby league circles, Mou was part of the Kiwis A training staff in 2023.

“It’s awesome to be part of the campaign with Lee considering we started with the Bulls together in 2016,” Auimatagi enthuses.

“He’s been doing some great things in the training space, developing resources and educating trainers across New Zealand – it’s an awesome reward for him.”

Adding to the career milestone for Auimatagi and Mou, their first Test will be in their home city with the Kiwi Ferns squaring off against the Australian Jillaroos at Apollo Projects Stadium as part of a Pacific Championships double-header on October 27, alongside the Kiwis v Kangaroos showdown.

From there, the Kiwi Ferns head to Port Moresby to take on the PNG Orchids, where New Zealand will be aiming to seal a place in the November 10 Pacific Championships final in Sydney.

“It’s definitely the pinnacle, Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns, so I’m really excited about what’s ahead and with the first Test being in Christchurch, it’s awesome to see the calibre of matches that are going to be played here,” Auimatagi says.

“To be part of that is pretty special.

“[Papua New Guinea] is a first for me and it’s just awesome to see the growth of women’s rugby league, to have games of this level for our women.”

The Kiwi Ferns are striving for a repeat of their victory over the world champion Jillaroos in the archrivals’ most recent clash, a memorable 12-6 win in Melbourne last October.

A New Zealand squad brimming with experience and four exciting debutants was named today for the Pacific Championships.

“You can see the number of New Zealand women playing on the NRLW stage, that’s continuing to grow and on the back of the [Kiwi Ferns’] win last year we’ll be really keen to continue that momentum and the great work that’s been done in that space,” Auimatagi asserts.

“No doubt the Jillaroos will be looking to get one over us on our home soil as well, so it’s going to be a really special occasion and I’m sure our girls will be up for it.”

The historic Apollo Projects Stadium fixture represents the Kiwi Ferns’ first Test match in Ōtautahi Christchurch since they played Great Britain here in 1998, while it will be the Australian women’s team’s first-ever visit to the South Island.

Auimatagi believes the match will provide another shot in the arm for women’s rugby league’s growth in Canterbury.

“It just shows the great work that’s been done across New Zealand rugby league, to raise the women’s game and support that development, and I know here in Canterbury we’ve got a lot of talented young girls stepping into the game.

“This is going to be a massive boost in terms of marketing the women’s game and putting them on this stage.”