Glenn Moore, the long-standing head coach of New Zealand women’s rugby team, has resigned days after damning allegations were made against him in a cultural review of the Black Ferns’ set-up.
The independent review exposed incidences of body shaming from coaches, culturally insensitive comments and allegations of favouritism, amid other negative experiences within New Zealand’s women’s team environment.
It prompted Mark Robinson, the New Zealand Rugby chief executive, to apologise to Black Ferns’ players, although he sparked widespread criticism after backing Moore to continue in his role and lead the side at October’s World Cup.
But NZR bowed to growing pressure and performed a u-turn on Saturday, confirming Moore’s resignation with immediate effect and throwing the Black Fern’s World Cup hopes into disarray less than six months until the tournament gets underway in Auckland.
“The most critical thing right now is for the Black Ferns to be successful and to have the ability to put all their focus into what is a huge year,” said Moore, who joined New Zealand women’s team in 2015 before guiding them to World Cup glory two years later.
“While this has been a tough decision, I believe it is both the right thing to do for a team I care so deeply about and also for me personally. The team do not need any distractions as they prepare for the Rugby World Cup.”
The review was triggered after team hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate revealed on social media in December that she had suffered a mental breakdown after alleged critical comments from Moore during the side’s winless northern tour last autumn, when they twice lost to England and France.
Ngata-Aerengamate alleged Moore had made comments to her during her time in the squad including that she didn’t deserve to be in the team and was only selected to play the guitar, which Moore categorically denies. “I did not agree with the allegations she made, and they were misleading,” he said in a resignation statement.
The review found that Ngata-Aerengamate’s experience was “not isolated” and that other players – particularly those from Maori or Pasifika backgrounds – had experienced similar behaviour by members of management.
Moore’s resignation comes two weeks after Wayne Smith, the highly respected former All Blacks coach, came out of retirement to join the New Zealand’s women’s coaching set-up in a desperate bid to help turn their World Cup hopes around.
There have also been unconfirmed rumours that Mike Cron, New Zealand’s highly esteemed scrum doctor who helped the All Blacks’ World Cup triumphs in 2011 and 2015, has also been recruited to help the women’s side ahead of the World Cup.
New Zealand Rugby is due to provide a further update on the Black Ferns’ coaching structure next week.
