Gallagher and World Rugby unveil female coaches for 2024 Gallagher High Performance Academy

World Rugby and Gallagher have announced the next group of 11 female coaches set to join the Gallagher High Performance Academy (GHPA) for WXV 2024, the second edition of the premier women’s 15s rugby tournament.

This initiative is part of the GHPA’s ongoing mission to elevate the role of female coaches as the countdown to the Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 continues.

The Gallagher High Performance Academy is a fully immersive global development and leadership programme that focuses on talent identification, professional mentorship, and championing the next generation of female coaches in international rugby.

By fostering existing coaching talent and creating opportunities for women in high-performance roles, the GHPA continues to contribute to the advancement of women’s rugby.

Building on the programme’s success, the GHPA has expanded its reach to include all formats of the women’s game. The most recent edition coincided with the HSBC SVNS Series, which concluded in Madrid this June. Over the course of the series, 10 coaches were integrated with their national teams, gaining valuable hands-on experience in elite-level rugby environments.

Since participating in GHPA initiatives, several coaches have taken significant strides in their careers. Larissa Muldoon, after her involvement in WXV 2023, has been appointed as Assistant Backs and Attacks Coach for Ireland’s Women’s Six Nations team, as well as Head Coach for Ireland U18s.

Similarly, Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin has advanced as Defence Coach for Wales U18s and U20s after leading the coaching staff for Gwalia Lightning in the Celtic Challenge.

Catrina has previously emphasized how instrumental the GHPA experience has been in balancing her coaching responsibilities with raising a young family. Speaking on her motivation to inspire other mothers to pursue coaching, she said: “One of my biggest goals was showing that I can be both a mother and a coach, and the WRU supports me in marrying those two roles successfully. Seeing the impact you can have on players both on and off the field is why I coach." Catrina will rejoin the GHPA for WXV 2024.

Further success stories include Emma DeLory, who participated in the HSBC SVNS Series edition of the GHPA and was subsequently selected as a coach for Canada during World Rugby’s Pacific Four Series. Yuka Kanematsu was recently appointed Head Coach of Japan’s Women’s Sevens team, meaning that a third of the coaches in the HSBC SVNS Series 2025 will be women.

Most recently, Patricia Garcia Rodriguez, a graduate of both WXV 2023 and SVNS 2024, was named Assistant Coach for the Women’s Barbarians in their match against the Springbok Women earlier this month.

The GHPA’s global reach continues to expand, with new markets like Madagascar and the Netherlands nominating coaches for the first time after their successful qualification for WXV.

The Gallagher High Performance Academy continues to make strides in growing the presence of female coaches in women’s rugby, ensuring a bright future for the sport as it builds towards the Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025.

“We are delighted to welcome the 11 coaches joining us for the next edition of this vital programme," said World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox.

"The Gallagher High Performance Academy has been pivotal in advancing the careers of female rugby coaches, and it has been inspiring to follow the progress of the participants so far. We know that one of the barriers to growing girls and women’s rugby is the lack of female coaches in the sport. The GHPA plays a critical role in helping us to address this.

“We set ourselves the ambitious goal of achieving 40% female coaches in the coaching teams at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. It is encouraging to see that we are on track to meet this target. This initiative reflects both our and Gallagher’s unwavering commitment to fostering diversity and striving for gender equity in rugby.”