Nicky Ponsford has been Head of Performance to England women’s rugby for the last nineteen years, so news that she will be seconded to World Rugby in a similar capacity is inevitably a surprise.
I once asked her why there wasn’t a woman overall in charge of women’s rugby in England. She replied that the RFU organises things differently.
She is undertaking a two-year secondment to WR; this is not a permanent appointment. The RFU hints that a replacement will not necessarily take on a parallel post. The game has altered shape diametrically since she was first appointed; a new brief is very sensible.
Then the question arises: what happens after those two years? Ponsford’s brief tilts strongly towards the run-up to the World Cup late next year. All the nations still involved in qualifying will receive additional financial support in their preparations. While global interest will centre on the big guns, it is the developing nations who need the greatest help.
WR’s plans obviously stretch far beyond the autumn of next year; the job Ponsford is taking on has endless scope. She and WR may well want to extend her secondment.
Either way, it will be fascinating to see the precise brief her replacement is offered. ‘Head of Performance’ sounds very vague until you read the small print. Surely the ideal office would be ‘Head of Women’s Rugby’. What are the chances that any such post would be offered to a woman? There are several with outstanding qualifications.
