Some Implications
Jo Yapp, head coach of the Wallaroos, has announced that she will end her term in charge at the end of the 2025 RWC. In no way should this surprise us.
The closest parallel I can think of in recent times is Lynne Cantwell’s decision to return to ireland after a spell as High Performance Manager in South Africa. In both cases family needs came way ahead of pangs of homesickness.
With this change of cast we can survey once more the difficulties facing women as they attempt to climb the slippery slopes of rugby authority; and here we concern ourselves purely with onfield matters, not 9-5 office hours.
When Yapp and Cantwell were chosen for their new posts, they could feel very pleased, but at once other responsibilities had to be weighed. Does my family come with me, or do I leave them at home, knowing they won’t suffer in any way? In both cases the answer was a short-term spell in a new country.
Like Cantwell, Yapp can look back with pride on what she has achieved during her time in charge. For the first time ever the Wallaroos achieved four wins in a row. Their performance in WXV2 last year put a spring in their heels.
The obstacles she has had to overcome are well known: the back seat that rugby union takes in sporting Australia; the pull of Rugby League is a feature known to only a handful of nations (including New Zealand); the vast size of the country and the large gaps between active centres (including the state of Victoria); and the consequent lack of funding coming in to support the efforts of Rugby Union’s diehards.
Like other coaches, she had to solve the problem of dealing with leading 7s players: to include or not? It didn’t help that agents stepped in with their own unwelcome advice, but the selection of Charlotte Caslick, one of the greats of women’s sevens, helped the cause immensely. Yapp took the measured step of moving her from the wing to No 12 in her second Pac-4 match. Her contributions were totally positive. The next head coach will face the same dilemmas.
Fortunately Yapp had the whole-hearted support of Phil Waugh, the Chief Executive of Rugby Australia. She has been in charge for eighteen months
Some Background
Both Cantwell and Yapp had families to tend. The imbalance in these relationships is all too plain to see. For example: as he took charge of the Red Roses, John Mitchell didn’t need to worry excessively about the effect on the life of his son, Daryl, as a test cricketer for New Zealand. Not so straightfoward for women in the same position.
This is how the gender split will work out at the start of the World Cup. Taking the top ten nations only, the head coaches are (at present):
England: John Mitchell
Canada: Kévin Rouet
New Zealand: Allan Bunting
France: Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz
Ireland: Scott Bemand
Australia: Jo Yapp
Scotland: Bryan Easson
Italy: Fabio Roselli
USA: Sione Fukofuka
Wales: Sean Lynn
That amounts to two women among nine men.
To take the matter further: within the next ten nations I can spot only Lesley McKenzie (Japan) and Anna Yakovleva (Kazakhstan) as female head coaches.
It shows all too clearly the struggle World Rugby has in its intention to bring more women into positions of high responsibility. One gleam in a dark cloudscape is the structure of the new Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) league in the USA. Jessica Hammond-Graf is the President, Katherine Aversano the Executive Director, and Jamie Burke the Director of Rugby. Indeed, of the seven in the ‘Front Office’ only one is a man.
Everywhere else I look, men rule the roost.
World Cup Prospects
In England the Wallaroos face Samoa, USA and finally the Red Roses. They are quite capable of beating the first two; if they beat England it will be for the first time, and we might imagine the RFU inviting Yapp to take Mitchell’s place in the hot seat the same evening. Ah, contracts!
The Wallaroos’ past record is only so-so. Their best final position was third in 2010; their highest world ranking position third, way back in 2004, only eleven years after their foundation.
Those bare stats pay tribute to the nation’s athletic prowess and determination, rather than well-founded structures.
On balance, the results in the recent Pacific Four were a disappointment: v New Zealand 12-38 v USA 27-19 v Canada 7-45.
Final positions in this still newish competition aren’t yet a foregone conclusion; last year Canada turned the tables by finishing ahead of the Black Ferns. But the order this year was far more predictable: 1 NZ, 2 Canada, 3 Australia, 4 USA.
It will take an exceptional coach to raise the Wallaroos’ position next time.
The Future
Now we may wonder who will be first to take advantage of Yapp’s experience and skill in managing women’s rugby sides. We know the current score in the PWR: Men 9 Women 0.
