TC appointed to Black Ferns as assistant coach

Matatū Assistant Coach to join Black Ferns coaching group

Matatū are thrilled Tony Christie has been appointed as a Black Ferns Assistant Coach.

TC has been a huge part of Matatū’s success in the ’23 season, adding to the work he and the whole team did in Super Rugby Aupiki’s inaugural season in ’22. He was Assistant Coach for the 2022 New Zealand Barbarian Under 18 squad, Canterbury’s FPC team and the New Zealand U18 Girls’ 7s team.

His focus with the World Cup winning side will be on defense and counterattack, with New Zealand Rugby saying his “creative and innovative style” would bring the best out of players.

Hannah Porter, New Zealand Rugby Head of Women’s High-Performance, said a “thorough process” was undertaken to finalise the assistant coaching trio.

“We are exceptionally pleased with the calibre of the coaches selected to support Allan [Bunting] and look forward to seeing what they will achieve as a group,” Porter said.

Sarah Munro, Matatū General Manager, said she was “thrilled” to learn the news.

“All of us here at Matatū are so proud of TC and his appointment to one of the top coaching roles in the country,” Munro said.

“His work ethic and approach to team culture has been massive for us and it’s exciting to think he’ll be taking the same approach with the Black Ferns on the world stage.”

TC said it has been “a dream to coach at this level since I started out in grassroots rugby”.

“I am really excited for the opportunity to further add to the Black Ferns legacy,” Christie said.

“There is massive potential within the Black Ferns, and I believe this team has the ability to play a style like no other.”

The Black Ferns will assemble early next week for their first Black Ferns camp following last year’s Rugby World Cup success.