Whitney Hansen has been appointed as the new head coach of the Black Ferns, as announced by New Zealand Rugby. She will replace Allan Bunting to take the role as the 13th head coach of the team and the second woman to be made in charge after Vicky Dombroski (1994). Hansen will be joined by assistant coaches Tony Christie and Riki Flutey. The rest of the coaching team is yet to be announced.
Hansen’s appointment comes in preparation of the team’s busy calendar of the 2026 season with several international tournaments, including 11 test matches in 2026 followed by the series against the British and Irish Lions team, who will tour New Zealand in 2027.
This role is special for Hansen as the daughter of former player and New Zealand rugby union coach Steve Hansen. She started her coaching career in 2017 with Canterbury University, followed by leading Canterbury’s U18 Girls, the Barbarians for the 2019-20 season. For Matatu, she started as an assistant coach in 2023 and a year later took charge as the head coach.
Hansen played a big role as the Black Ferns assistant coach in their victory at the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup held at Eden Park. The team played against England in the finals and defeated them by a score of 34-31.
Hansen on her appointment
Following her appointment as the 13th head coach of New Zealand’s Black Ferns Women’s Rugby Team, Hansen expressed her happiness and is excited to share her vision with the team.
She said, “I think I’ve got to be both. Coming into this space, one of the things around my appointment was a rugby vision, and where that’s going to go. But we’re also in a special time when we’re still developing the pathways.”
She further added that she is joining not just as a head coach but as a new family member added to the team, and will help in their growth and development ahead of the 2026 season.
“This has got to be a family; the Black Ferns can’t be standalone. The people who helped to build us absolutely have to be brought into that and are going to be a special part of making it happen,” she added.
In the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, the Black Ferns women’s team made it to the semi-finals but lost their match against Canada by 19-34. Acknowledging their competitive spirit despite the result, Hansen believed the team had some unfinished business in the next campaign. She also highlighted the growth the team showcased in recent times.
“I think the reality is our game’s cruel sometimes, it doesn’t always love us back. And at the World Cup, that team didn’t get some of the outcomes that they were working towards. But what I do know from the information that I’ve been given so far, and from looking on from the outside, is that we’ve had incredible growth in the Black Ferns over the last little while around culture, around athleticism, and around the way we’re playing the game,” she mentioned.
