• Black Ferns and Auckland legend Anna Richards returns to the High Performance set-up as Female Player Development Manager

Auckland Rugby’s commitment to providing well-resourced High Performance pathways and environments for female athletes has extended today with the appointment of former Auckland Storm title winning captain Anna Richards as Auckland Rugby’s first Female Player Development Manager.

Anna Richards’ honours and awards are numerous both on and off the field. Richards was a member and captain of the Storm side that went undefeated from 1994 through to 2005 and was named Auckland Player of the Year on three separate occasions. Richards was also made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 (MNZM) and inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014.

In her role as Player Development Manager, Richards will be able to call on her experience away from the field also; a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts and post-graduate Diploma in Sport Coaching and Management compliments her current inclusion as a member of the NZRU’s High Performance Women’s Coaching Development group.

The appointment of Richards highlights Auckland Rugby’s dedication to finding the best candidate for High Performance roles following on from the inspired appointments of Alama Ieremia, Filo Tiatia, Tai Lavea and Sir Graham Henry which ultimately led to 2018’s Mitre 10 Cup Premiership triumph.

Auckland Rugby Head of High Performance Ben Meyer is more than satisfied with the quality of the appointment made and sees Female High Performance going from strength-to-strength in Auckland.

“The female game is evolving quickly. Anna is a key appointment to support our strategy and plans to advance our programme to being New Zealand’s best Female High Performance programme.”

These sentiments are echoed by CEO Jarrod Bear who is delighted by the return of Richards to the Auckland Rugby fold.

“Auckland Rugby is committed to creating the best High Performance pathways and programmes to support athletes in achieving their aspirations. Anna is a quality individual with the skill set and experience to advance our Female High Performance programme, and set new standards of achievment.”