Former Fijiana XVs captain and World Rugby accredited Level 3 coach Lailanie Burnes is one of four selected for the Rugby World Cup 2021 coaching internship programme.
Burnes who was also a co-commentator for the Fijian Drua during their Super Rugby Pacific 2022 campaign in what was also the Fijian Super franchise’s inaugural outing in the competition, has been selected alongside Michaela Tomndinelli from Italy, Aya Nakajima from Japan, and Scotland’s Claire Cruikshank, all of whom previously experienced Rugby World Cup as players.
The program which was launched by World Rugby in September 2020 supports players looking to transition into coaching set-ups for their respective countries after hanging up their playing boots.
It also aligns with World Rugby’s commitment to supporting the development of female coaches in the sport and its target of a minimum of 40 percent of all coaches at Rugby World 2025 to be women.
The program is an exciting development for women’s rugby especially ahead of the women’s 15s event in New Zealand from 8 October to 12 November 2022. To date, Whitney Hansen (New Zealand), Inge Visser (Australia), Maria Gallo (Canada), Amy Turner (England), Laurian Johannes-Haupt (South Africa), Kate Daley (USA), Sophie Spence (Wales) and Celine Allaimat and Gaelle Mignot (both France) have developed their leadership skills through the programme.
