New Zealand appoint fulltime 7s coach

The New Zealand Rugby Union have appointed its first womens 7s coach dedicated to developing a national team to compete around the world.

Bay of Plentys Sean Horan has been handed the role having coached the Bay of Plenty Steamers in the ITM Cup for the past three seasons.

Horan has also previously held coaching roles with the Black Ferns and the Womens Sevens team.

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) General Manager Professional Rugby Neil Sorensen said Horan had the right mix of skills to develop the womens sevens game in New Zealand.

Sean had a great season with the Steamers last year seeing them finish a credible fourth in a very tight ITM Cup Premiership and has proven he is a quality coach.

His aim now is to build an identification and development programme for Womens Sevens in New Zealand and this will be a great chance for him, a young coach, to really get stuck in and make his mark in what is an exciting time for sevens rugby, said Sorensen.

Horan said he was excited about the opportunity to develop womens rugby and be a part of an Olympic programme.

We are starting this programme with a blank canvas which will be incredibly exciting and challenging at the same time.

The Black Ferns have proven that this country produces world-class womens rugby players and I am excited about the prospect of identifying talented female athletes and developing potential Olympians, he said.

As part of the National Womens Sevens development programme NZRU high performance staff will travel to 14 Provincial Unions in 2012 looking for talented female athletes who want the chance to be a part of the programme.

SPARC investment has allowed the creation of a fulltime Womens Sevens coach and 14 regional sevens resource coaches to assist in the implementation of the Womens Olympic campaign.