Women’s rugby coach champions trust and community pathways for Pasifika players

Counties Women’s Rugby assistant coach Sione Sione says trust, respect, and connection are at the heart of his leadership - values that guide both his players and the wider community.

The Counties Manukau Heat currently sit fifth on the premiership table with five wins and two losses. They suffered a bruising 40-26 loss to top-ranked Manawatū Cyclones on Saturday in round five of the Farah Palmer Cup competition.

“The most valuable thing that I work on is trust, building the connection, and respect,” he tells Tuilagi William Leolahi on Pacific Huddle.

“Because I think if you get these things all aligned, especially with players, and in the bigger picture of the team, once you form that connection, they want to play for you.”

Sione, who previously played for the Counties Manukau Steelers, the men’s equivalent team, says moving into women’s rugby has helped him grow as a coach.

“In the male space, we get used to coaching certain ways, and we sort of just carry on and just don’t really go off the plan or change.

Watch the Manuwatu vs Counties Manukau highlights below.

"But in the women’s space, it’s using initiative to make sure that the girls do understand, and finding different ways of how you approach it.”

Beyond the rugby field, Sione also works as a community engagement adviser with CLM Community Sport, focusing on Pasifika well-being in South Auckland.

“Pasifika people love sports,” he says. “But it’s trying to work on the groups that don’t, and then finding something that they love to do.

The Heat collected a bonus point for scoring four tries and sit fifth in the standings on 13 points. Photo/Facebook/Counties Manukau Rugby

“It may be cultural dancing, it may be in terms of learning to maybe do box fit or doing Zumba. But the main thing is using the vehicle of sports to support their whole well-being, both mental and physical.”

Sione says intergenerational connection plays a vital part in this approach. “If we do this as we work on our kids, our youth, and then you get the intergenerational connection with our elders and our parents, then from there we start learning the stories, we get a lot of the cultural understanding.”

He credits his Sāmoan heritage and South Auckland upbringing for shaping his mentoring style. “We have to meet them halfway, finding things that they enjoy, so they will come back and be engaged, whether that’s with churches, families, or local clubs.”

Hope for the future

Looking ahead, Sione sees a bright future for women’s rugby in Counties, with a strong pipeline of young players.

“What excites me is that there is a bit of a pathway there for the development of the game,” he says. “We’ve built this team, I’ve been together with the Heat for the last three years, and we’ve just been slowly building.

“Last year we got into the semis, didn’t quite get over the line, but the goal is, we’re targeting this, we’re just taking each game step by step … gaining those inches, and building momentum.”

He says developing competitive athletes goes hand in hand with building resilient young women.

Counties offer support with schoolwork and encourage families to support their daughters’ sports endeavours.

For young Pasifika athletes, Sione’s advice is simple: “Nothing ever beats hard work. If you want to be an athlete for the future, get out there, you’re in the gym, you do the early mornings, you’re doing the evenings, and you’re still doing the work.

“This really builds resilience … how to juggle it, balance it, which is pretty much like the sports field, you get a lot put under pressure, but it’s how you manage all that.”

He adds that authenticity matters just as much in the community. “Be genuine … turn up to those network meetings, talk to people.

“People like to know that you’re genuinely interested in them, and what they do, and it just helps to build your networks and your connections in the community. No doubt, your work will speak for itself.”

Heat head coach Glen Sharpe told Rugby Explorer that their recent loss raises the stakes for keeping alive their dream of a home semi-final.

“Tough loss, but we were beaten on the day by a better team. Now, we are in a must-win scenario. Focus needs to be on executing our defence and attack strategies.”

The Counties Manukau Heat will take on the Auckland Storm on Saturday, 20 September in Pukekohe.