Considered a trailblazer of women’s rugby in Fiji, Tavaita Rowati is part of the latest cohort of 14 female coaches selected for the Gallagher High Performance Academy, who will take up coaching roles as part of the management teams of their respective national sides during Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
Rowati and Bella Milo of Samoa are the two representatives from the Pacific.
The two were amongst the 11 female coaches that joined the Gallagher High Performance program at WXV 2024.
According to World Rugby, 32% of coaches at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 will be female, up from 15% in 2021.
Female coaches at Women’s Rugby World Cup have quadrupled since 2021, from six to 23.
Three female head coaches named for 2025 (France, Australia, Japan), USA and Samoa lead the way with majority-female coaching teams.
Of the 281 staff across the management teams for all 16 unions, 40% are women.
World Rugby chief of women’s rugby Sally Horrox said the record-breaking figures are a clear sign of the momentum building for women in high-performance coaching.
“The Gallagher High Performance Academy is not just creating opportunities for the coaches involved, it is accelerating progress across the game, providing role models for the next generation, and ensuring that rugby reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. By embedding more women in leadership roles on the world stage, we are driving lasting change that will benefit the sport for years to come.”