Women in Rugby... Respect

Nacanieli Cawanibuka:

Nancanieli Cawanibuka is the Fiji Rugby Union Head of Strength and Conditioning, as well as the Fiji Men’s 7s Strength and Conditioning Coach. Cawanibuka, who is fondly known as Naca, is a role model for many aspiring players and coaches. Cawanibuka oversaw the training sessions for the Fiji Men’s 7s team, in their preparation for the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Tavaita Rowati:

Former player turned Strength and Conditioning coach, Tavaita Rowati’s has been involved in rugby for over 10 years. In 2019, Rowati became the head coach of the Suva Womens rugby side and the striders womens 7s club. Rowati is a trailblazer within Rugby in Fiji, as she is the second 15s rugby women’s coach in Fiji to ever be accredited with a Level 3 certification. Rowati is currently the Fijiana 15s Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Amanda Murphy:

A former Black Ferns Lock, Amanda Murphy is the Women’s High-Performance Manager/Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach at Canterbury Rugby. Murphy brings to this role an abundance of experience and knowledge in which she gained during her time as Sport & Fitness Lecturer, at the New Zealand Institute of Sport, as well as the Black Ferns Development Strength & Conditioning Coach (2019), and Black Ferns Probable’s Team Strength and Conditioning Coach (2020). Murphy is also the Athletics New Zealand Athletic Performance / Strength & Conditioning Coach, and was the Team Coach for the Athletic New Zealand’s, Rio Olympic Campaign at Commonwealth Games.

Charmaine Zinner:

Charmaine Zinner, has worked in the fitness industry for over 15 years as a Personal Trainer, Nutritionist and more recently as a Gold medallist Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Vanuatu Beach Volleyball team in the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu (2017) and Pacific Games (2019). Zinner is someone who loves sport, and education through sport, as she sees it can be a powerful tool that connects people on many different levels.

Tikiko Namaua:

Formerly part of the team management for the Fiji Under 20’s World Cup, Tikiko Namaua is currently the head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Fijian 7s team. In this role Namaua helped shape the team’s fitness and game plan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which saw the women’s team take home a bronze medal. Not only did Namaua support Fiji at most recent Olympic Games, but he also serves his Nation as an Army Officer at the Royal Fiji Military Force. In addition, Namaua was the trainer for the Fiji Airways Fiji Drua coaching team in preparation for the National Ruby Championship (2019).