Hohepa, Sweeney in coaching team
Former Chiefs Manawa midfielder Carla Hohepa and former Chiefs utility back Dwayne Sweeney complete the 2024 Chiefs Manawa coaching team, holding assistant coach roles alongside head coach Crystal Kaua.
“It’s fantastic to get two individuals like Carla and Dwayne into coaching roles in the Chiefs environment,” Chiefs Rugby Club chief executive Simon Graafhuis said.
“Both will be very familiar to our fans as players, having until recently played at a very high level, with Carla playing for the Chiefs Manawa in last year’s campaign and Dwayne playing his final season with the Chiefs in 2014.
“They have significant experience and in recent years have demonstrated their coaching skills. We look forward to seeing their impact on our Chiefs Manawa this season.”
A 29-test Black Fern, Kihikihi Rugby Sports Club’s Hohepa was part of the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup winning squad.
She has been a staple player for the Chiefs Manawa team in recent years but this season will step off the field into this coaching role instead.
In 2023, Hohepa committed to shifting into coaching, assisting the Waikato Women’s Sevens side and the Waikato FPC team while also playing in the 15s side.
She was also part of the Ako Wa¯hine Performance Coaching programme to further develop her skills.
Hohepa is excited to take on an assistant coaching role with the Chiefs Manawa this year.
“Despite my 16 years of international playing experience, coaching is fairly new territory for me, so I’ll be soaking up as much as I can from Muz
[Crystal Kaua] and Sweens [Dwayne Sweeney].
“This season will be a learning journey but I’m ready for the challenge ahead!”
During his playing career, Sweeney ran out 69 times in the Chiefs jersey and played more than 100 games for Waikato at NPC level.
He has also played for the Ma¯ori
All Blacks, New Zealand Barbarians and returned to play for Thames Valley in the 2022 Heartland Championship.
Off the field, Sweeney has been an assistant coach for the successful Waikato Women’s Sevens team who were national runners-up in 2018 and 2019, and was an assistant coach for the Waikato NPC team.
“I’m personally really excited about the depth of squad we have and working with a number of players I have coached in the past, as well as some of the very best we have here in New Zealand,” Sweeney said.
“It’s a great opportunity and challenge we have as a coaching group to work together to develop an exciting brand of rugby for the players to play. I can’t wait to get together as a team and rip in!”
The Chiefs Manawa squad have now assembled for their pre-season training before their first game against the Hurricanes Poua on March 2.
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