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| Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Rugby Sevens - Women - Semifinal - New Zealand v Fiji - Tokyo Stadium -Tokyo, Japan - Jul 31, 2021. New Zealand players react after the end of the match. (File photo by=REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] New Zealand women's long-serving coach Glenn Moore stepped down on Saturday (Apr 16), saying he did not agree with "misleading allegations" made against him by a player, which sparked a review into the team's culture, Reuters reported.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) boss Mark Robinson apologized to the country's elite women players this week after the review found the governing body had failed to sufficiently support the women's high-performance program. The review was triggered after national team hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate said on social media in December that she had suffered a mental breakdown after alleged critical comments from Moore.
NZR boss Robinson had backed Moore to continue as head coach through the World Cup starting in New Zealand in October, but Moore said he felt the review would be a distraction. "I remain concerned that the prolonged Cultural & Environmental Review continues to be distracting at a time when all focus needs to be on maximizing performance," Moore said in a statement cited by local media. Moore became coach of the Black Ferns in 2015 and helped them win the World Cup in 2017. NZR said a further update on the team's coaching structure will be provided next week.
