On Monday, January 9th at 7 pm Kent County RFU will be hosting a coach development session for all coaches involved in coaching the women’s and girls’ game in Kent at Medway RFC. This will be an indoor session and light refreshments will be included. Ealing Trailfinder’s DOR Giselle Mather will lead the session supported by Steve Wagstaff.
If you would like to attend, could you register with Taff Gwilliam with your name, club and coaching role within Women & Girls Rugby at director-representative-rugby@kent-rugby.org. There are limited places so please register your attendance before 3rd January 2023.
Profile
Giselle Mather Ealing Trailfinders Director of Rugby joined the club from Wasps where she has been Director of Rugby on two separate occasions. Her first spell from 2001 to 2004, was hugely successful as she won back-to-back Premiership titles in 2003 and 2004. In 2016, she returned to the club and helped guide them through the transition of the league from the Women’s Premiership to the Premier 15s, before going on to achieve playoff finishes in three out of five seasons.
In between her time at Wasps, she joined London Irish and spent a decade with the Exiles working with their Elite Player Development Groups. Seven of those 10 years were spent heading up the club’s AASE programme (Advanced Apprenticeship and Sporting Excellence), at a time when Alex Corbisiero, Joe Cokanasiga, Jonathan Joseph, Tom Homer and Marcus and Anthony Watson were making their way through the club’s junior ranks.
Giselle also broke through the glass ceiling as she became the first woman to earn her level 4 coaching badge and the first woman to lead a men’s side on a 62-game unbeaten run which included three promotions and two Twickenham Cup Final victories while she was in charge at Teddington RFC.
Giselle’s playing career is arguably even more impressive than her coaching one. She was one of the first Red Roses, with cap number 35 and won the World Cup in 1994 and the 5 Nations Grand Slam in 1995 and 1996.
The Women’s Academy lead at Henley College for Under 18 is led by Kim Oliver, former Bristol Bears Women’s Head Coach who was capped 43 times by England.
Brunel University Women’s Head coach Steve Wagstaff has been running the programme for the last two years with previous experience with Surrey County Women, and Hackney Women and was with Ealing for three years prior to his return.
