Manawa's Carla Hohepa. Chiefs Manawa v Hurricanes Poua, Super Rugby Aupiki, Semi-Final 2. North Harbour Stadium, Sunday 19 March 2023. © Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Former Chiefs utility back Dwayne Sweeney and former Chiefs Manawa midfielder Carla Hohepa will be assistants to head coach Crystal Kaua for Super Rugby Aupiki.
Chiefs Rugby Club CEO Simon Graafhuis said he was thrilled to have the pair on board.
"It's fantastic to get two individuals like Carla and Dwayne into coaching roles in the Chiefs environment.
"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."
During his playing career, Sweeney ran out 69 times in the Chiefs jersey and played over 100 games for Waikato in NPC. He has also played for the Māori All Blacks, New Zealand Barbarians and returned to play for Thames Valley in the 2022 Heartland Championship.
Dwayne Sweeney playing for Waikato. Photo: Supplied
Off the field, Sweeney has been an assistant coach for the successful Waikato Women's Sevens team who was national runner-up in both 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.
"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," Sweeney said.
A 29-test Black Fern, 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. She was also part of the Ako Wāhine 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!"
The Chiefs Manawa squad have now assembled for their pre-season training ahead of their first game against the Hurricanes Poua on 2nd March.