Rugby Southland is excited to have a full team on deck for what is shaping up to be an exciting 2024 Rugby Season.   

Julie Manson will be leading the team as Community Rugby Manager and assisting all our Southland Rugby Clubs and Senior Rugby teams. Manson will be working with our teams to ensure they have a successful season, all our volunteers are supported where needed, and our clubs are future focused.  

Marty McKenzie continues his role as Teenage Lead working with our Secondary Schools and Teenagers while assisting Scott Eade our RML Academy and Pathways Programme Manager. McKenzie is also further developing his role as coach supporting the Southland Bs in 2024. 

With growth in all aspects of the female game, Georgia Bewley has been promoted to Women’s Lead with our Women & Girls Activator role to be advertised. Bewley will be working with all our players and coaches in the female space including Hinds Players and Coaches as we put the foundations in place for Rugby Southland to have a Farrah Palmer Cup team in the future.   

Former Southland Stags Co-Coach and Southland Rugby Centurian David Hall has joined the Community Rugby team as Junior Lead and Coach Education Manager, being released from duties within the Stags coaching lineup. Hall brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new role having already been a part of the Rugby Southland team for the past 7 years. With Rugby Southlands strategic goal of developing our community coaches into future regional level coaches, David’s involvement will be a massive asset to the rugby community.   

After missing the 2023 season required for Super Rugby Duties, Josh Bekhuis is on deck as our Rugby Development Officer. Bekhuis will work with Southland schools and clubs to develop existing players and attract new players to the game as well as assisting the community rugby team and Stags HP when required.   

Scott Eade continues his role as RML Pathways and Academy Manager, with the start of 2024 seeing him working with the Highlanders U20. Eade will continue to lead our Representative programmes supported by McKenzie, Bewley and Hall. 

Lucy Brown, who took over the reigns from Dermot Hughes, will continue her role in Rugby Admin Support, covering all aspects of rugby admin as well as supporting the Marking Team.   

Cassie Watt continues her position as Referee Manager.  Watt has an integral role of maintaining that vital link of communication between match officials, Rugby Southland, and our Southland clubs to strengthen relationships on the path to creating sustainable and successful rugby competitions.   

The Community Rugby team are passionate rugby people. Their 2024 goal is to deliver exceptional customer service for our rugby clubs and the wider Southland Rugby community.  “Our job is to make it as easy as possible for our clubs to administer and deliver rugby” Manson said.   

With the start of the 2024 Southland Wide Club season approaching the Community team will be busy working alongside the Rugby Southland Advisory Council and Southland Clubs.  The overarching goal of “What is best for Rugby in Southland” will be achieved by following Rugby Southland’s mission of “capturing, connecting and inspiring our community through rugby”.  

We want to ensure that all members of the Southland Rugby Community have a positive experience on and off the field and have the opportunity to participate within all levels of rugby in Southland – from playing, coaching, team managing, governance roles on committees and everything in-between.  

Our 2023 NZR Benching marking reports show that rugby in Southland continues to buck the national trend with growth in all areas of the game.  The Southland Rugby Community is lucky to have a Community Rugby team that will continue foster and grow rugby in Southland – a game that we all love.   

Article added: Tuesday 23 January 2024