Wallaroos appoint full time coach Jo Yapp as Rugby Australia strives to catch up with rivals

Rugby Australia has revealed its ex-England international Jo Yapp as the Wallaroos’ first full-time women’s rugby union coach.

Yapp, a former scrum-half who earned 70 caps for England — including appearing at three World Cups, including captaining England to the 2006 final — has been tasked with narrowing the gap between the number-five-ranked Wallaroos and the other leading nations in women’s rugby.

“The initial vision is to be a top four side,” Yapp told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

“To close that gap on England and New Zealand, consistently.

“I am massively excited about the role, I’ve met with all the players and Super W clubs.”

Women’s sport is in a golden era, changing the sporting landscape with the likes of the Matildas, national and domestic cricket, the huge growth of the AFLW and NRLW and in rugby sevens.

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh concedes the Wallaroos are some way behind.

“Strategically RA went down the path of focusing on sevens, given the success of the 2016 Olympic gold medal and the growth of the sevens participation,” Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said.

“There’s been a shift by World Rugby to go deeper into 15-a-side and we’ve probably been slow catching up to that.

“Now we are certainly playing catch up to England, France and New Zealand.”

Despite missing the jump other nations have had in the 15-a-side game, Rugby Australia hopes that next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, followed by the 2029 tournament on home soil — could be the Wallaroos ‘Matildas’ moment.

“You look at the Matildas last year and the importance of going deep into a tournament, ensuring you capture not just rugby lovers but sports lovers in Australia — we’ve got that opportunity,” Waugh said.

“If we want to go deep into [the home World Cup tournament in] 2029, you’ve got to invest now otherwise it will be too late — and even now we are certainly up against it for time.”

Australia’s women played their first international Test back in 1994 against New Zealand, but it’s taken until now to get a full-time head coach.

There’s hope the appointment of former England international Yapp can help boost Australia’s success and profile.

Since retiring in 2009, the 44-year-old spent five years as the head coach of England’s under-20’s women, was the England women’s senior backs coach and coached the Barbarian women.

Yapp’s appointment comes after Rugby Australia announced a $2 million investment in the women’s 15-a-side game, including pay rises for the Wallaroos and Super Rugby Women players.

“The Wallaroos have done so well for so long despite not having a huge amount of resources,” Yapp said.

“So to see how they can go with that support is exciting.”

Yapp understands the issues facing Australia’s players, many of whom come to the game later in their sporting careers.

“We need to improve game understanding,” Yapp said.

“Other nations like France, New Zealand and England, [their] players start at a really young age with 15s, where as for the Wallaroos some players come [to rugby] later … so there’s lots of work to do there.”

Having been in the same shoes as the current crop of players, being relatable is key.

“I’ve been there trying to balance training, work, family, so that definitely helps having those conversations because you can say ‘I know what it feels like but this is what we expect from you if you want to be an international athlete’ – so I can definitely relate to them,” Yapp said.

By taking on the role, Yapp will become one of the few full-time female coaches at the elite level, something the ex-Worcester player hopes to change.

“As females we often undersell ourselves – and often we think, ‘maybe I don’t have the experience for that’ – but actually you have got the same level of experience and I am good enough to do this, that will create more opportunities,” Yapp said.

Yapp’s first test is the Pacific Four Series when the Wallaroos take on Canada, the USA and New Zealand in May.