Former international sevens player has dual aims for her participation in coaching Academy.
Yoko Suzuki hopes that her involvement in the Gallagher High Performance Academy will benefit both her and Japanese rugby.
Suzuki represented her country on the international sevens circuit and is now taking her first steps in what she hopes will be a second career in rugby, by coaching schoolchildren and university students.
“I realised that I wanted to be a coach when I first started teaching rugby to primary school children. I really enjoyed it and the opportunity to be able to grow every day,” Suzuki told World Rugby.
Involvement in the Gallagher High Performance Academy should help to accelerate Suzuki’s growth as a coach, and provide her with new ideas and experiences which could benefit the women’s game in Japan.
“Through the Academy I want to learn about coaching in the high performance category and become a coach who can make Japanese rugby more globally competitive than it is now,” she said.
“I would also like to gain new values and grow through interaction with coaches from different countries.”
Suzuki has already benefited from working with former Canada hooker Lesley McKenzie, who was briefly assistant coach of Japan’s women’s sevens team before being appointed head coach of the national team, ahead of the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
“I admire her strong will and her honesty,” Suzuki said.