POUTOA APPOINTED PRIDE HEAD COACH

Wellington Rugby is thrilled to announce Matt Poutoa as Head Coach of the CODEC Wellington Pride for the 2026 season. 

Poutoa takes the helm following his role as Assistant Coach of the Pride last season.

The 2025 Paremata-Plimmerton Club Coach of the Year, Poutoa, brings a wealth of coaching experience across multiple levels of the game, working with both men's and women's teams. With more than 15 years of coaching experience, he joins the Pride with the ambition of leading the side to the Championship Division title and securing promotion to the Premiership Division for the 2027 season.

Poutoa say’s “I’d like to thank Tony Giles and Wellington Rugby for the confidence they have shown in our coaching group by giving us another opportunity to serve this team. We are truly grateful for the privilege and responsibility that comes with representing our region.

I also want to make special mention of Fusi Feaunati and acknowledge his outstanding contribution to the program. The strong foundations he has helped build allow us to continue the great work already underway, and we thank him for his dedication and leadership and wish him well in his new role.
We’re excited about the year ahead and the opportunity to work with this talented group. In the meantime, we wish all our club teams and players the very best for the remainder of their seasons and look forward to seeing them continue to thrive.”

Wellington Rugby CEO Tony Giles says, “We are delighted to confirm Matt’s appointment as Head Coach of the Pride for the 2026. Having worked closely with the team as Assistant Coach last season, Matt has already demonstrated strong leadership, a clear understanding of our programme, and a deep commitment to the development of women’s rugby in Wellington. We are excited about the direction of the Pride under his leadership as we continue building towards sustained success in the Championship.”