How a nine-year-old led Lion Flutey into the Black Ferns camp

Riki Flutey is still awaiting John Mitchell’s return.

Flutey smiles and says, “I’ve sent him a couple of pictures of me and him with our arms around each other.”

“Hey, I’m certain he’ll send me one at some point.” He is “doing a big job leading the ship”!

The pair were a member of Japan’s coaching staff at the previous Rugby World Cup, which was held in France in 2023.

They are currently in opposing camps. Former England international and former British and Irish Lion Flutey is the Black Ferns’ backs and skills coach.

The Red Roses are led by Mitchell, who was selected from a number of All Black squads while he was a player.

In April, Flutey took over as New Zealand’s coach for this Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The group mentality of the six-time champions struck him as one of the first things.

According to him, “Allan Bunting, head coach, has done a fantastic job of creating an environment that values connection and service.”

Coming from a Super Rugby men’s environment [Flutey’s last post was with the Highlanders], you know, just looking at it and feeling it is pretty amazing.

The connections between management and management, management to player, and player to player, are “quite special.”

It is “truly genuine,” it says.

No formal training or group-building exercises are conducted; instead, spend a lot of time in each other’s company, conversing, singing, and cheering each other on another well-timed mission to win the world title.

As a player, you could hear a pin drop right away when we met at the hotel before taking the bus, says Flutey.

“No one would speak,” he said.

“Everyone was wearing headphones, no talking, and straight ahead of the camera.” That is how “on” appeared.

However, this team plays music, communicates with one another, and interacts with one another in the changing rooms as well.

Flutey hasn’t played before for women’s rugby, but the Black Ferns have.

Madison, his daughter, dragged him into the game. She decided rugby was the sport she wanted to play like her father when she was nine years old when she watched Portia Woodman-Wickliffe prepare for the Rio 2016 Sevens.

Flutey has been a part of her teams since moving to Otago Spirit, one of New Zealand’s elite domestic teams, after graduating from the club, first team, and then first team.

He claims that “she’s always enjoyed having her dad there, helping her and coaching her.”

Because my three sons criticized me for always supporting her teams, I’ve tried to get out of it a few times.

“But Maddie said, “No, you can’t,” she was. There are no coaches for us. You must instruct us, ” “.

“And coming into this has actually really, really helped,” he said.

A new generation of Black Ferns stars, such as 18-year-old full-back Braxton Sorensen-McGee and Sevens convert Jorja Miller, have been taught how to attack in a field of ice and find space as the game disintegrates, according to Flutey’s remit.

He appears to be meeting the job description with 18 tries so far in two tries scored in victories over Spain and Japan.

Flutey isn’t yet allowing himself to picture a face-to-face meeting with Mitchell, though.

He said, “We’re sitting third in the world rankings, and we’re fully aware of that.”

You’re aware that we lost the Irish game last year. The Ireland game will be a massive, massive Test match for us.

“We’ve been putting all of our eggs in the basket and getting ready for the team coming up, and we’ve been focusing on each game as it comes.”

We haven’t even considered or considered England.

We are aware of their talent, which includes some outstanding players in their squad, and which haven’t been matched in a while.

Mitchell and Flutey may have business ideas for rugby to come up with later this month.

This winter, Flutey’s daughter, Madison, will fly over from New Zealand to train with Exeter Chiefs’ Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) team.

When WXV was held in New Zealand in 2023, Mitchell sent an invitation to Riki and Madison to watch England training.

Madison, 16, spoke with then-Exeter coach Susie Appleby after she shopped with some England staff members.

Madison has been sending over clips from her games to the Chiefs ever since she captained a South Island XV as part of New Zealand’s under-18s high performance programme this summer.

Without the lengthy residency period her father did, she would be eligible for the Red Roses because she was born in London.

She said, “Dear, I want to play for England, like you did, and the British and Irish Lions,” after going into the women’s environment in England.

She hasn’t been so sure, though, since I’ve got this role! I just responded, “You do it, sweetie.”