\u201cI love the age group. Particularly around that First XV coaching side of things because they\u2019re incredibly committed, you\u2019ve got a captive audience, you don\u2019t have the stresses of trying to chase colts to turn up for trainings when they\u2019re busy at university and partying and all those sorts of things. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou get them at a nice age, that kind of 16 to 18 where they\u2019re still boys and they have to be at school and they have to turn up for training and they want to turn up for training.\u201d <\/p>\n
First XV rugby has long been a space for promising coaches to cut their teeth.<\/p>\n
Westlake Boys High School First XV perform their haka at Burger Field, where they competed in the St John’s Easter Rugby Festival, in South Africa. Westlake has former All Black Luke McAllister among their coaching staff. Photo \/<\/p>\n
One of New Zealand rugby\u2019s greatest minds, Sir Graham Henry, famously coached the Auckland Grammar First XV from 1974 to 1980 before moving to Kelston Boys\u2019 High School and taking up the First XV reins there. He resigned in 1996 to become the fulltime coach of Auckland and continued in the professional coaching ranks with Wales, the British and Irish Lions and the All Blacks. <\/p>\n
Just last week, another recent First XV coach was appointed to one of New Zealand provincial rugby\u2019s top positions. Jono Phillips had coached Nelson College through a hugely successful period as well as running their rugby programme up until the end of 2024. He\u2019s now head coach at Tasman for the upcoming NPC.<\/p>\n
Jono Phillips during his time with Nelson College.<\/p>\n
Phillips\u2019 ascent is more indicative of the current environment. He was already an accomplished coach before arriving at the school. Whilst the majority of First XV coaches are volunteers \u2013 many are now in paid roles. They\u2019re tasked with creating a near professional environment for their elite players that includes strength and conditioning, nutrition and theory. It\u2019s all part of their school day and many hope it\u2019ll be part of their working life when they leave. <\/p>\n
Heinz has already lived that life and is not alone in moving from a professional playing career to coaching schoolboy rugby \u2013 even in his current role. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been lucky enough to have Owen Franks come on board as our forwards coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owen Franks charges into Kyle Eastmond and Ben Morgan of England during the 2014 test match at Eden Park. Photo \/ Photosport.<\/p>\n
The 108-test All Black prop has a presence at the school. <\/p>\n
\u201cEven just in the term one preseason block, seeing the detail and the standards and behaviours that he brings to the group, particularly with the forwards, those boys have just been loving him,\u201d says Heinz. <\/p>\n
Some former teammates and adversaries of Heinz and Franks are also aligned with First XVs this season. At Wellington College, it\u2019s another international prop\/halfback duo of Neemia Tialata and Piri Weepu. Luke McAllister is with Westlake Boys\u2019 High School, Pita Alatini with King\u2019s College and Hika Elliott has found tremendous success with Rotorua Boys\u2019 High School.<\/p>\n
Rotorua Boys\u2019 High have captured the Sanix World Youth Rugby Championship for the third time, after an emphatic 46-19 victory over Feilding High School in the 2026 final in Fukuoka, Japan.<\/p>\n
Elliott\u2019s side won the National Top 4 title last season and followed that up by winning the Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament in Japan over the past week. <\/p>\n
Heinz\u2019s path to coaching wasn\u2019t by accident. He knew where he was heading when his playing days ended. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d taken the back end of my career just to start really taking that transition seriously. Did some study over in the UK in this kind of field, sports directorship type degree,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that I wanted to stay involved in the game. I\u2019m a code head deep down and just love the game. I wasn\u2019t 100% sure whether it was coaching or managing and I guess I\u2019ve kind of landed in a place where I\u2019m, I\u2019m doing a bit of both.\u201d<\/p>\n
England’s Willi Heinz (left), controls the ball, during a test match against Wales at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales. Photo \/ AP<\/p>\n
Heinz says the advice he often gives players is that they \u201cdon\u2019t need to be in a rush \u2013 but they do need to be ready\u201d. It\u2019s advice he\u2019s found himself following. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen players retire and transition straight into [professional] coaching. Some do a good job; some really struggle. And then I look at some of the key guys that I\u2019ve had as mentors, or some of the best coaches I\u2019ve worked with. Typically, I found the path that they went down was, they retired from the game, went back to grassroots, be it clubs, school, and really cut their teeth and learned their craft. Because you can coach for a long time, right?\u201d <\/p>\n
The school sport space is increasingly bridging that gap, allowing a relatively entry-level role that can still be a paid job. Heinz says that market is growing. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t give exact examples, but I think there are big public schools now paying for coaches. Maybe not necessarily within rugby, but certainly within some other sports. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe demand for high-profile and, I don\u2019t love using this term at school level, but high-performance, the demands for high-performance sporting programmes at schools increases. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s exclusive to the private schools anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
St Andrew’s College coach Willi Heinz overseeing a scrum at training. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Paid or voluntary, coaches of young people have a vital role to play and the 39-year-old father of 3 is acutely aware of it. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe relationship side of your job as a coach or a manager or a rugby director, or whatever the job title is, the relationship piece is critical and needs to come first, so that when you need to be able to push a little bit more, you can, because they know you care about them.\u201d <\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear that Heinz has been an A+ student of the game. Not just what happens between the try lines, but also between games and between the ears of those involved. Now he has a platform to put it all into use \u2013 and perspective. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the great things I was told by one of my favourite old coaches was \u2018just be where your feet are\u2019. We\u2019ve spoken to the boys around that this year. They\u2019ve got a whole lot going on in their lives and that\u2019s really important for us to remember as coaches. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not professionals. They\u2019ve got school between 8.30am and 3.20pm every day. They\u2019ve got relationships, they\u2019ve got other sports, they\u2019ve got families, they\u2019ve got all these other things going on. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to make sure that we\u2019re really deliberate with the time we have with them. Try not to overload them with too much stuff, but when they\u2019re with us, give us everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe where your feet are. Then when you\u2019re done, you can go away and focus on whatever else is going on in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
First XV of First XV coaches (and assistants)<\/p>\n
There are stacks of former top-level players involved in school rugby around New Zealand. We\u2019ve tried to pull together a team from them.<\/p>\n
15 \u2013 Andre Bell (Lindisfarne College). Otago (beat Lions in \u201893)<\/p>\n
14 \u2013 Sherwin Stowers (Sacred Heart) NZ 7\u2019s <\/p>\n
13 \u2013 Pita Alatini (King\u2019s College) All Black<\/p>\n
12 \u2013 Luke McAlister (Westlake Boys) All Black <\/p>\n
11 \u2013 Lifeimi Mafi (Palmerston North Boys) NZ U21, Manawat\u016b, Taranaki, Munster <\/p>\n
10 \u2013 Piri Weepu (Wellington College) All Black <\/p>\n
9 \u2013 Willi Heinz (St Andrew\u2019s College) England <\/p>\n
8 \u2013 Greg Foe (Nelson College) Samoa <\/p>\n
7 \u2013 Tafai Ioasa (Hastings Boys\u2019 High) NZ 7\u2019s <\/p>\n
6 \u2013 Sam Broomhall (Christ\u2019s College) All Black <\/p>\n
5 \u2013 Dom Bird (Scots College) All Black <\/p>\n
4 \u2013 Kieran Coll (STC) NZ Heartland XV Captain <\/p>\n
3 \u2013 Neemia Tialata (Wellington College) All Black <\/p>\n
2 \u2013 Hika Elliot (Rotorua Boys\u2019) All Black <\/p>\n
1 \u2013 Owen Franks (St Andrew\u2019s College) All Black <\/p>\n
Special mention to Christchurch Boys\u2019 High 4th XV coaches Corey Flynn and Nathan Mauger. Two former All Blacks who are also just two dads helping out. <\/p>\n