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Regional | Black Ferns

Black Ferns coach Glenn Moore quits, 'effective immediately'

Photo / File

Under-fire Black Ferns coach Glenn Moore has resigned, effective immediately.

"It has been an extremely difficult and emotional decision to resign as Head Coach of the Black Ferns, effective immediately," Moore said in a statement Saturday afternoon.

"I feel it is in the best interests of the team that I step down."

The resignation follows Monday's release of a damning review of the team's management and culture, which was welcomed by NZ Māori Rugby board member Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. 

The review was triggered by an Instagram post by hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate which included allegations that Moore had, amongst other things, told her she "didn't deserve to be in the team" and was "picked only to play the guitar".

"Yes, I had a mental breakdown in front of everyone," Ngata-Aerengamate wrote in December, following the Black Ferns northern tour in which they lost every test match.

Moore was not at Monday's announcement but did, however, issue a statement at the time, saying “There are learnings from the review. I am committed to ensuring those are taken on board.”

Despite the review findings, Moore was set to remain as coach for October's Women's Rugby World Cup.

Today's resignation means NZ Rugby will move to appoint a replacement.

"We understand and respect Glenn's decision to step down and it is a mark of his character that he has chosen to put the team first at this difficult time," said Mark Robinson, NZ Rugby's chief executive.

In today's statement, Moore denied the allegations made by Ngata-Aerengamate which he described as "misleading".

"While the social media post allegations importantly resulted in Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate receiving the health and wellbeing support she needed.

"I did not agree with the allegations she made, and they were misleading. The post provided no context and unfairly and inaccurately represented me as a coach and a person.

"My values and beliefs were called into question, and it was very disappointing not only to me but also to my family. I have refrained from making any public comment about that until now out of concern for Te Kura's wellbeing at the time she made her post and to allow the review process to be completed," Moore said.