Inglewood United Rugby Netball Club

Bobby Jones (IURNC Men’s Premier Rugby) – Head Coach

What made you want to become a coach? Rugby has been a big part of mine and my whanau lives, just wanted to give back to the game back after I finished playing.

What are your core values as a coach? Mana. Team culture. Fun. Making memories.

What are you most looking forward to this season? Watching our club grow.

What drove you to want to coach at IURNC? It is the only club I have played for and I had an opportunity to coach a team with three generation of my whanau involved

What is your favourite thing to do outside of rugby? Spend time with whanau and friends play abit off golf and watch the Wahs

Your Words of Wisdom for 2025? “Up the Moa”

Heiden Bedwell-Curtis (IURNC Men’s Premier Rugby) – Assistant Coach

What made you want to become a coach? I want to share the knowledge I’ve learnt in my career and hope to improve the talent we have in our club to be better.

What are your core values as a coach? Hard work. Persistence. Passion.

What are you most looking forward to this season? Being part of a team again.

What drove you to want to coach at IURNC? It’s where my club playing days started and I see fitting to give back to the club and people who helped me.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of rugby? Renovate old houses – Work.

Your Words of Wisdom for 2025? We have a great team of coaches and managers who have put in a lot of work over the Summer to get the team in a position to do well.

I hope that everyone is excited about the opportunity to work hard together, have a lot of fun and create a great season.

Ngatai Walker (IURNC Men’s Premier Rugby) – Assistant Coach

What made you want to become a coach? My background in educational leadership and coaching has shaped my belief that rugby is more than just a game, it’s a powerful vehicle for developing people. Just as I have mentored students, teachers and leaders in education, I bring the same commitment to fostering growth, leadership, and cultural identity within the teams I’m involved in.

What are your core values as a coach? Manaakitanga (Respect & Care), Whanaungatanga (Connection & Relationships), Ako (Learning & Teaching), Tika me te Pono (Integrity & Honesty), Whakapono (Belief & Confidence), Kotahitanga (Unity & Teamwork), Whakamana (Empowerment).

What are you most looking forward to this season? I am looking forward to working and learning alongside Heiden & Bobby in the coaching team and seeing Dombo Snr sing ‘Hold me now’ by the Thompson twis at an after-match function.

What drove you to want to coach at IURNC? When I moved to Inglewood from Masterton over 15 years ago, I played for the club and was welcomed right away. The team culture made it an awesome experience, and many of the guys I played with are still involved today—or their kids are now in the senior teams. I want to make sure the next generation gets that same feeling of family, community, and respect that made Inglewood such a great place to be.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of rugby? This summer my favourite thing to do was to go for a swim at Opunake beach with my family then watch a movie at Everybody’s Theatre in Opunake.

Your Words of Wisdom for 2025? "If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball" - Patches O'Houlihan (Dodgeball)

Dwayne Schimanski (IURNC Women's Premier Rugby) – Head Coach

What made you want to become a coach? To spend more time with the wife, but all jokes aside I enjoy coaching and watching players develop their skill set and their growth throughout the season. Finding that hidden gem and being able to bring the best out of that player.

What are your core values as a coach? I've got a couple…Respect, whether you’re a player or management, respect is earned and not given. Teamwork, surrounding myself with likeminded people to get the best result possible. Culture, creating a safe environment for players and management to be able to fully express themselves on and off court.

What are you most looking forward to this season?Winning!!!! Striving to develop players throughout the season. Working closely with all our club coaches so that I can learn techniques from each of them and then be able to pass on the knowledge.

What drove you to want to coach at IURNC? It’s in the blood. I grew up here, played rugby here, so naturally I want to give back to the club that gave me and my family so many wonderful memories.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of rugby? Spending time with family and giving back to the community.

Your Words of Wisdom for 2025? “Be the best at the BASICS”.

Kern Tuala-Leáfa Aoina (IURNC Premier Womens) – Assistant Coach?

What made you want to become a coach? I’ve always helped in the background of things alongside playing, but wanted a bigger platform to help athletes get what they want out of their sport and go to the next level.

What are your core values as a coach? Love for the sport, discipline and dedication to yourself and your team.

What are you most looking forward to this season? Player Development! As a PT I love to see the women grow as athletes and also grow this game in our own backyard. I’m also looking forward to learning from our HC Shimo, our staff and the women in our team.

What drove you to want to coach at IURNC? Inglewood is where I call home now and the squad we have is awesome. I have so much respect for Shimo and am excited to learn from him.

What is your favourite thing to do outside of rugby? Gym and Video Games 😂

Your Words of Wisdom for 2025? Get your body right so you can do everything you want physically.
Get your mind right so you stay resilient and mentally tough for challenges that come.
Get addicted to bettering yourself everyday.

SENIOR RUGBY