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Two of North America’s leading coaches have been awarded internships by World Rugby for the lead-in to Rugby World Cup 2021. The USA’s Kate Daley and Canada’s Maria Gallo will be fully integrated into preparations for the flagship tournament in New Zealand.
Both coaches have already served as assistants for their national teams under Rob Cain and Sandro Fiorino respectively. The new program will see their involvement increase with funding provided by World Rugby via International Olympic Committee development grants.
Daley, who turns 35 next week, played for the Women’s Eagles as a loose forward and was part of the 2014 World Cup squad. She succeeded Pete Steinberg as Head Coach of Penn State and was named USA Women’s Coach of the Year in 2015 after leading the Nittany Lions to a national Division 1 title. The team won the D1 Elite championship in both 2016 and 2017.
Gallo, 42 on Monday, played in both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and then captained her country at the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. She was also a part of the national bobsleigh team. Now a coach for the UBC Thunderbirds, Gallo was inducted to the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame in 2018.
