Lesley McKenzie

Lesley McKenzie (born December 23, 1980) is a Canadian rugby union player with 25 caps and the coach of the Japan women's national rugby union team.[2] She played for Canada at the 2006 and 2010 Rugby World Cup's, and coached Japan at the 2021 World Cup.

Lesley McKenzie
Date of birth (1980-12-23) December 23, 1980
Place of birthFort Nelson, British Columbia[1]
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
UniversityUniversity of British Columbia
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Meraloma Rugby (0)
UBCOB Ravens (0)
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
British Columbia (0)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2006?–2010?  Canada 25
Coaching career
Years Team
2008–2013 UBC Thunderbirds
2018–2019  Japan 7s (assistant coach)
2019–present  Japan

Rugby career

During university, McKenzie played for five years with the UBC Thunderbirds.[3] She played club rugby for Meraloma and UBCOB Ravens.[4]

McKenzie earned her first senior cap with the Canada women's national rugby team at the 2004 Churchill Cup versus the United States women's national rugby team.[5][6] Previously, she played for the under 23 representative team and represented British Columbia as a senior.

In 2008, McKenzie played rugby in New Zealand as preparation for the 2010 World Cup.[7]

Coaching career

McKenzie joined the UBC Thunderbirds as head coach in 2008 and left her post in 2013.[8] Kim Donaldson was her assistant coach from 2009 to 2011[9][10] Maria Gallo was her assistant coach from 2011 to 2013.[11]

In 2012, McKenzie led the Canada women's FISU 7s team to France.[3] In 2014, McKenzie was the Wellington Rugby Football Union's girls development co-coordinator.[12][6]

From 2015 to 2018, McKenzie developed and delivered programs as a game development officer for the Wanganui Rugby Football Union.[13] In 2018, She immigrated to Japan to become an assistant coach for the Japan women's national rugby sevens team.[13] Prior to this, she was hired five times for two weeks as a part-time resource coach for the Japanese sevens team. As assistant coach, McKenzie was also involved in academy branches across Japan.

In January 2019, McKenzie was appointed head coach of the fifteen-a-side team.[14][15] This role also includes the responsibility of proactively encouraging and promoting women players to become coaches.

McKenzie had her contract renewed as Japan's head coach after the 2021 Rugby World Cup, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced that it had extended her contract up to 31 March 2024.[16][17]

References
  1. "Lesley McKenzie Takes Charge of Japan Women's XV – BC Rugby". Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  2. "Lesley McKenzie nouvelle sélectionneuse des Sakura XV!". www.japonrugby.net. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  3. "Bogdon and Lebel to represent team Canada at 2012 world university rugby 7's championship". University of Waterloo Athletics. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  4. "Canada ready to take on France". Scrum Queens. 2009-11-03. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. "Player Profiles - UK Tour 2007". archive.wikiwix.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2003. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  6. Shepard, Kit (2022-09-28). "Lesley McKenzie: Ten things you should know about the Japan coach". Rugby World. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  7. "Old Faces, New Positions" (PDF). Trek. University of British Columbia Alumni Association. Summer 2008. p. 44.
  8. "Lesley McKenzie". UBC Thunderbirds. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  9. "2009–10 Roster". UBC Thunderbirds. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  10. "2010–11 Roster". UBC Thunderbirds. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  11. Ramsay, Bailey. "Our Campus: Rugby coach Maria Gallo brings experience from four rugby world cups, national bobsled team". The Ubyssey. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  12. "Olympics providing new rugby targets". Stuff. 18 November 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  13. Hyndman, Iain (March 28, 2018). "Wanganui Rugby Union development officers Justin Lock and Lesley McKenzie leave the nest". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  14. worldrugby.org. "Lesley McKenzie: "I'm not in the game to be a female head coach – I'm a rugby coach"". www.world.rugby. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  15. Japan Rugby Football Union (January 16, 2019). "Appointment of head coach of national women's XV (in Japanese)". www.rugby-japan.jp. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  16. "Lesley McKenzie excited to help Japan realise potential on road to Rugby World Cup 2025". www.world.rugby. 2023-01-06. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  17. "Lesley McKenzie to Continue as Sakura Fifteen Head Coach into 2024". Japan Rugby Football Union. 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
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