Thai Rugby Union Meets with NZ 7s To Strengthen Ties

The Thai Rugby Union (TRU) Women’s 7s team are in New Zealand for a camp to prepare for the upcoming Asian Games 2026, and the senior leadership of the TRU met with the NZ 7s at the Bay of Plenty training centre to discuss future co-operation and rugby development.

Photo Credit – TRU

Leading the Thai delegation is the President of the TRU, Pol. Lt. Col. Kulthan Prachuabmoh, as well as members of the Elite Sports and Sports Science Division at the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), which manages high-performance athlete development and national sports training programs.

The meeting with New Zealand Rugby 7s involved meeting the Black Ferns 7s players and coaching staff, which included Head Coach of the New Zealand women’s national rugby sevens team Cory Sweeney and his assistants.

The TRU said via a social post that the meeting explored the possibility of cooperating on athlete and coach development, as well as the exchange of sports science knowledge, aiming to elevate the potential of Thai rugby players for future national team representation.

Photo Credit – TRU

Pol. Lt. Col. Kulthon said via the TRU, “This centre is a massive sports complex, fully equipped for elite athlete development. Importantly, we were welcomed by both the men’s and women’s New Zealand national rugby teams and had the opportunity to observe their training sessions up close.

We also had a memorable experience when the Black Ferns sang a traditional team song for the Thai national team – a wonderful gesture of friendship between our two nations.

The current Thai Women’s 7s Head Coach is former NZ 7s player Lote Raikabula, who played from 2006 to 2016, winning multiple Sevens World Series titles, a Rugby World Cup Sevens, and Commonwealth Games gold medals.

The TRU explained that the discussion centred on:

• Collaborative approaches for developing athletes and coaches alongside New Zealand’s national rugby sevens teams – the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens.
• Exchange of expertise regarding training techniques, sports science, and elite athlete development pathways.
• Promotion of rugby to cultivate a new generation of players.
• Laying the foundation for future advancement to the national teams of Thailand.

Photo Credit – TRU

This is the second time Thailand has sent a rugby team to New Zealand for a training camp, but the TRU said it is the first time they have received an official welcome from the New Zealand rugby community.

The Thai Women’s 7s team is scheduled to train alongside the Black Ferns this week too, and the experience will hope to offer exposure to world-class training systems and foster collaborative networks.

The TRU President has previously said that he wants Thailand to host a HSBC SVNS Series leg, and has targeted a medal placement for the Thai Women at the Asian Games, and a top 5 finish for the Men.

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