{{Short description|New Zealand rugby union coach and player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox rugby biography | birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|37|2022|02|14}} | birth_place = | height = | weight = | position = Loose forward, lock | provinceyears1 = 2012–2013 | province1 = Waikato | provinceapps1 = 12 | provincepoints1 = 0 | provinceyears3 = 2009 | province3 = Auckland | provinceapps3 = 7 | provincepoints3 = 0 | repyears1 = | repteam1 = | repcaps1 = | reppoints1 = | repsevensyears1 = | repsevensteam1 = Aotearoa Māori Sevens | repsevenscomp1 = | coachyears1 = 2013–2015 | coachteams1 = Hamilton Girls' High School 7s | coachyears2 = 2018–2022 | coachteams2 = Mie Pearls 7s<br>Mie Pearls XVs | coachyears4 = 2022 | coachteams4 = Chiefs Manawa (assistant coach) | coachyears5 = 2023–2024 | coachteams5 = Chiefs Manawa (head coach) }} '''Crystal Kaua''' (born {{Birth based on age as of date|37|2022|02|14|noage=1}})<ref name="newsroom"/> is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player.

== Playing career == Kaua made the Black Ferns sevens and fifteens trial squads,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-04-09 |title=Black Ferns get down to business |url=https://www.scrumqueens.com/news/black-ferns-get-down-business |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=Scrum Queens |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-04-12 |title=Black Ferns begin World Cup preparations |url=https://www.world.rugby/news/25374?lang=en |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.world.rugby}}</ref> and also played for the Aotearoa Sevens Māori side.<ref name="chiefs">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-28 |title=Crystal Kaua named Head Coach of Waitomo Chiefs Manawa |url=https://www.chiefs.co.nz/news-item/crystal-kaua-named-head-coach-of-waitomo-chiefs-manawa |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=Chiefs |language=en}}</ref><ref name="nzherald">{{Cite web |last=Kirkness |first=Luke |date=2022-10-26 |title='It's a starting point': First female Super Rugby coaches have big dreams |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/crystal-kaua-named-chiefs-manawa-head-coach-for-super-rugby-aupiki-2023-campaign/NPSCLUDGEYGXJHGYMOXGQUMFUQ/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref> She represented Auckland and Waikato in the Farah Palmer Cup.<ref name="nzherald"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Women's Sevens cast net far and wide for squad |url=https://www.aucklandrugby.co.nz/aru/newsarticle/42538 |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.aucklandrugby.co.nz}}</ref>

== Coaching career == In 2011, Kaua and two of her New Zealand Māori Sevens teammates and Black Ferns, Victoria Grant and Teresa Te Tamaki, helped the University of Waikato Rugby Club make a comeback.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-04-05 |title=Varsity team help bring Waikato women's rugby back to the NPC |url=https://www.waikato.ac.nz/news-opinion/media/2012/varsity-team-help-bring-waikato-womens-rugby-back-to-the-npc |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.waikato.ac.nz |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

Kaua and her husband, Brent, led Hamilton Girls' High School to three consecutive Condor Sevens national titles, and also world youth titles in Hawaii and Japan up to the end of 2015. They then moved to Japan in 2018 and coached there for about four years.<ref name="newsroom">{{Cite web |last=McFadden |first=Suzanne |date=2022-02-14 |title=Kaua's goal to become both epic coach and epic mum |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lockerroom/page/kauas-goal-to-become-both-epic-coach-and-epic-mum |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=Newsroom |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref name="1news">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-28 |title=Kaua, Grant to become first female Super Rugby head coaches |url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/09/28/kaua-grant-to-become-first-female-super-rugby-head-coaches/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=1 News |language=en}}</ref> They coached the Mie Pearls sevens and fifteens teams in Yokkaichi.<ref name="newsroom"/>

=== 2022 === Kaua was an assistant coach to Allan Bunting in Chiefs Manawa during their inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki season when they won their maiden title.<ref name="chiefs"/><ref name="nzsportswire">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-27 |title=Super Rugby Aupiki returns for 2023 with two new coaches |url=https://www.nzsportswire.com/2022/09/28/super-rugby-aupiki-returns-for-2023-with-two-new-coaches/ |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=NZ Sports Wire |language=en-NZ}}</ref> She was also the Black Ferns Sevens performance analyst and skills coach in 2022.<ref name="1news"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-28 |title=Kaua and Grant to become first female Super Rugby head coaches |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/475614/kaua-and-grant-to-become-first-female-super-rugby-head-coaches |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}</ref> She was the technical advisor for the Bay of Plenty Volcanix in the 2022 Farah Palmer Cup.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bay of Plenty Volcanix 2022 Farah Palmer Cup Squad announced |url=https://www.boprugby.co.nz/boprugby/newsarticle/117680?newsfeedid=1220239 |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=www.boprugby.co.nz}}</ref>

Kaua headed the Rawata team during the Black Ferns trial in July ahead of the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-04 |title=Black Ferns triallists named |url=https://rugbyheartland.co.nz/wp/2022/07/04/black-ferns-triallists-named/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=Rugby Heartland |language=en-US}}</ref> In September, she was appointed as the new head coach of Chiefs Manawa for the 2023 season.<ref name="chiefs"/><ref name="nzsportswire"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Powell |first=Alex |date=2022-09-28 |title=Super Rugby Aupiki: First female coaches appointed for expanded 2023 competition |language=en |work=Newshub |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2022/09/super-rugby-aupiki-first-female-coaches-appointed-for-expanded-2023-competition.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927191026/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2022/09/super-rugby-aupiki-first-female-coaches-appointed-for-expanded-2023-competition.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 September 2022 |access-date=2022-10-16}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links ==

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaua, Crystal}} Category:1980s births Category:Living people Category:New Zealand rugby union coaches Category:New Zealand female rugby union players Category:Rugby union locks Category:21st-century New Zealand sportswomen