Pakuranga United Rugby Club is pleased to confirm its Premier 1 coaching team for the 2027 season, with Head Coach Dwayne Polataivao returning to lead the side for a second year.

Polataivao will once again be joined by Brad Martin as Assistant Coach, with Duncan McGrory stepping into the Premier coaching group as an Assistant Coach. PURC Rugby Director Francis Stowers completes the group as Technical Assistant.

After a 2026 season which saw a new coaching group and close to 30 players make their Premier debuts, the focus now turns to building on the foundations laid during their first campaign together.

For Polataivao, the development he saw throughout the year – both individually and collectively – gives him plenty of confidence about what the group can achieve in 2027.

“There’s plenty to be excited about! We had around 29 Premier debutants, a new coaching group and it was my first year as a Head Coach, so there was a lot of learning and growing together.

“What gave me confidence was how the boys kept turning up, competing and buying into what we’re building. We’ve laid some good foundations, and now it’s about taking another step in 2027.”

That continuity will be important for a young Premier squad which gained valuable experience throughout the season.

Polataivao believes another year together provides an opportunity for the group to begin putting its own stamp on Premier rugby and, importantly, play a style that represents Pakuranga.

“The potential in this group is exciting. We’re young, hungry and now have another year of experience. For a lot of our group it was about learning to play tough Premier rugby week in, week out.

“For 2027, I’m excited to see us really play the Pakuranga brand of footy we know, love and enjoy – playing for each other, our club and our community.

“Plenty of work ahead, but that’s the fun part. UP THE RANGA!”

Returning alongside Polataivao is Brad Martin, who also saw encouraging signs as the 2026 season progressed.

With a full season together now behind the playing and coaching groups, Martin believes greater cohesion can help turn the progress made during the year into results on Saturdays.

“There was clear progress as the season went on, so with more time together building cohesion we should see some better results on Saturdays.”

One of the biggest positives for Martin was the emergence of a number of young players who took their opportunities when called upon.

“Some of the less heralded younger players really took their opportunities when they got them, so I expect they’ll be coming in with a lot of confidence next year and I look forward to seeing them take their game to the next level.”

Joining Polataivao and Martin in the Premier environment is a familiar face in Duncan McGrory.

McGrory has coached across several levels at Pakuranga and brings a strong understanding of the club and its player pathways into the Premier programme. For him, stepping into the role is an opportunity not only to work with the club’s top side, but also to strengthen the connection between the Premiers and the wider Pakuranga rugby community.

“It’s an opportunity for me to connect all of those levels I have been coaching with over the last few years and re-emphasise the connections that the Premier team have historically had with the rest of the senior and junior clubs.

“It’s also the opportunity to work with a group of talented, mostly young men and create a more competitive environment across the senior teams.”

Having previously been involved with successful Pakuranga sides, McGrory is also keen to bring a simple philosophy into the Premier environment – making sure the work done during the week translates when the team takes the field on Saturday.

“We play what we train. If we spend time working on things at training, then we need to make sure we are taking them into game day. There is no point spending time on things that we never intend on taking onto the field.”

Completing the coaching team is PURC Rugby Director Francis Stowers, who will work with the group as Technical Assistant.

Stowers’ involvement will provide another valuable resource for the Premier programme while also helping create alignment between the club’s top side and the wider rugby programme at Pakuranga.

With Polataivao and Martin returning, McGrory stepping up into the Premier environment and Stowers adding his experience and oversight, the 2027 coaching group brings together continuity, club connection and a clear desire to keep moving the programme forward.

The foundations were laid in 2026.

With another preseason together and a young playing group now carrying the experience of a full Premier campaign, the challenge for 2027 is to build on them – and take the next step.

Article added: Tuesday 06 October 2026