Blair Baxter is back.
Baxter has been named as the head coach for Matatū for the Super Rugby Aupiki season, replacing Whitney Hansen, who has taken over as the Black Ferns head coach.
Baxter previously coached Matatū in 2022 and 2023, winning the franchise’s only Super Rugby Aupiki title in his final year.
After a stint overseas as the assistant coach for the Chinese women’s sevens team, Baxter returned to New Zealand, working as a game development manager for the Mid Canterbury union.
He also was an assistant coach of Matatū in 2025 and guided the New Zealand under-18 team to victory at the Youth Global Sevens.
He previously coached Canterbury and led them to the Farah Palmer Cup title in his debut season in 2020.
Matatū general manager Sarah Munro was rapt to have Baxter returning as head coach.
"Blair has been part of our journey from the very beginning," Munro said.
"His deep understanding of our kaupapa, his genuine care for our athletes, and his proven ability to lead at the high-performance level make him the right person to guide us forward into 2026."
