Champions. Olympians. Trailblazers. The Ultimate Sevens coaches bring experience from the biggest stages in the game, with a shared belief in speed, skill and fearless rugby. Proven leaders as players and coaches, they know what it takes to build teams, create belief and deliver when the pressure rises. Now, they are ready to shape the first chapter of the Championship.

Shannon Fraser


More than 20 years at the sharp end of the game. Shannon Fraser brings deep experience across elite rugby, player development and international competition.


His work with Rugby Australia spans the Australia Men’s Sevens programme and the national men’s sevens pathways. His CV also includes a decade with the NSW Waratahs, including seven years leading their Super A side, plus five years with Australia Under 20s.


Fraser has coached on the global stage too, serving as a Fiji assistant coach at Rugby World Cup in 2007 and 2011. In 2024, he guided Australia Under 18s to a 38 to 31 victory over New Zealand Schools in Hamilton.

A coach built for speed, skill and the next generation.


Kelly Brazier

World champion. Olympic champion. A proven winner at the highest level.

Kelly Brazier built an extraordinary career across sevens and 15s. She earned 44 Test caps for the Black Ferns and won Rugby World Cups in 2010 and 2017. In sevens, she added two Rugby World Cup Sevens titles, six World Series titles and Commonwealth Games gold.

On the Olympic stage, Brazier won silver at Rio 2016 before going one better at Tokyo 2020, helping New Zealand claim gold.

After moving into coaching in 2023, she joined Chiefs Manawa as an assistant coach in 2026. She has also been selected for the Black Ferns XV coaching group across its 2026 and 2027 campaigns.

Vision under pressure. Skill at full speed. A champion shaping what comes next.


Philip Snyman


A champion as a player. A champion as a coach.

Philip Snyman spent 11 years at the heart of the Blitzboks. He played 276 matches across 62 World Series tournaments, scored 376 points and captained South Africa at 28 events. His career brought three World Series titles, Commonwealth

Games gold and Olympic bronze at Rio 2016.

Then he took that winning experience into coaching. Snyman led Germany to Rugby World Cup Sevens qualification in 2022 before returning to the South African programme. Taking charge of the Blitzboks in 2024, he guided them through the Olympic qualifier in Monaco and on to bronze at Paris 2024.

The momentum kept building. South Africa won the 2025 HSBC SVNS World Championship before completing the 2026 double, winning the HSBC SVNS Series and successfully defending their World Championship title.

Calm under pressure. Clear in purpose. Built to win.

María Ribera

Olympian. Trailblazer. A coach driven by relentless progress.

María Ribera earned 176 caps for Spain’s women’s sevens team. She competed across 20 World Series events, five Rugby Europe Championships, two Rugby World Cup Sevens.  Turing to  women’s XV, Maria also represented Spain’s women’s XV national team, earning 27 caps and competing in two Rugby World Cups.

Her impact continued from the touchline. After coaching at club level and across Spain’s under 18 and under 20 programmes, Ribera led Las Leoncitas to consecutive European silver medals in 2022 and 2023.

She joined the senior Las Leonas7s coaching team for the 2024 SVNS season before becoming head coach in August 2024. She continues to lead Spain’s women’s sevens programme today.

Relentless work. Constant growth. Ready for the next challenge.

Crystal Kaua

Trailblazer. A leader driven by skill, courage and connection.

Crystal Kaua represented New Zealand Māori Sevens and played provincial rugby for Auckland and Waikato before moving into coaching. Her early roles took her through women’s sevens programmes in Auckland and the Cook Islands, followed by four years leading Mie Pearls in Japan.

She later joined the Black Ferns Sevens as skills coach and performance analyst, forming part of the coaching team.  In 2022, she helped Chiefs Manawa win the inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki title before becoming head coach in 2023, reaching 3 finals in 3 years.  Crystal is one of the first two women appointed to lead a Super Rugby club.

Appointed head coach of Brazil’s women’s sevens team in 2024, Kaua became the first woman to lead As Yaras. In 2026, she guided Brazil to the São Paulo SVNS 2 title and qualification for the SVNS World Championship.

Sharp thinking. Brave rugby. Ready to deliver.

Paco Hernández

Olympian. Captain. A coach driven by ambition, belief and progress.

Paco Hernández made 295 appearances for Spain and represented his country at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He competed across 26 World Series tournaments, became national captain in 2017 and helped Spain win the Hong Kong qualifier that secured their return to the World Series.

He took charge of Los Leones7s in January 2023. Spain retained their place among the world’s leading teams in 2024 before reaching their first World Series final in Dubai later that year.

In 2025, Hernández guided Spain to the HSBC SVNS World Championship final in Los Angeles, securing a historic silver medal and the country’s best finish on the global stage.  This was consolidated in 2026 with a HSBC SVNS World Series bronze medal. 

Relentless work. Fearless ambition. Setting the standard.