Warriors bring in UFC star in bid to gain NRL advantage

By Christopher Reive

New Warriors coach Andrew Webster hasn’t wasted any time in finding new ways to improve his squad – and he’s called in some specialist help to do so.

Ahead of the new NRL season, the Warriors have brought in Kiwi UFC star Kai Kara-France to take the team through their paces on the wrestling mats as Webster looks to unlock an added level of physicality in 2023.

“Every NRL team is looking for an advantage in the ruck. We tackle so much in a game and there’s that last little bit of effort on the floor where you’ve got to beat the opponent to marker,” Webster explained in the club’s video announcement of Kara-France’s role.

“Everyone’s looking for that advantage, so when I came here to New Zealand I was like ‘who’s going to be that guy for us? Who can be an outside voice that can teach them some body awareness stuff?’”

It’s a system that won’t be unfamiliar to Webster, but one that clearly works. The Warriors signed Webster as their new head coach from the Penrith Panthers, who have had Australian UFC stars Robert Whittaker and Jacob Malkoun onboard as their wrestling coaches.

They aren’t the only team in the NRL who have looked to mixed martial artists for help in that area. Whittaker has worked with the Brisbane Broncos in the past, and in 2022 the St George Illawarra Dragons trained their wrestling at Freestyle MMA in Wollongong with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and his coach Joe Lopez.

Kara-France, and other members of Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym including Tongan Commonwealth Games wrestler John Vake, has been working with the squad since late last year and Webster said there had been clear improvements in that area.

“It’s really important for us that we gain some fitness in that area,” Webster said of the training. “It’s actually quite fatiguing when you have that movement; you’re trying to keep someone down and they’re trying to get up.”

“(Now) they’re in positions where they naturally just know how to move. They’re not having to think about it, it’s naturally just happening. How do I move? How do I get in this direction? How do I be as heavy as I can on my opponent? And if I’ve got the ball in my hand, how do I escape? It’s not just defence, it’s attack as well, and the boys are learning fast.”

While mixed martial arts and rugby league are vastly different codes, Kara-France said there were plenty of skills that transferred in the grappling aspect of MMA to the footy field.

“I broke down the science of what I do and how we transfer it onto the field,” the UFC’s No 3-ranked flyweight said. “It’s all about the mindset, resilience and mental-toughness; when things aren’t working out, we’re still in the fight and we find a way.

“That’s what martial arts has taught me – how to problem solve, how to back yourself, and confidence. That’s what I’m showing the boys. Through the technique and through the training, that’s how we can build together and ultimately win a premiership.”

The Warriors preparations will be ramping up in the coming weeks, with their season beginning in earnest with a preseason clash against Wests Tigers on February 9 in Auckland, before a meeting with the Melbourne Storm on February 19 in Christchurch.

Their season officially gets underway on March 3, hosting the Newcastle Knights at Sky Stadium in Wellington.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission