It is rare for both people in a couple to share the same career, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that Cristina Guntin and Gastón Ibarburu are both deeply involved in rugby as coaches. This year, with Guntin becoming the sole woman guiding a women’s team in the Division of Honor, the story already feels extraordinary. In Eibar, the trio of paradoxes aligns: a powerful pair steering Eibar Rugby Taldea, with the club’s identity and future firmly in their hands. The reality of having an all-women staff—coaching, medical, and physical preparation—remains unusual at the highest level. The season ahead promises more milestones, including Aroa Gonzalez joining AVR FC Barcelona as the second woman to coach an elite women’s rugby team. It is a moment to watch closely.
Guntin’s arrival at Eibar wasn’t about gender. The club president, Iñaki Arrizabalaga, states that the decision was rooted in what she could bring to the table. Her evident passion for rugby and her dedication to developing every facet of the club’s sporting project were the decisive factors. Arrizabalaga emphasizes that Guntin’s tenacity is clear, a trait that inspired confidence in a group ready to recognize and celebrate a capable woman who commits fully to the job and makes meaningful sacrifices to balance training with other responsibilities. The club’s weekly schedule for the first team is managed with care and resolve, aiming for sustained progress.
The biographical note provided describes Cristina Guntin as a 43-year-old Galician and Gastón Ibarburu as a 44-year-old Uruguayan with a shared zeal for rugby. Their roles as technicians at Eibar have sparked curiosity about the balance of feminine and masculine leadership. Both carry the weight of balancing demanding professional duties with family life, including parenting and other responsibilities that arise on weekends when matches are played.
Eighth of nine siblings
From Galicia, a person who grew up as the eighth of nine siblings found their path tended toward sport later than most. In adolescence, activity was scarce until rugby offered a chance to get in shape and feel at home within a team. A biology and social education education completed despite dyslexia, which sometimes makes fast speech and numbers tricky, paints a portrait of someone who faces challenges with resilience and a stubborn determination to persevere.
That determination shines through in personal decisions. When a partner received a professional contract elsewhere, they packed up and left family comfort behind, taking a role as a biologist in a botanical garden. Time in Gernika and Hendaye broadened professional horizons, with opportunities found in the subcategories of Mungia and Kakarraldo. The journey then led to Saint-Jean-de-Luz and beyond, including a stint in Scotland where both biological and athletic paths intertwined for their children, who excel at national levels. These experiences foreshadow the depth of commitment that defines their rugby career and family life, including the potential to confront a high-level challenge like a match against Springboks in 2005.
Back on Basque soil, the couple’s return to the region came after a recommendation from Peio Urkidi, the former Basque club coach. The prospect of home life in Basque Country, raising their children there, was appealing enough to accept the project and help a smaller club grow. The invitation was accepted with clear purpose eight years ago, and the impact has echoed through Basque rugby: the women’s team began with steep learning curves but steadily gained momentum, climbing from challenging beginnings to reach the top divisions after the pandemic pause. The sentiment is one of pride in steady, hard work rather than quick luck, a belief that even a humble club can meet ambitious goals.
That season included a playoff run and a semi-final loss to Sevillanas de Corteva Cocos Rugby. Looking back, Guntin credits dyslexia with teaching alternative learning strategies and correcting mistakes, ultimately enabling the attainment of an official N3 coaching title. Reconciliation proved practical and efficient, with wives and husbands coordinating travel, often taking children along on the road when the squad’s trips required it.
Unpleasant anecdote
Coaching brings its share of vivid moments. On one occasion, the group encountered a misunderstanding at the entrance of a field, involving a physiotherapist, a trainer, and themselves as they accompanied young children. After clarifications, a barrier was overcome, and the situation was defused without escalation. The incident left a lasting impression, yet it did not deter, and today the staff is known and respected, with referees approaching interactions with an added sense of professional courtesy.
Guntin highlights a broader cultural shift: women’s presence in every corner of rugby is increasingly normalized. For instance, a female referee officiated a playoff match against Sevillanas, a sign of progress many see as part of a longer journey. Yet she notes that normalization still varies by country, with places like New Zealand already more accustomed to female leaders in rugby. The ambition remains to bring these advances into senior men’s squads as well, while continuing to support and grow the women’s programs already established.
Fraguas, physical trainer
Raquel Fraguas from Zaragoza leads Eibar’s physical conditioning, a former Spanish hurdles champion who found her Olympic dream realized not in athletics but in rugby. An injury during athletic days nearly derailed it all, with a knee setback that required a year and a half of recovery. The stubborn determination to push forward eventually connected her with Bernardo Domingo, the long-time fitness coach for Spanish teams, who invited her to join and help train the girls’ program. While Domingo’s initial involvement was modest, his vision evolved, and the two built a strong team that travels from Deba to Eibar for daily sessions.
Fraguas arrived in Guipúzcoa through Cristina Guntin’s network after witnessing an Eibar semifinal. She accepted the chance to contribute to a cherished project, a decision that took time to finalize but ultimately paid off. Her current routine involves guiding both boys and girls across all club categories, embracing the challenge of building strength and resilience in a sport where every day brings new demands.
A “privileged”
The work brings a sense of privilege, said by someone who earns a living in a sport where professionalism remains scarce. Balancing a demanding career with five-year-old James at home makes the arrangement even more meaningful. In Spain, there are only a handful who can pursue rugby as a profession, and those few face tough compromises. Earlier years in Madrid meant juggling physics instruction, personal training, and coaching duties, often with limited financial reward from the federation.
The professional path has shifted, revealing a sport where female staff were once scarce in major tours and where only a few women stayed on as part of the technical team. The experience has shaped a practical approach to responsibilities, often requiring independent, behind-the-scenes efforts to ensure teams can thrive. There is a belief that the obstacles encountered by women in rugby are less about machismo and more about structural and logistical hurdles that require persistence and collective support. A recent visit to a Madrid club illustrated how gendered barriers can still appear, yet the path forward remains focused on inclusion and progress. The personal and professional bond between Fraguas and her colleagues strengthens the sense of shared purpose and mutual trust in guiding a growing program that champions both boys and girls, and signals future opportunities to lead even more diverse teams.