"I had two touches - one to kick off and another to kick the ball out at a penalty. I also made one tackle and apart from that was running backwards and forwards on defence."
"In the second game I got a few more touches and tried to speed it up which was my job," she said.
While Black Ferns head coach Glenn Moore and other members of the Black Ferns coaching staff were pleased with Cottrell's contributions, the Taradale High School product said it's important she performs well during the NPC to enhance her chances of selection for the Northern Hemisphere tour which will begin in November with a test in Chicago against the United States before two against France.
The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union's women's development officer, Cottrell, 26, said she is excited to be back with the Tuis and was impressed with the team's first training earlier this week.
"They have had a really good pre-season campaign and their preparation has been good this week."
A four-time national sevens champion with Manawatu, Cottrell, will be familiar with at least five of the Wellington Pride players who were her Black Ferns teammates.
She doesn't expect Wellington to stray much from the game plan used in last weekend's 46-19 pre-season win against the Tuis in Ashhurst.
"They will have quite a big team. So it's important we front up on defence. We have to try to go low and meet them before they get their roll on."
"If we can do that and tire them out we will have a chance," Cottrell added.
A former baker, Cottrell, made huge sacrifices during her five seasons of playing NPC for the Manawatu Cyclones.
She worked Monday to Friday starting most mornings around 1am. That involved getting up at 12.30am and driving to work where she worked for around eight hours.
She would then go home for a couple of hours' sleep before making the two-hour drive to Palmerston North, train for an hour and half, and then drive home, have a two-hour nap and get up and go to work again.
Expect this level of commitment to feature in Cottrell's guest speaker stint at Napier Girls' High School's "Wellbeing Day" on Wednesday.
The wife of Hawke's Bay referee Tipene Cottrell who has reached Mitre 10 Cup level, Cottrell has also received offers for guest speaking stints later in the year.
She has politely declined these in case she will be on Black Ferns duty again.
Tuis head coach Steve Woods, who was at Eden Park watching Cottrell and the Black Ferns last weekend, is confident she will add to her international CV.
Last year Cottrell's only appearance for the Tuis was off the bench against Wellington as sevens play, including a stint in Japan, was her priority.
In addition to 19 first class appearances for the Tuis, Cottrell has made 27 for Manawatu.
For the first time in their history the Tuis will field an international halfback, first five-eighth and second five-eighth trio tomorrow.
Three-time world champion Emma Jensen will start at halfback and 2006 world champion Black Fern and Tuis captain Amy Williams will start in the 12 jersey.
While the Tuis backline will be at full strength for the first time this season, the forward pack will miss the services of former Counties-Manukau lock Hanna Brough with a knee injury and props Jamie Heather and Yarnisae Whaitiri with concussion and calf injuries respectively.
The Tuis team for the 1pm match is:
Shaylee Tipiwai, Felicity Powdrell, Natasha Greville, Amy Williams (captain), Tori Iosefo, Krysten Cottrell, Emma Jensen, Gemma Woods, Chanel Huddleston, Laurae Blake, Ra Mason, Ripeka Hurae, Natalie Cotton, Jessie Taueki, Kara Huata. Substitues: Forwards, Davina Atkin, Jennifer Simati, Niamh Jefferson, Kathleen Brown. Backs, Hailey Baker, Te Maari MacGregor, Kaitlin Bates.
