Former Kiwi Fern Hannah Wainohu with 6-month-old son Fraser Wainohu-Rakuraku. PHOTO/Duncan Brown
HANNAH WAINOHU laughs as she reflects on her first-class rugby union and rugby league careers.
"I don't know how we did it. Looking back we took some knocks. I suppose I was fitter and younger back then."
To be fair Wainohu, now 44 and a Hastings-based senior firefighter, handed out more than her fair share of knocks too. She was one of the Bay's toughest female league and union players from 1999 to 2003.
In fact she was one of the better examples of All Black legend Michael Jones' famous quote: "It's better to give than receive." In Wainohu's case, like Jones, it was never anything dirty, just hard and physical from the first whistle to the last.
Hastings Girls High School product Wainohu was the sole Hawke's Bay member of the 2000 Kiwi Ferns rugby league team who won the World Cup in London. They beat Ireland 22-12 and Australia 14-10 and 50-6 before beating Great Britain 26-4 in the final.
"That World Cup had to be the highlight of my time in both codes. It was a free trip to London and after coming on as a reserve in the first game I started in the rest," she explains.
Wainohu was on target to be selected for the Kiwi Ferns 2003 Auckland-hosted World Cup but was forced to withdraw when she couldn't be released from Fire Service training.
"At that stage in my sporting career I had to put a job first. Fortunately my league and rugby fitness helped as I was the fittest I had ever been then and like other union and league players joining the service I didn't find the physical tests hard," Wainohu recalls.
Her cousin Robert Whaitiri was her first rugby coach at Clive when she was 18.
"I was useless. It wasn't until I moved to Perth at the age of 23 and played under an Irish coach by the name of Stu Porter that I got better," Wainohu says.
One of her rugby highlights was helping the Hawke's Bay Tuis thrash Southland 100-5 in the national division two final on Napier's McLean Park in 2003.
"We had struggled so long to gain division one status so that was pretty rewarding."
One of two Hastings-based female firefighters, Wainohu said it was tough to leave union and league to focus on her career.
"I didn't go back to watch games as I knew somebody would ask me to play and I didn't want to risk injuries. Some of my old teammates like Deidre [Hakopa] are still playing and Deidre must rate as the unluckiest player not to gain Black Ferns or Kiwi Ferns selection ... there were a couple of good players in her position who were around almost as long as her," Wainohu says.
These days she is a keen triathlete and in 2010 joined Triathlon Hawke's Bay.
Wainohu has completed five Ironmaori events in Napier and two Taupo Ironmans.
Her best time for the Taupo event, which involves a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run, is 13h 57m.
"I know I'm too big for triathlons but pure mongrel gets me through the events," Wainohu says with a laugh.
After a six-month spell from triathlons to concentrate on son Fraser's introduction to the world, Wainohu is gradually getting back into the triathlon scene again.
"I'm in a regular training group. It also includes Anthea [Toheriri] and Heather [Skipworth] from our rugby and league days together."
"Heather has a baby the same age as Fraser so when we aren't catching up for a training session we catch up for a play session with the kids."
While the talk is more triathlon-dominated than union and league she says there is still some reflection of the time they spent with an oval ball.
"I was lucky to have a lot of good coaches. The likes of George Hokianga at league and Alby Hawea, Peter Davis, Arthur Brown and Simon Christie at union. Wayne [Skipworth], who is now into triathlon big time, was a good trainer too," she recalls.
We couldn't leave Wainohu without getting her to name her Tuis team, a selection containing who she considered were the best players in their respective positions during her career. It is: Julie Ferguson, Kerry Karauria, Deidre Hakopa, Lisa Hema, Amy Williams, Nerina Hawkins, Lisa Ropiha, Marina Canterbury, Chanel Huddleston, Leanne Nelson, Hannah Wainohu, Jasmine Makea, Ruth Hooper, Cheryl Heremia, Vicki Peni. Substitutes: Keri Gardiner, Charlene Hawkins, Anthea Toheriri, Moana Davis, Gemma Woods, Heather Skipworth, Claire Richardson.