Hawke’s Bay Tui rugby veteran starting a family

Krysten Cottrell at Hawke's Bay Tui training in Hastings on Thursday night. She is taking a break this year to start a family, but will still mentor young players embarking on the path she started more than 17 years ago. Photo / Doug Laing

Hawke’s Bay Tui women’s backbone and regular captain Krysten Cottrell has started turning up at the struggling team’s training runs again, but she won’t be playing this year.

The 33-year-old former Black Fern told Hawke’s Bay Today that she and husband Tipene, who is also a rugby referee, are expecting their first child in February.

She put family on hold after being named a Black Fern in 2018. Her baby is due at a time when she might otherwise have been preparing for her fifth season with the Blues in Super Rugby Aupiki.

Having just returned from coaching a women’s sevens team in Japan, she does wonder slightly about how the timing of her announcement will affect the struggling Tui.

They have suffered two heavy defeats amid the continuing loss of most of their more experienced players, and are at risk of being relegated after three seasons in the Farah Palmer Cup premiership.

Her absence comes with Teilah Ferguson retired because of a club rugby injury, Leah Tuhi out for the season with a leg injury, Denise Aiolupotea and Tori Iosefo away with Samoa at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and first five Raedeen Blake and experienced forward Nina Poletti stood down with concussions.

Cottrell is a veteran of about 140 games for the Black Ferns, the Blues, Hawke’s Bay and Manawatū, scoring almost 900 points in a career of 17 years. She says the Tui have a strong coaching team and she can’t fault their enthusiasm.

But, staying home while the team is off to Pukekohe to play Counties-Manukau Heat on Saturday, she will be happy if all she sees is improvement from the young squad, with five of Saturday’s 23 yet to play for the Tui.

She says the situation has left a squad learning the structure of the game, the teamwork involved, and the need to communicate on the field, against what have been some big challenges.

First up, they met competition favourites Canterbury at McLean Park and were beaten 72-0. They then lost 73-5 to Manawatū Cyclones last Sunday.

Counties-Manukau opened with an 88-0 win over Bay of Plenty Volcanix, but have since been beaten 27-26 by Waikato and 62-21 by Canterbury.

The Tui got close to Counties-Manukau last year when beaten 36-32 in Napier.

Cottrell, who barely recognised many of the players when she first appeared at training last week, said the squad hasn’t had such a mass of young players before, and “maybe” relegation and a year in the lower division would not be too bad.

It would be disappointing to lose the momentum of the “hard work” that had gone into winning promotion at the end of 2022, making the cup semifinal in the first season up (when she was named the competition’s Player of the Year), and retaining their place in the cup last season.

“All of our experience has gone,” she said, but, with opportunities this season still ahead, added: “Give them a couple of years and they could be really good.”

It sparks more ambition to be back on the field again and later to grow her refereeing career, saying she’d love to be able to referee at a World Cup.

The team to play Counties-Manukau on Saturday, starting at 11.35am, is: Whitley Mareikura (vice-captain), Jaye Nepia, Kahurangi Reid-Baker; Caterina Poletti (vice-captain), Talaivosa Lolohea; Makayla Cameron, Kaya Whaitiri-Dee; Patrice Mareikura; Briar Hales, Hinemoa Hubbard; Maleta Pailate, Aimee Thomsen, Leilani Hakiwai (captain), Arwen Tipoki; Kate Donald. Subs: Journey Otene, Kathlynn Magele, Rebecca Dickson, Jade Reiri, Sheldon Campbell, Reneigh Edwards, Addison Henry, Rakai McCafferty.

Doug Laing has been a reporter for 52 years, more than 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, at the Central Hawke’s Bay Press, the Napier Daily Telegraph and Hawke’s Bay Today. He has covered most aspects of general news and sport.