She went into labour on Sunday morning and was taken into Wanganui Hospital at 6.30 that evening. "I kept telling the baby not to come, and I was thinking, 'I'm going to miss the game of a lifetime'!"
The couple had a television in the birthing room - tuned to the rugby - but Jessica remembers nothing past the haka and kick-off.
"At that point I was like, 'Right, I'm having this baby, I'm going to push'. I don't remember anything of the match after that until I saw Richie McCaw giving his victory speech and I knew we'd won."
For Aaron it was a doubly anxious time as his wife laboured to give birth, and his beloved All Blacks desperately fought a determined French team. "At one point I looked up [at the television] and the French guy was kicking, and I realised he'd just converted a try."
Aaron said he was a "supportive husband" while Jessica was having contractions. "But as soon as she relaxed, me and the midwife both turned straight to the telly to see what was happening."
The couple joked they were going to call Axel Jayden Piri, after halfback Piri Weepu. They haven't watched the whole game through yet, but they've seen the highlights. They're thrilled by the win, and by their new arrival. "It will be a great story to tell him when he's older," Jessica said.
