McCaw, Carter, Lomu . . . Cocksedge
‘‘Honestly, the names on the back of that trophy . . . seeing mine there is going to be pretty unreal.’’
Kendra Cocksedge
‘‘We want girls to look up and say I want to be like Kendra, I want to be like Portia [Woodman].’’
Teary-eyed, shaking with emotion, Black Ferns halfback Kendra Cocksedge carried the 10kg Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year trophy back to her table at the New Zealand Rugby awards on Thursday night.
In her own words she ‘‘got a bit emotional’’ when she became the first woman to receive New Zealand’s premier rugby player of the year award.
With the trophy in her hands she is still shaking a little as she reads the names engraved on the silverware: Jonah Lomu, Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu, Andrew Mehrtens and Dan Carter, among others.
‘‘Honestly, the names on the back of that trophy is history . . . seeing mine there is going to be pretty unreal. That’s probably what blew me away the most.’’
While the award is a notable recognition of women’s rugby as a whole, this moment belonged to one woman.
The talented Canterbury halfback who grew up in Taranaki playing barefooted rugby on the grass with her boys mates, mimicked her game off a hero at the time, former All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall.
Cocksedge, 30, grew up wanting to become an All Black because in her day the women’s game had no place on television, no place in the papers. And some would argue it wasn’t a women’s place to play rugby.
‘‘You would always get asked what you wanted to be when you grow up and I always wanted to be a professional rugby player. I had no idea how that was going to happen – I always just assumed I would be able to play for the All Blacks. It’s not until you get a bit older and you work out you can’t actually do that.
‘‘I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life and now being on a [professional] contract it’s pretty cool.’’
The hope for her is that rugby is now accessible to young girls and they have role models to look up to.
‘‘I didn’t have any Black Ferns role models growing up so I want to be a role model for the ones coming through now.
‘‘We want girls to look up and say I want to be like Kendra, I want to be like Portia [Woodman]. That is how we are getting more girls into playing.’’
In getting this award, Cocksedge fended off All Blacks Brodie Retallick, Richie Mo’unga and Codie Taylor.
‘‘It was an amazing feeling and I think it is only kicking in today [Friday]. I feel hugely honoured and blessed to receive the award.’’
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen approached her after she received the award, as did some former Black Ferns.
Prime Minister Jacinda Arden congratulated Cocksedge personally and posted a photo of the two of them on her Instagram account with the words: ‘‘Kendra Cocksedge made history tonight – first woman to win the New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year. Felt very proud to be there.’’
Cocksedge, a 47-test Black Fern, also won the Women’s Player of the Year award along with and the Fiao’o Faamausili Medal – for best Farah Palmer Cup player.
She guided Canterbury to consecutive titles in October – a title dominated by Auckland for a decade prior. She has also been the world women’s player of the year.
Oh, and she aims to be the All Blacks coach one day too.
‘‘I want to be the first female to coach the All Blacks but I have to give up playing first. I could be a useless coach – it is more of a throwaway comment at the moment.’’
But who would doubt the determined halfback who has, so far, ticked off every throwaway comment she may have heard about her becoming a rugby star?