‘Nisbo’ simply followed his ‘calling’
Fiao’o Fa’amausili Medal named after her last year, recognising her contribution to women’s rugby.
She has captained the Auckland Storm team to success at the provincial level and has more than 90 appearances with the team since 1998. She is also a police detective.
For now however, she wants to help her younger team-mates who will eventually take her position on the field.
‘‘I think it’s more encouraging and developing girls through rugby. Like my most exciting moment now is watching the girls come through.
‘‘Just sharing my knowledge and experience with them as well. If I am on the field doing what I love and I am still able to play then hopefully that encourages them to keep going and to keep challenging themselves.’’
The NZR rugby contracts for the Black Ferns were announced last month and have certainly helped.
‘‘It definitely helps towards family and the trainings that we can do but, in saying that, since playing day one it has always been about the jersey and I am glad the girls had that mindset on day one when we first started.’’
Meanwhile former Black ferns coach Darryl Suasua has been made a member of the Queens Order of merit for his contribution to rugby. Suasua coached the Black Ferns from 1996 to
2002, leading them to their 1998 and
2002 World Cup victories.
He is the men’s Counties-Manukau Head Coach, having been appointed in
2016.
In 2009 he coached the Black Ferns
7s team to place as runners up in the Women’s 7s World Cup. It should be some celebration for Grant Nisbett and his two daughters this month.
New Zealand’s voice of rugby – universally known as Nisbo to friends and strangers alike – will commentate his 300th All Blacks test in home town Wellington on Saturday week, after being made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to sports broadcasting.
‘‘It’s pretty humbling. Nobody sets out to win these types of things. I guess it’s a recognition of longevity and maybe a bit of ability as well,’’ he said.
The letter signed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrived at Nisbett’s Seatoun house and evoked a poignant moment. His wife, Toni, died of cancer in December 2015, and Nisbett could hardly wait to tell his Auckland-based daughters Brooke and Kirstie who will be back home for dad’s milestone test.
‘‘This is the time when you think more about your family. They have to make the sacrifices and I’ve been away a hell of a lot over the years.’’
No one has watched more All Blacks rugby in person, a feat previously noted by Nisbett’s mate Keith Quinn who called nearly 200 tests himself. Nisbett’s first televised call was the All Blacks’
10-9 win over France in Christchurch in
1984 and his 300th will be the same opponents at Westpac Stadium, after Saturday’s series opener in Auckland.
He counts only the ones he called in person. That rules out one in Argentina when he called Scott Robertson’s winning try from Auckland, and another at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when a dispute over virtual advertising meant a lockout and left Nisbett clutching the microphone in a nearby studio.
Most of his 298 were chalked up in the past 22 years as Sky’s lead commentator. Aside from his two World Cup finals in 2011 and 2015, a Nisbett favourite remains the 1996 Athletic Park test against the Wallabies, a 43-6 win on a rotten Wellington afternoon.
Post 300, there are no plans to hang up the microphone.
‘‘Ultimately those decisions are not yours, I suspect. As long as I can keep the standards up,’’ he said. ‘‘I think I’m still hanging in there.’’