Te Rure’s battle

‘‘We went away to America ... It was just good not being around and having people ask. It just took some stress off.’’ Jade Te Rure

Manawatu¯ Turbos first five-eighth Jade Te Rure has faced setbacks on the rugby field, but nothing compares to what he has overcome off it this year.

Every setback, from careerthreatening knee injuries to Scottish club Edinburgh ending his contract, pales in comparison to losing his son.

That was the battle that the 24-yearold faced alongside his partner Hannah Mccaskie in April.

Baby George was born 22 weeks and four days into Mccaskie’s pregnancy – a full-term baby is 40 weeks.

Born so early, his chances of survival were slim and his life lasted just a couple of hours.

Te Rure remembers when what had been an exciting pregnancy took a turn.

‘‘We played in the Easter weekend round [of club rugby] and my partner Hannah was not feeling too well, so we went to the hospital,’’ he said.

‘‘They just said that she was already 3-centimetres dilated and she was going to have the baby. She just couldn’t hold the baby’s weight in her tummy so there was nothing that we could do. It was quite tough.’’

After George’s death, the couple took some time away from home to try to cope with everything that happened.

‘‘We went away to America. We were grateful that Hannah’s parents paid for it. We just went away and took time out, just the two of us to enjoy each other’s company. It was just good not being around and having people ask. It just took some stress off.’’

He said the support they received from their friends and family made it bearable.

‘‘When we got back, everyone was there for us whenever we needed anything. We had a lot of support, even from people who I had never really spoken to – just kind messages that me and Hannah were really grateful for. ‘‘But it does not go away.’’

The emotion was still raw for Te Rure as he recounted the events on the sidelines of Turbos training.

‘‘I haven’t spoke about it much,’’ he said.

Shortly after George’s death, Te Rure was offered a contract with the Turbos, a moment he had been waiting for since his return from Scotland in 2016.

He described it as a weird feeling. A Turbos contract was meant to be the joyful moment when the former New Zealand Under 20s representative got his career back on track, but in the moment, nothing felt right.

And the reality is that Te Rure’s feeling of loss may never go away.

But throwing himself into his rugby career gives him the chance to momentarily take his mind away from the hurt.

‘‘Having rugby takes my mind off it and having fun with the boys takes the thoughts away. But it is always on my mind.’’

On the field he has done everything that could be asked of him.

He has been locked into a battle with Blues-bound first five Otere Black for game time and proven he is well past the injuries that put his playing career under threat.

But while a future Super Rugby remains his aspiration, fatherhood sits first and foremost on his mind.

‘‘We are going to try again and hopefully we’ll have another one.’’