Krysten Cottrell: 'We’ve got lots of firepower in our backline...when things click, we're hard to stop'
Super Rugby Aupiki is only at the halfway point but already the Blues have had a better season than last year.
In 2023 the Blues were last and only won a solitary match. In 2024 the Blues have knocked over defending champions Matatu (24-17), inflicted a record defeat upon Hurricanes Poua (52-5), and finished within a whisker of leaders Chiefs Manawa (10-17).
The Blues have achieved these results despite missing Black Ferns captain, and 2022 World Rugby Player of the Year, Ruahei Demant for the last fortnight with a wrist injury.
Krysten Cottrell has played first five the entire season. On Saturday, Cottrell will celebrate her 100th first-class match when the Blues host Matatu at Eden Park. She becomes just the 19th woman to reach a century of games since official women’s records started in 1999.
“I’m having a lot of fun. The team is enjoying themselves and wanting to learn and improve,” Cottrell enthused.
“Our win against Matatu was a good stepping stone. With the competition lasting two rounds we don’t necessarily have to win every game but to get a win under the belt was a great confidence booster.”
In that opening-round win against Matatu, Cottrell took matters into her own hands. Down 12-0, Cottrell broke through and created a try for diminutive winger Jaymie Kolose in the 52nd minute.
At the hour mark she scored a try herself with a swift dummy and dash. She also made 17 tackles and kicked two conversions.
The Blues couldn’t repeat their Matatu comeback against Chiefs Manawa. Again, the Blues tumbled to a 12-0 deficit but rallied furiously. In the 78th minute reserve halfback Kahlia Awa muscled over the line and claimed a try beside the posts. An examination from the television match official spotted a slight fumble before the ball was extracted from the ruck.
“We lost that ourselves with errors. The Chiefs have a big pack but we felt like we won the collision area and blew lots of chances by not making the right decisions,” Cottrell rued.
On Saturday the Blues pounded Poua 52-5. It was the largest victory in the brief history of Aupiki. The Blues only led 5-0 at halftime.
“We got a rark-up at halftime, mistakes were letting us down. We backed our fitness to run around the Hurricanes, but it was a shock to run around them like that,” Cottrell admitted.
“My job at first five is to support those around me. We’ve got lots of firepower in our backline and when combinations strengthen and things click, we’re hard to stop.”
Black Ferns winger Katelyn Vahaakolo scored a hat-trick, Kolose was illusive, and all three loose forwards Maia Roos, Tafito Lafaele and Niall Williams-Guthrie dotted down in the rout.
The measured and unselfish approach of Cottrell is hardly a surprise. She made her first-class debut in the national provincial competition for Hawke’s Bay in 2007 at the tender age of 15. That season Hawke’s Bay failed to win a game but in 2008 and 2009 they were semi-finalists. Cottrell scored two tries against 2008 winners Auckland in an especially noteworthy display.
Hawke’s Bay disbanded in 2013 so Cottrell commuted two hours south, three times a week to Palmerston North for practice and matches to keep her rugby career alive. She worked in the morning as a baker.
She returned to Hawke’s Bay when the Tui was revived in 2014. In May 2018 Cottrell was in the first group of 28 players to be offered a Black Ferns professional contract. She played eight Test matches but hasn’t played any since 2019.
With 301 points in 55 appearances, Cottrell is Hawke’s Bay’s record points scorer. She was a development officer for the Union but lost that job during Covid. Still, she remained Tui captain. In 2022 Hawke’s Bay won the Farah Plamer Cup Championship and last year made the semi-finals of the Premiership beating eventual winners Auckland (32-31).
“There were nine players from Hawke’s Bay in the Blues vs Hurricanes match on Saturday. Last year there were only three Hawke’s Bay players in the whole of Aupiki,” Cottrell said.
“Last season could have gone one of two ways. It could have been a disaster where we refused to believe we could compete with the top dogs or we could work hard, believe in ourselves, and back our ability. I’m proud the latter happened but I admit it was a little hard on Saturday with six Tui girls in the Hurricanes.”
Prop Moomooga Palu is the only Hawke’s Bay player in Matatu, who must win on Saturday to keep their chances of defending their title alive. Cottrell is weary of the Southerners’ threat and buoyed by the prospect of the possible return of Demant who played second five beside Cottrell in the opening round.
“They’ve got good names down on paper, but haven’t been able to finish things off. We didn’t play like we wanted to play for much of that opening game while their loss to the Hurricanes could have gone either way.
“Lu and I came into the Black Ferns in 2018. She’s a very knowledgeable player with a great eye for the gap and an understanding of every possible move you can do. She takes a lot of pressure off me, but I’d like to think we have a collaborative relationship.”
Cottrell is the ninth-highest points scorer in New Zealand women’s first-class history. In 99 games she has scored 467 points (20 tries, 131 conversions, 35 penalties). She works in pest control and tree growth and maintenance. Her husband is first-class referee Tipene Cottrell.
The Blues against Matatu kicks off at Eden Park at 4:35 pm on Saturday. The fixture is a curtain raiser to the Blues vs Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific men’s match.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pacific Lions, cry me a river
124 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
124 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
124 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
124 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
124 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
124 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
124 Go to commentsHo hum.
124 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
124 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
124 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
124 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
124 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
124 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
124 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
124 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
124 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
13 Go to comments