Page 43 - Hereford Magazine 2022

Casey Robertson in November 2021 with dad Bruce and two of Duncraigen's 2022 sale bulls.

the coaching didn’t continue after the subsequent arrival of
twin boys Jonty and Jackson, now aged two.
Two decades earlier, Casey had started her sporting career as
a hockey player.
“Being from a small province I was playing senior women’s
hockey for Southland when I was 14, and I made the New
Zealand juniors when I was 15. The number of trainings I had
was ridiculous, but I loved it.”
Casey also played a bit of rugby at school and was offered a
rugby scholarship to Lincoln University in 1999 (in the same
year as Richie McCaw). She played in the Canterbury women’s
rugby team, then aged just 19, had her first stint in the Black
Ferns, captained by Farah Palmer.
“It was an unofficial year with an internal tour and then the
following year was the World Cup in Barcelona. My first World
Cup. I was a flanker-No 8 and it was in that changeover period
where they wanted more mobile props so I had to learn to
prop within a month or two.” Casey fends off an English opponent.
She says she didn’t get much game time because they had
a strong team that had been together for a few years. “Then a Blowing the final whistle
big group retired and well, the rest is history,” she adds.
“I played in the front row until the 2006 World Cup in One of Casey’s Black Ferns teammates was Rebecca (Bex)
Canada. Then we found out I’d actually slipped a disc in my Mahoney, who farms between Pahiatua and Eketahuna in the
neck … and I was told to give up playing front row, which I Tararua district.
didn’t mind because I didn’t like it. I’m a flanker, and I felt too She played 13 tests for the Black Ferns at first five-eighth
contained as a prop.” and had a long provincial career with Manawatu, Wellington
She played flanker for Canterbury for another two years and Hawke’s Bay before retiring in 2014 and picking up
before being recalled back into the Black Ferns as a No 8 in a whistle. She was the first New Zealand female referee
2009, where she stayed until 2014. The Black Ferns won the to officiate a first-class men’s fixture in the Heartland
World Cup in 2002, 2006 and 2010 (England) but – in her words Championship, then a Ranfurly Shield match and a Mitre 10
– failed badly in 2014. Cup match.
“We only lost one game but it put us out of the playoffs. The But the world was about to change.
women’s draw is pretty cut-throat at the World Cup. You don’t One of the first major sports fixtures to be cancelled due
have a second chance at it. It was a real wake-up call; a sore to Covid-19 would have been her first international fixture -
point in my career.” Ireland playing Italy in Dublin. She was later given a World
Retirement beckoned. She was in her early 30s, her body Cup qualifier test match and the Black Ferns vs NZ Barbarians,
was “knackered”, and it was costing her a lot of money. but the vibe was gone.
“But I loved it. I would do it all again in a heartbeat if I had “For me, rugby had always been a hobby. I didn’t want to
the chance.” hang around waiting for the correction; I had other shit to do.
The time was right to stop.”

Year 2022 HEREFORD MAGAZINE 41