‘WHY I HAD TO CHANGE’
She’s known for being upbeat, so Black Fern Kendra Cocksedge took her teammates by surprise when she had a mini-meltdown last May. The minor outburst was hardly surprising, given the jolt Covid-19 brought to her life – her Rugby World Cup preparation had slammed to a halt, her job was disestablished and she was worried how she would pay her new mortgage.
“We’d just gotten back into training and I remember lashing out at the girls and ending up crying. I hit a wall and crashed,” recalls the halfback.
“I had to get it together and apologise because I’ve never been that kind of person. I’m always the upbeat one, but Covid’s made me realise it’s okay to be vulnerable and talk about it. It’s okay to not be okay. As a rugby player, people think you’re so tough and don’t face challenging times, but everyone does.”
For Kendra, those difficult times weren’t over. Just months
