This is the third book we have co-authored, and our
imagery has been published in dozens of publications
including Dan Carter's and Richie McCaw's autobiographies.
But this is the first book we have produced on women's
rugby and by far our proudest book to date.
JO CAIRD
I often feel like a fortunate infiltrator, having never
played the game of rugby myself. I grew up in a
rugby-loving family and when I heard my usually
quiet grandmother start screaming scary words at
the TV during an All Black test one day, I realised that
this sport must be worth watching! I soon fell in love
with the game but was busy pursuing a professional
tennis career. As a youngster I played on the ITF Junior
World Circuit before taking up a tennis scholarship
at a university in America. I discovered you could
study sports photography, albeit gridiron, basketball
and baseball. I wanted to photograph rugby and in
particular the All Blacks.
In 1995 I photographed my first of 175 All Black
Test matches. Anna and Fiona Richards, who I met on
a commissioned magazine photoshoot, convinced me
to travel to Amsterdam and shoot the RWC1998. Anna
was adamant they were going to win and they needed
someone to photograph it! It was an eye-opening
experience for me on many fronts. I had never seen
women play rugby so well. I had never seen rugby
played in this style with so much freedom and passion.
I had also never seen camaraderie and friendships
across teams and nations. And it was the first time I had
seen women happy to be openly gay. I spent the next
20 years covering all sports including the Olympics and
Commonwealth Games and became the All Blacks' first
ever official photographer.
Throughout my career I faced so many challenges
in a male-dominated rugby media world, such as being
the first woman to cover a game at Ellis Park, South
Africa. There was no female bathroom in the working
media area and I was escorted to use the secretaries'
facilities. While covering cricket, I was verbally abused
by the then New Zealand manager for entering the
changing room – thankfully, the players who had asked
me to follow them in, rescued me. In rugby league, I
had a famous player drop his shorts during a trophy
shot when he saw there was a female amongst the
shooters. But in rugby union, I never had anything but
respect from the players and team management. I spent
many years trying to encourage greater media coverage
of women's rugby, increased sponsorship and more
support from their unions. Watching how the game has
evolved from the RWC1998 to the recent RWC2021 has
been nothing short of phenomenal. Although every time
someone exclaims how great women's rugby is, I have
to resist replying "We have been telling you this for
years!"
GEORGIE – PAULA GEORGE
As a child growing up in a small Welsh village, I
never fully appreciated the depth of love and pride
my community had for rugby. The local rugby club
was the beating heart of social life; it seemed as
if every celebration or gathering was held there –
from weddings to birthdays and even funerals. My
grandmother, Nan George, was a longstanding member
of the rugby club. For as long as I can remember, she
worked behind the bar and watched over all of the kids
as we ran around the clubrooms or the rugby fields.
I remember how all the men of the village would
disappear for whole weekends during the Five Nations
when Wales were scheduled to play away from home.
But the weekends I remember most vividly were the
weekends Wales played at Cardiff Arms Park. The club
would be packed with a sea of red scarves, hats and
jerseys. The TV was always too loud, but even that was
drowned out whenever Wales scored a try – especially
if it was against England. I will always be grateful for
the gift of growing up in a place where rugby was more
than just a sport – it was a way of life.
I was fortunate enough to attend six world
championships in two different sports, representing two
different countries. Netball was my first love, which took
me to Australia to the U21 World Netball Championship.
I went on to represent the full Welsh team as vice
captain at the 1991 World Netball Cup as a 22-yearold.
In the same year – 1991 – I completed my Human
Movement Honours Degree and represented Wales in
the RWC1991 in Cardiff.
It was only after moving to London, finding my tribe
at Wasps Ladies, and playing for the England Women's
rugby team that I realised I was nowhere near fulfilling
my potential yet. Wearing the England jersey and later
being appointed as Captain – an honour beyond my
wildest dreams – I found purpose and drive. Rugby
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
AND ILLUSTRATOR
127
REFERENCES
was a place where I belonged. I played in a total of four
Rugby World Cups and somewhere in my basement I
have a gold, a silver and a bronze medal, but in my head
I carry a thousand golden memories.
I finally retired from playing rugby 24 years after that
first test for Wales. I fell madly in love and moved to that
other rugby-mad country – New Zealand. Over time I
retrained as a photographer and videographer and spent
several years working as the behind-the-scenes content
creator for the All Blacks. It was a privilege to travel and
work closely with the players and the staff, creating, writing
and publishing content for all the NZRU's social platforms –
Facebook, Instagram, AllBlacks.com and Twitter.
Since then, Jo and I have built our bespoke
company to tell stories through photography, video
and the written word, co-authoring several books along
the way. Surviving cancer five years ago has given me
a new hunger for life. Combined with my experience as
an athlete, I have grown to understand the desperate
need for mental health strategies to be available to our
athletes, in our schools, in everyone's life. I also work
as a mental health advocate for The Resilience Project,
when I am not writing stories or crafting videos.
HANNAH WILKINSON, illustrator
Professional footballer by day, freelance artist by night.
I played college football in the United States, and
professionally in Sweden, Portugal, Germany and Australia.
I also play for the New Zealand Women's National Team
(the Football Ferns). I have worn the Fern in three FIFA
Women's World Cups, and three Olympic Games.
Born and raised in Whangarei, New Zealand, I
began drawing and creating before kicking a ball. My
art evolved from winning local poster competitions
in high school, to designing anime-style pieces for
Tokyo 2020 under the Olympian Artists Programme, to
implementing murals, one of which adorns Auckland's
iconic Eden Park. Creations for Our GameMakers were
inspired by action-packed comic-book visuals; a style of
drawing I was passionate about growing up.
Artistic pursuits offer me a healthy balance off the
pitch, allowing space to mentally offload the pressures of
being an elite athlete, while also enhancing the focus-flow
state I need to perform both artistically and athletically.