Snapped: the All Blacks and me

9th February, in Weekly People

Kerry-Anne Hodgson has come clean to her boss. Her absences from the office during the Rugby World Cup were not all work-related.

But the 28-year-old property manager can pass some of the blame onto her colleagues – it was a work competition to see who could get the most photos with rugby players during the tournament that sparked her mission to have her photo taken with every one of the All Blacks team, coaches included.

The photos were taken while Kerry-Anne and a friend were lurking around the Heritage hotel in Auckland after a
tip-off that was where the New Zealand team were staying.

“on the first day we were there, oils [ouliaina] walked through the door. He and Keven [oealamu] were just as you’d expect – humble, quietly spoken, lovely guys,” she says.

She was so nervous she was shaking, but says oils did his best to calm her down.

It took two stints at the Heritage to get all the photos, but now she’s met all the players, Kerry-Anne feels
she has a rapport with them.

“I shout at the TV, ‘Come on, oils!’ or whoever. My brother says, ‘Shut up, stop naming them,’ and I say, ‘I can name them – I’ve met them.’ When you’ve met them, you want to watch them so much more.”

Pressed on which All Black she likes best, Kerry-Anne admits Cory Jane made an impression.

“I spoke to him twice. He was a bit of a character, joking around. He was easy to talk to.”

But her favourite is Richie McCaw. “He’s so obliging. He’ll speak to fans even though he’s busy. When he won the Cup, I cried because I was so chuffed for him. He’s almost the same age as me, but the pressure he’s been under…”

She says her employer took the news of her All Blacks escapades well.

“I had to tell the boss I’d been taking breaks early and a bit long. But I’ve been working late to make up for it.
I love the All Blacks. I’m so impressed by them.”