For Olympic gold medallist and Black Fern Shiray Kaka, the pull between motherhood and the rugby pitch has been a constant tug-of-war. After years of weighing up the right moment to start a family, it turns out life had its own timeline.
“Following the Tokyo Olympics, I thought maybe it was time,” says Shiray.
“Then I decided I wanted to keep playing. Last year, we were trying for a bit, but again, I wanted to keep playing. Two weeks later, baby changed that!”
Shiray missed out on the chance to be part of the sevens team at the 2024 Paris Olympics after tearing her ACL for the fourth time. She was in the early stages of recovery from surgery and had only just returned to training when she noticed her period was late.
She decided to pick up a pregnancy test on her way home from rugby training, but couldn’t wait for the long drive home to find out the result. So she popped into a public toilet for the life-changing moment.
Their life-changing moment
“It was a bit of a shock – but a happy shock!” Shiray shares of seeing the positive test.
When she arrived home, she was bursting with the news. But her husband, fellow sevens player Gillies, had other things on his mind.
“We’d been wanting a karaoke machine for ages,” laughs Shiray, 30.
“I came home and said, ‘I’ve got something to show you.’ And he thought I had bought him the karaoke machine! I said, ‘No, I bought you one better. I bought you a child.’”
Gillies, 35, adds, “We’ve wanted a baby for a long time – it was a good surprise.”
When the expectant parents chat to the Weekly from their home in Katikati, they are getting some parenting practice in for when their baby boy arrives at the start of September. They have had six of their nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 12 to eight, staying with them for the school holidays.
Shiray admits her pregnancy has been smooth sailing, apart from fatigue. She hoped to maintain her training regimen until just before the baby was born but she had to cut back to just a few days a week.
From training to walking dogs
“I used to train twice a day,” shares Shiray.
“To only have the energy to walk the dogs in the morning was quite surprising to me. I have so many amazing friends who trained all the way to their due date and I thought that was going to be me.”
After living apart for most of their marriage while Gillies played rugby in Japan, Shiray’s glad to have him around, especially when her sugary cravings kick in.
“He can bake,” she reveals.
“He has been making me crêpes in the middle of the night when I want them.”
“We’re both as bad as each other,” laughs Gillies, who works as a teacher aide after retiring from rugby. “Most of the time, the treats are already in the house!”
Renovations and relationship tests
Shiray’s exhaustion hasn’t been helped by the intense renovation the pair just completed. They participated in a TikTok DIY competition show, where they both redecorated a different room in their house each week with the support of Mitre 10 and Resene, and documented the entire process.
Fans would then vote for which team had the best room. Not only did they end up tying for first place, but Shiray says it was a great trial run for learning how to communicate while running on empty.
“It was a really good test before the baby comes,” says Shiray.
“I thought we had good communication, but making decisions while stressed out with not a lot of sleep showed us we have some things to work on.”
As they excitedly await the arrival of their baby, Shiray and Gillies are finally taking a moment to enjoy their days of quiet before their lives change forever. But Shiray hasn’t lost sight of the jersey she’s worked so hard to wear.
“At the moment, my head is focused on going back,” tells Shiray.
“I know if I set my mind to it and with the support of Gillies, I’ll get there.
“The ultimate dream would be to have Gillies and our son in the stands watching me play.”
