As All Blacks star Emoni Narawa cradles his gorgeous baby daughter Nyla, he can’t believe the rollercoaster he and his longtime partner Danielle Rihia have experienced during the three months since she was born.
Nyla’s arrival on Monday 4 August marked the end of a magical 24 hours, which Emoni describes as “one of the best days of my life”, where he played his 50th NPC match for Bay of Plenty, was named in the All Blacks squad for their tour of Argentina and welcomed his second daughter.
Then a few weeks later, the highs hit crashing lows, when a season-ending injury in the Springboks test at Eden Park shattered Emoni’s All Blacks dream. This was the second time he’s had to bounce back from a big disappointment, after a serious injury ruled him out of 2023’s Rugby World Cup.
The mental toll of top-level rugby
“Rugby can be a cruel game,” reflects Emoni.
“No matter how much you love it, sometimes it doesn’t love you back. It’s been a bit tough mentally, but it’s just another hiccup on the road. Dani and the girls keep me going. I’m so lucky to wake up with them every morning.”
The couple, who are both 26, have been together since they were 19, so Danielle understands the ups and downs of top-level sport, even scheduling Nyla’s birth around the All Blacks announcement.
Danielle says, “We planned the induction for the same day the team was announced, as we knew if Emoni was selected, he’d have at least a couple of days to meet Nyla before he left.”
A sweet craving during labour
During her labour, Danielle had a sudden, unexpected craving for Hubba Bubba bubble gum and sent Emoni off on a mission to find some.
“The hospital shop didn’t have any, so Emoni went to a nearby dairy,” she smiles.
“For me to suggest he leave the hospital while I was having contractions shows how badly I wanted it!”
Life-changing news in the middle of labour
While he was away, Danielle checked the All Blacks’ Instagram page to find Emoni had been named in the squad.
He remembers, “I’d just come out of the shop when Danielle called me and said, ‘You’re in the team!’ I was stoked.”
He rushed back to the hospital to start making calls to friends and family. A few hours later, Nyla was born, capping off an incredible day for the young couple.
Lessons from a challenging first birth
They admit to a few nerves about Nyla’s birth following their scary introduction to parenthood, when their daughter Milla, now three, was born with vocal cord paralysis, which required a lengthy hospital stay and 24-hour oxygen for four months.
Danielle tells, “We learnt with Milla that anything can happen and there’s nothing harder than having a sick baby. But I didn’t really have extra anxiety with Nyla. I thought if we could get through what we did with Milla, we could get through anything.”
Both say Nyla is the spitting image of her doting big sister.
Managing the chaos of two young kids
“Milla loves her sister and loves kindy, which makes it so much easier for us,” admits Danielle.
“Although from lunchtime until around 8.30pm, it’s chaos!”
Emoni says the toughest part was leaving for Argentina just two days after Nyla was born.
“I bawled my eyes out before I left,” he reveals.
“It was so hard. I was away for more than two weeks. It’s not the same talking to your newborn on the phone.”
FaceTime and late-night bonding
One silver lining was the time difference between the two countries, which meant Danielle and Emoni could regularly FaceTime when she was up in the wee hours with Nyla.
“Those calls helped me get through the night,” admits Danielle.
Both are grateful to Danielle’s parents – her father Leon “dropped everything” to move in with Danielle late in her pregnancy when Emoni was away, helping her move into the family’s new home near the beach at Papamoa, while her mum Tina was “our godsend”, staying with Danielle to help care for the girls when Emoni was in Argentina.
“We’re so blessed my family wraps around me and the girls, so Emoni can chase his dream and not worry about us back home,” says Danielle.
She tears up as she explains that Nyla’s middle name Ray is a tribute to her grandfather, who passed away when she was pregnant.
Honouring Grandad through Nyla
“Grandad was such a huge part of both our lives and was Emoni’s biggest fan. There was no way our baby girls wouldn’t have a piece of him.”
Following his latest injury, the importance of whānau has been brought into sharp focus for Emoni once again. The test against the Springboks couldn’t have started better, with Emoni scoring a try in the second minute. Then just a couple of moments later, he was on the ground in agony after taking a knee to the upper body while contesting a high ball.
“I thought I was winded to start with, but I struggled to take a big breath, then felt a sharp pain,” he recalls.
“I knew something was seriously wrong.”
A partner’s agony in the stands
Danielle was up in the stands with baby Nyla asleep in a front pack and her cheers for Emoni’s try quickly turned to tears. She was rushed to her partner’s side and says she’d never seen him in so much pain.
“I was devastated for him,” she confesses.
“He was sucking on the green whistle [pain relief device], which took me back to being on the gas when I was giving birth.”
Emoni spent the next four nights in hospital, with scans revealing he had a punctured lung and broken rib. While the injury was shattering for the flying winger, the couple has taken the positives from having Emoni home to share Nyla’s newborn milestones and to take Milla to kindy every day.
Fatherhood first
“Emoni is such an amazing dad and family man,” enthuses Danielle.
“As soon as he came home from hospital, he was playing Lego on the floor with Milla. We’ve also been able to enjoy our new home together as a family because Emoni had hardly spent a night here before he got injured.”
Family visits bring joy amid recovery
Emoni adds, “My mum and dad came over from Fiji for the first time too. While they didn’t get to see me play, it was cool they met Nyla and I was able to be their tour guide, as well as spend more time with them.”
Emoni’s recovery is going well and he’ll soon be back with the Chiefs for pre-season training, while Danielle is on maternity leave from her job as a primary school teacher. Family is the couple’s priority for now and there will be more babies on the way – if Danielle has her way!
Thinking about another baby
“I’m trying to convince Emoni of a short turnaround this time, but we’ll see what happens!” she smiles.
There is also a marriage proposal in their future, reveals Emoni, but he jokes he likes to keep Danielle guessing.
She laughs, “Emoni is always saying things to me, like, ‘And that’s why I’m going to make you my wife,’ but I think there’s probably more chance of Woman’s Day doing another baby story with us before an engagement one!”
Gratitude for love and family
But seriously, Emoni says he’s eternally grateful for all Danielle’s love and support.
“Dani is amazing,” he enthuses.
“She’s there through all the highs and tough times, holds down our home and is sacrificing a lot for me to do what I love. My three girls are my absolute reason why.”
