ALMOST 11 years on from New Zealand flanker Jerry Collins’ tragic death, his daughter Honey Kerslake is using his memory as fuel, writes Joseph Saunders.

Towards the tail end of a career in which he won 48 caps for the All Blacks, the 34-year-old was playing for Narbonne in France when he and his partner were killed in a car crash.

But Kerslake still credits him with her extraordinary rise to the England squad for the inaugural Six Nations Women’s U21 Series, which begins on Saturday.

Kerslake said: “His inspiration has been one of my biggest driving factors to play rugby.

“My family in New Zealand still tell stories of everything that he brought to his community, on and off the pitch.

“I see my family out there as much as I can. They came over last year for the Under-18s Six Nations and watched me play, including my grandma and auntie.”

With her Kiwi connection, Kerslake appears sheepish when she remembers the Red Roses’ clash with New Zealand in the World Cup final of 2022.

She said: “I had the black jersey on that day. My family are actually Samoan but live in New Zealand, and because of my dad, they’re huge Kiwi supporters. They’ve got a wedding this Christmas time, so I will try to visit then.”

Kerslake grew up in North Devon and had to be prepared to put the miles in to earn her opportunities.

She said: “I got into rugby aged around ten, after the accident. I had to move clubs around under-15s age and we travelled about an hour to Crediton Rugby Club, where we had a full squad of girls. We played every Sunday and my mum supported me through that whole journey.

“My mum has been my biggest driver and has helped me get into different rugby environments, especially because of the lack of women’s teams in my area.

“She comes to every game she can, and hopefully she’ll be at the Scotland game on the weekend as well.”

The 18-year-old co-captained England at the recent Under-18s Women’s Six Nations Festival, where they lost three of their four matches, including a final-day 75-7 defeat to France.

But she comes into the Under-21s tournament as the only player to have been promoted from the Under-18 squad.

“It was a tough tournament this year,” she said. “We didn’t get the results we wanted, but we had quite a young squad and we gelled really well.

“It was a great opportunity, as it always is when wearing the England shirt. It was fun to get to know a different group of girls this year.

“It was really positive - all the girls wanted to learn and grow in the short space of time we had together.

“For this tournament, my biggest aim is to get on the pitch. We’ve got Scotland this weekend, so I want to get playing among the 20 girls. Personally, I want to get that extra chance to develop this year.”

The competition offers a unique challenge to Kerslake, as she is about to sit her English Literature, PE, and 3D design A-Levels at Exeter College.

“I’m probably more nervous for my A-Levels than the tournament,” she added. “I know I haven’t done quite as much revision as I should have done.

“I’m always excited to play rugby, so those nerves translate to excitement. I haven’t been home for a while, so I’m just trying to balance my studies alongside rugby.”

Discover the future of international rugby at the 2026 Six Nations Women’s U21 Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at sixnationsrugby.com/u6n and on Instagram @u20sixnations.

Photo credit- Juan Gasparini/JMP.