Luka Connor

BIOGRAPHY

Luka Connor was a foundation member of the revived Bay of Plenty Volcanix in 2014 and, in 2019, the hooker became the first Black Fern from that team. Born and raised in Opotiki, she was coached by legendary Black Fern Exia Edwards at the local high school.

“Exia turned up one day with a Black Ferns jacket on and I was buzzed out. I asked Exia if I could borrow it and she told me to ‘get your own,’ and from that day forward I resolved I would.

“Rugby was small at Opotiki. I’d literally hassle girls at lunchtime to join the team. We eventually went to the Condor Sevens Nationals twice and won the Bay of Plenty Secondary Schools championship. Without Exia we wouldn't have done that.”

Raised on a farm, Luka’s father Kerry is a sheep shearer and mum Karlene a wool handler. Rugby runs deep in the Connor family. Her brothers Lincoln and Drojan were awarded rugby scholarships at Mount Albert Grammar School and St Peter’s Cambridge respectively, with the former a member of the 2010 National Top Four winning First XV that completed a perfect 17-0 record. The team was coached by Charlie McAlister, father of Black Sevens star Kayla McAlister, a close friend of Luka’s.

The arrival of Edwards at Opotiki College coincided with the re-emergence of the Bay of Plenty NPC team which had fizzled out in 2006, after halcyon days in the 90s. Connor played for the Waikite club, who won four Bay wide senior championships.

“I was 16 when I first got picked for the Bay. I was playing number eight and I’d like to think I still play like a loosie. Three times a week I was travelling from Opotiki to Rotorua for training and games. I’d get home after 11pm some nights and have to go to school the next day. In that first season (2014) we got annihilated. I remember we lost to Auckland by a cricket score but we scored a try and celebrated like we’d won the World Cup.”

Connor scored a try in a 22-19 win over Hawke’s Bay in 2015, the first for Bay of Plenty in the NPC since 2005. However, it wasn’t until 2017 the Volcanix truly found their feet. Connor trialled for the Black Ferns and the Bay jumped from the Championship to the Premiership.

“We held Auckland to a draw in the first game and I was like ‘wow we can do this.’ Pere Paul grinded away hard for us and then Brendon Webby came in as coach and made a big difference. We beat Otago 7-5 in the final. Sapphire Tapsell got the winning try.

“Everything about that season was awesome. We had a group of experienced girls and started to get a lot of support from the Union. When the Academy started I was the only girl in it and now there is a team of us. The New Zealand Sevens setup is in the Bay too. The resources are just awesome.”

There was nothing awesome about December 4, 2017, though. Connor tore an ACL meniscus keeping her side lined for the best part of 18 months.

“It was a couple of days before a regional Sevens tournament with Bay of Plenty. I was doing a training drill when my foot was planted in the ground and my body twisted the other way. That was really tough but the whole time I had that mindset to never give up.”

The stubborn determination paid off and, following consistent performances for Bay of Plenty, she was one of 29 players to be offered a Black Ferns contract in 2019. Later that year she won her international call-up, debuting for the Black Ferns off the bench against Canada in San Diego. She made three further appearances off the pine in 2019, before two tries in three games for the New Zealand Development XV in Fiji. A highlight was her strong display off the bench in a 28-13 win against England, the first match since the 2017 World Cup final.

“I started playing hooker because there are so many good props. I wasn’t expecting to get on so early against England but when TK (Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate) was yellow carded I had to rush on with no warm up. The first scrum was like hitting a brick wall, unlike anything I’ve experienced before, but once I got through the initial nerves, excitement set in and it felt good.”

She now plays her club rugby for Rangataua. Her is Iwi is Te Whakatōhea, Te Whanau ā Apanui, Ngāti Porou.

Connor has made 41 appearances for Bay of Plenty and scored 16 tries.

Profile by Adam Julian