Human After All: The Alternative Team Photo

Aaron Cruden was a gifted play maker with a strong boot and proven ability to spark a backline. Aaron was born and raised in Palmerston North, playing rugby throughout high school with plenty of success.

At age 19, while playing professional rugby, Cruden was diagnosed with cancer, which resulted in months of chemotherapy and the removal of a testicle. The following year, while he was in remission, he was named as New Zealand Under 20s captain for the IRB Junior World Championship in Japan. Less than 12 months later Cruden debuted for the All Blacks.

Alongside a pivotal role in the 2011 World Cup winning All Black squad, Cruden famously kicked a last play, sideline conversion against Ireland in Dublin to secure the All Blacks a perfect 14-0 record for the 2013 season, making them the first team in the professional era to win every Test match in a calendar year.

A powerful scrummager adept in rucks and in the loose, Codie Taylor continued the form that saw him play 13 of the All Blacks 14 Tests in 2017 and is now an established front row forward in the All Blacks pack. He was part of the New Zealand Under 20 team which won the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship, made his provincial debut in 2012, and Super Rugby debut in 2013.

Taylor's dedication and development led to All Blacks selection in 2015, where he was part of the Rugby World Cup-winning squad, featuring in the match against Namibia. In recent years, he emerged as a strong leader, captaining the Crusaders to the 2020 Super Rugby title, and achieving 96 caps for the All Blacks in that time.

Following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Taylor announced a sabbatical that ruled him out of most of the 2024 Super Rugby season. This break allowed him to spend valuable time with family and friends while enjoying a mental and physical reset. His decision was driven by a desire to extend his career and continue performing at an elite level for years to come.

Dhys Faleafaga joined the Black Ferns Sevens squad as an injury replacement in 2019, making her debut in Kitakyushu and competing in three tournaments during her first season. She later earned her Black Ferns XVs debut in 2021. While with the XVs squad in Europe for a four-test series, Dhys and her partner, Tone Ng Shiu (a member of the All Blacks Sevens squad), discovered they were expecting, receiving the news just after the third match.

Dhys Faleafaga is now the proud mother to twin boys Kamari and Kaziel, who were born in May 2022. Remarkably, she was back running just four months later and returned to full training within a year. Currently playing full-time, she and Tone Ng Shiu balance their elite rugby careers while navigating parenthood, relying on communication and their support network as they compete in the HSBC SVNS series.

One of New Zealand’s best known All Blacks, Sir John Kirwan made his All Blacks debut in 1984, against France at Christchurch’s Lancaster Park at just 19. Kirwan had a long-playing career, in particular his golden years between 1986 and 1988. In 1992 Kirwan became the first All Black back to reach the 50-test milestone. He retired from professional rugby in 1994. He spent time as a player-coach in Japan, and in Italy where in 2002 he became the national team’s coach.

Kirwan is a mental health advocate and speaks openly about his struggles with depression. He started the John Kirwan Foundation and mental wellbeing app, Groov, because he wants New Zealand to have the best mental health in the developed world. He received a knighthood for his contributions to rugby and mental health in 2012.

Layla Sae, the energetic, combative and athletic loose forward, has been on the radar of Black Ferns selectors for some time. Following respective standout seasons during Sky Super Rugby Aupiki and Bunnings Warehouse Farah Palmer Cup for the Hurricanes Poua and Manawatū Cyclones, Sae was named in the 2023 Black Ferns end of year tour squad.

Sae, who has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was diagnosed aged four, made her Black Ferns debut off the bench against Australia in the O’Reilly Cup. She sees the condition as a part of her normal life and continues to adapt to its daily challenges, embracing the unpredictability that comes with it. Sae notes that it has strengthened her connection with teammates and even led to the addition of lollies to the team’s medical bag.

Maiakawanakaulani Roos has quickly risen through the rugby ranks, debuting for the Auckland Storm in 2019. Roos made her Test debut against England in Northampton in November 2021 and was a member of the Black Ferns Rugby World Cup 2021 winning squad. In 2023 Roos became the youngest Black Ferns captain at the age of 21. She captained the side against her country of birth USA and led the Black Ferns to their 2023 Pacific Four Series title.

Away from the field, Roos is an ambassador of Mind Set Engage, New Zealand’s Rugby’s mental health and wellbeing programme which has the goal to support a cultural shift in Aotearoa’s rugby communities that sees more people seeking and receiving help for mental health. Her role in Mind Set Engage and the campaign was motivated through experiencing loss following a teammates death by suicide when at high school.

Piri Weepu became a New Zealand hero and social media sensation for his poised, courageous, and influential performances during the 2011 Rugby World Cup when the phrase, ‘Keep Calm, Piri’s on’ was made famous. During the campaign, he kicked an All Blacks World Cup record seven penalties, helping beat Argentina 33-10, and ultimately the All Blacks went on to win the cup for the third time in their history. The halfback from Wellington played 71 Tests over the course of a decade for the All Blacks.

In March 2014 Weepu’s previously undiagnosed heart condition caused him to have a stroke, but with his typical resilience and good humour, he overcame heart surgery to continue to play professional rugby later that year. When Weepu retired he held the record for the most wins by an All Blacks halfback.

Ruby Tui was selected for the Black Ferns for the first time in 2022 following a decorated career on the Sevens circuit where she became one of the world’s leading Sevens players. Tui made her Black Ferns XV debut in the 2022 Pacific Four Series against the Wallaroos in Tauranga and was a key member of the Black Ferns Rugby World Cup 2021 squad. During the tournament she also went viral for her rendition of 'Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi' following the 34-31 final victory over England.

Beyond her on-field success, Tui is a powerful advocate for mental resilience, what she often refers to as ‘mental fitness’. Overcoming a childhood of hardship, she refuses to be defined by her past, using rugby as a path to purpose. A firm believer in mindset, she aims to inspire young people that their future can be very different from their present. With her energy, leadership, and commitment to uplifting others, Tui proves that true strength is not just physical, but a state of mind.

Whangarei-born Tamaiti Williams burst onto the national scene when debuting for Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship in 2020, where his strong displays resulted in his selection for the Māori All Blacks. In 2022 he was included in the All Blacks XV, playing against the Ireland XV and the Barbarians on their tour.

For the Bupa campaign, The Alternative Team Photo / Human After All, Tamaiti selected the word anxiety, specifically around the birth of his daughter Kaea (which means "Leader" in Māori) in April 2024. Born at just 27 weeks and weighing 1.4 pounds, she required weeks of intensive care. During and since this time, he found strength in connecting with other fathers on the team, including fellow Crusader, All Black, and campaign ambassador Codie Taylor.

Tone Ng Shiu was selected for the All Blacks Sevens team after a strong showing for Tasman at the 2017 National Sevens and debuted only weeks later at the Wellington Sevens.

Ng Shiu has since developed into one of the premier forwards in the game. In the 2018/2019 season, Ng Shiu was one of only three players that took the field in every match (60), and he was named the New Zealand Rugby Sevens player of the year. Ng Shiu was also part of the side that brought home silver at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

In May 2022, Ng Shiu and his partner, Black Ferns Sevens player Dhys Faleafaga, welcomed twin boys, Kamari and Kaziel. Their arrival coincided with a long-term ACL injury that sidelined him for 16 months - a period he described as a mental battle just as tough as the physical rehabilitation. Now back on the field, he and Faleafaga balance elite rugby and parenthood, relying on communication and their support network as they compete in the HSBC SVNS series.