The daughter of Porirua rugby legend Jerry Collins has signed her first senior contract with English women’s rugby club Exeter Chiefs.
Honey Kerslake, 18, has said her father’s legacy remains one of the main reasons she plays rugby.
“His inspiration has been one of my biggest driving factors to play rugby,” she said earlier this year.
“My family in New Zealand still tell stories of everything that he brought to his community, on and off the pitch.”
Collins played 48 tests for the All Blacks and appeared at two Rugby World Cups.
The hard-hitting loose forward became one of Porirua’s best-known sporting figures before his death in a car crash in France in 2015.
Kerslake, who grew up in North Devon, has built her own reputation as a hardworking and physical loose forward.
She began playing rugby at the age of 10 for Ilfracombe RFC before moving to Crediton for her Under-15 rugby.
She captained England Under-18 this year and also made her England Under-21 debut.
Kerslake recently completed her A-Levels at Exeter College, where she was part of the team that won the ACE Girls League at Allianz Stadium last year.
She has also trained with the Exeter Chiefs senior squad and was part of the club’s Under-23 programme.
Chiefs assistant coach Oli Bishop said the club had been watching her progress closely.
“Honey is clearly an exceptional player who has benefited from our pathway system at Exeter College,” Bishop said.
“She was also part of our U23s squad and she has already trained with us this season, so we have been keeping a close eye on her.”
Bishop said Kerslake’s selection for England Under-21 while still eligible for the Under-18 side showed her potential.
“We look forward to watching her develop in the Exeter Chiefs environment and supporting her first steps as a professional rugby player.”
Kerslake will join the Chiefs for pre-season ahead of the JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby season.
“I’m excited and grateful to start this new chapter with Chiefs, to challenge myself and grow as a player,” she said.