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- By Adam Julian
When Kaide McCashin suffered a pectoral injury lifting weights in the gym in 2021, he thought his rugby career was over. He couldn’t even bring himself to Maidstone Park to watch the Upper Hutt Rams.
The halfback had already ruptured the ACL in his right knee in 2017 and 2019 and fractured his neck in a swimming pool incident.
McCashin is back for Upper Hutt in 2023. The Rams have won eight games and are one win away from making the Jubilee Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2005 alongside fellow perennial strugglers Paremata-Plimmerton and Johnsonville. The Rams hadn’t even made the top eight in the old competition structure since 2016.
“For us and our team, not a whole lot has changed,” McCashin said.
“A lot of the boys have been playing together for a long time now and maybe we’re gelling with one another better.
“I can’t speak much for why Johnsonville and Paremata-Plimmerton are much better but when you play them, they feel like they are one.
“The Paremata-Plimmerton crowd is definitely an advantage for them. They have these patches in games where they’re awesome and their momentum is hard to stop.
“Johnsonville plays a real fast style and can hurt you from anywhere. Their wings and fullback Jacob Walmsley have some absolute pace.”
The Rams roster still features regulars like Daniel Schrjvers, the Svenson brothers (Todd, Scott, and Josh), Eli Hunt, Josh Brown, and Aidan Woodward. Little has changed at Upper Hutt, yet a lot has changed for McCashin.
Fulltime for the Rams after their 12th round Swindale Shield win at home against Old Boys University.
In August 2021 first daughter Indie was born. His partner Brooke is expecting another child later this year. Kaide owns an electrical business with his brother, former Rams wing Reid, and he’s shed a dozen kilograms adding greater speed and clarity to his game.
“I’m playing the best rugby I have played in a long time. Carrying less weight makes me quicker and less tired,” McCashin said.
“Becoming a father has changed me a lot. You settle down quickly with all the new responsibilities. When I fractured my neck, I jumped recklessly into a swimming pool and didn’t even get it checked for a month. I thought because I could walk, I was alright.”
McCashin debuted for the Rams in 2015 and has made over 50 appearances with a dozen starts this year. He scored two tries in a narrow loss to Hutt Old Boys Marist in Round 6 of the Swindale Shield and backed that up with another double in a 40-39 win against Petone a week later.
“I think the Petone game was our best game of the season. It felt like everyone was clicking that day,” McCashin said.
McCashin playing against the earlier this season.
“We beat OBU 31-25 in Daniel Schrjvers’ 100th game. That was a massive achievement for Daniel. He’s broken his forearm which is still niggly for him but he’s playing the same way he always had.”
Upper Hutt is the only team to beat Paremata-Plimmerton, and on Saturday fell narrowly to the Hammerheads 27-31 with McCashin scoring a try at the end (below):
This Saturday Oriental Rongotai awaits in a do-or-die clash. Ories beat Upper Hutt 24-23 in the last round of the Swindale Shield to secure their place in the Jubilee Cup. He expects a tough game with Ories especially dangerous in the backs, but he rues Upper Hutt missed opportunities at the Polo Ground on June 24.
Toby Crosby, Senio Sanele, and Toby Mallon are three youngsters who have seized their opportunities. Explosive loose forward Crosby has been captain and scored 25 tries in 25 Rams games. Prop Sanele was in the New Zealand Barbarians Schools team last year and earned selection for the Wellington Lions wider training squad. Hooker Mallon led St Patrick’s College, Silverstream to the Premiership in 2022.
McCashin believes this youth, the refurbishment of Maidstone Park due to be complete later this year, nearby Brewtown, and access to NZCIS facilities make Upper Hutt “very inviting” for the future.
Kaide’s father Tony McCashin, a relation of former All Blacks hooker and famous beer brewer Terry McCashin, has been a longtime coach with the Rams. His wife Karen is a renowned analyst and versatile volunteer at Maidstone Park.
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