With a series of injuries and infections, fullback Andrew Knewstubb has been sidelined from the All Blacks Sevens for two years.
Knewstubb promised his teammates that he wouldn’t cut his hair until he came back from rupturing his ACL back in 2022. Little did he know that he’d go on to rupture it a second time and he’d then have to undergo another surgery due to infection.
It was a difficult time for Knewstubb, making him feel like he was facing setback after setback. However instead of focusing on the negatives, he decided to turn it around and use this opportunity to do some good.
Knewstubb opted to use the promise he made to his teammates to raise money for the Cancer Society Wellington Division. He signed up for our You Can for Cancer Chop-the-Mop, deciding to only chop his mop when he was back in Black.
Having lost close family members and friends to different forms of cancer, he knew he wanted to give back to the Cancer Society in their memory. “I knew I wanted to give back to a cancer charity, but I wanted it to be one that covered every cancer possible,” he noted.
Knewstubb, who grew up in Waikanae and spent some time in Nelson, has great appreciation for the Cancer Society, specifically its Wellington Division. “The work you [the Cancer Society] do can be really hard to face every day, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Wellington’s services,” he said.
Knewstubb raised over $5,000 in his Chop the Mop campaign. He hopes to stay involved with the Cancer Society in the future to help us continue the work that we do to support all people facing all cancers, their whānau and support people.
“I’m just really grateful and everyone’s really grateful for all the work you do. There are just no words to explain it, honestly,” Knewstubb added.
After growing out his hair and rehabbing his knee for over two years, Knewstubb was finally called up and selected to rejoin the All Blacks Sevens in the upcoming Vancouver SVNS. To celebrate, he finally got to chop his mop, surrounded by his teammates.