NAME Marjorie Drollet        

AKA Henry Vanderglas’ Other Half 

TIMES AROUND THE SUN 27

KIDDIES Manoa

FROM New Caledonia – Nouvelle Calédonie

LIVE Grenoble, France

ALL ABOUT BEING Perfectionist – Happy – Impatient – Thoughtful – Passionate.

GIVE US THE LOW DOWN Henry and I met six years ago in Grenoble, when I was studying to be a town planner and working at the local night club. 

As an Island gal I made the move from my home country of New Cal as the study opportunities were available to me, as I am a French Citizen of New Caledonia.

Seven years on, one rugby playing hubby, a new baby and now engaged we are now on a new family journey together, life after rugby.

LIFE AFTER RUGBY It’s still a relatively new experience for us as Henry only stopped playing 7 months ago. 

So you could say we are still in the honeymoon period, but so far its been great! Henry has definitely been around a lot more which has been really helpful and supportive during the final stages of my pregnancy and now with our newborn son. 

With the extra time we now have, we’ve been able to do lots of things that weren’t possible when he was playing rugby. Going on more trips away and just spending more time together has been great. It was an especially nice change to go away with family for a week over Christmas rather than have only the normal 2 or 3 days like when he was playing.

I’m sure Henry misses some of the excitement that comes along with playing rugby professionally for so long, but so far he isn’t showing it. I think that during the last few years of his rugby career the excitement and pleasure he took from playing wasn’t as high as it always was and this has probably helped make the transition easier.  

Its probably been quite a change on the social side of things too. When playing, he spent lots of time with his team mates at training, away for matches and team camps. This transition has probably been just as big of a change as stopping playing was. 

To help with this, he has started a few new activities to keep things interesting, while he’s also made sure he’s kept up his social life.

As long as I’ve known Henry I’ve never defined him by what he does. No matter if his job is a rugby player, a Rockstar or a garbage collector, he’s still the same man to me and I’m proud of him regardless and I think he knows that. 

We also never really talked about rugby too much at home and I think this helped give a balance while he was playing and a sense of normalcy now that he has retired. This wasn’t really intentional but I think it supported him through his transition. At home, life is very much the same, he’s just around a lot more!

CURRENTLY CRUSHING ON Fully enjoying our new family life which is priceless! It’s been really wonderful.

THE ALL IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Our lives have changed a lot that’s for sure. Getting engaged and also welcoming our son into the world has definitely made us think more of the future and also confront some important questions. 

Where would we like to base ourselves long term? What sort of a life do we want for our children? Are some of the things we have been deciding.

We both agreed that it would be best to return to Australia to be close to our families. New Caledonia is only a couple of hours by plane which is a good compromise. 

It was really important for me to have my children grow up near the ocean as I did myself with the values and the colours of my native island, but also with the opportunities that a big country like Australia can offer.

RUGBY HIGHS Having a strong man who could carry all the shopping bags by himself! Pretty handy when you live on the 4^th floor with no elevator!

RUGBY LOWS Definitely the injuries. Henry has had his fair share and I’m always worried he will get injured badly. Thankfully he never has.

PROUDEST RUGBY FAN GAL MOMENT We were on holidays in Krakow, Poland and Henry got called to play in Bordeaux for the Wallabies XV team. So we packed our bags and headed there the next day. We had an awesome week in Bordeaux hanging with the other girls and were treated really well by the Australian staff. 

For Henry’s last game he scored a try against Toulon at the end of the game to draw the match. It was a really nice way to finish off our time in Grenoble and end what had been a difficult season on a good note.

RUGBY TRANSITION WORDS OF WISDOM Start thinking about the transition before it happens so you can plan what’s next and avoid the stress of this big change.

Don’t put pressure on your man, it’s already hard enough for him to find his way after rugby, but support him instead! 

And lastly, do not fear mistakes and take risks to fulfill your projects. 

WHAT’S NEXT We are going to Japan for a few months to look into some potential investments there. Then we are going back to Australia to settle into our little family life with some other projects in mind. 

Personally, I would love to create my own brand of swimmers.

LIFE’S MANTRA If you stumble, make it part of the dance. 

CONSIDER US YOUR NEW HYPE SQUAD! WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU

Instagram: @marjorieflyaway