THE BIG INTERVIEW

RUBY TUI HAS WON OLYMPIC SEVENS GOLD AND LIFTED THE WORLD CUP. BUT BEFORE THAT, RUGBY SAVED HER LIFE. HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS OUT BUT THE STORY IS NOT OVER...

- JOSH GRAHAM

WOMEN'S RUGBY and New Zealand's Black Ferns are a match made in heaven and back-three star Ruby Tui has been front and centre of the sevens game and now 15s for well over a decade.

The 33-year-old has gone viral for post-match interviews packed with personality, won gold and silver at two different Olympics and won a Rugby World Cup on home soil. It's a star-studded CV to which you can also add Adidas athlete, World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year 2019 and World Rugby Women's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year 2022, as well as published author after Tui released her autobiography three years ago. While WXV1 didn't go to plan in 2024 with a shock loss to Ireland, the Black Ferns are still a force to be reckoned with and Tui is never short of something to say on her favourite topics...

Can you believe where the women's game is now?

In my junior rugby, I played when you still had to fundraise yourselves. There wasn't much competition when you wanted to play for a national team. My career has mirrored the growth of the game. The tiniest things blow my mind and show the progress. The last jersey was completely collaboratively done and we (the Black Ferns) were actually the first ones to wear it ahead of the All Blacks. We are all friends, trying to be world champions together!

The Black Ferns' record is pretty impressive but with all the support, it's how far can we take this? It feels like the beginning of what we can truly do and it's just so exciting.

How much has your life changed in the last ten years?

I see it as women's rugby changing; it has completely flipped. I used to say we can sell stadiums out and people thought I was crazy.