Ruby Tui was the player everyone was talking about when New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup squad was announced last month but not for the reason fans may have expected. The 33-year-old had not made the squad but, as is her nature, Tui is determined to turn her omission into a positive. “I do want young players to know selection doesn’t get easy,” she says. “But also it is team first, always and 100% of the time, especially when it’s hard.”
The star of New Zealand’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad, who has also won Olympic gold and silver, and the Sevens World Cup, Tui was squeezed out by competition in the back three with Ayesha Leti-I’iga and Portia Woodman‑Wickliffe getting the nod. While acknowledging that being left out was difficult, Tui’s focus is firmly on supporting the Black Ferns.
“Everyone can be team first when it’s easy,” Tui says. “I think it is a cool opportunity for me to say I totally love and respect this team, which I absolutely and wholeheartedly do. I support everything. I am gunning for my team. I want players who are struggling with selection to see that and know you do get to a point where you are OK with it.
“I have played for New Zealand since 2012 and I have won a World Cup, I have won an Olympics, I feel like it could have been a lot harder for other people. I am not the only one who didn’t make the team, I felt like there was a lot of hype around me but that doesn’t [mean it] hurt any less or any more.
“There’s a lot of people who went through that at the same time, not just for New Zealand, there are a lot of people who missed out on this and it can be really, really hard. But I do want to show people I still feel a part of my team, I have been a part of it for a long time and I feel a part of the family.”
Tui had made clear that if she were not selected she would want to be part of this groundbreaking World Cup in any capacity, and has landed several media jobs for the tournament – one as a BBC pundit. Tui sees that as a full‑circle moment after she went viral at the 2020 Olympics after a colourful BBC interview with Jill Douglas.
Tui leans back, a beaming smile spreading across her face before her eyes squeeze shut with laughter as she remembers the interview, saying she did not realise it was live at the time. “We should reenact it,” she says of a potential reunion with Douglas in England.
Tui debuted on the BBC for England’s opening win against USA alongside Gabby Logan, the former England head coach Simon Middleton and the former England player Maggie Alphonsi. Tui has had glowing reviews and says: “It felt right being there. It was a really fascinating experience.
“In New Zealand, there’s a couple of people there but I think the viewership [on Friday] was like 2.5 million or something which is half the population of the country I live in, so it was all quite surreal. I was very happy to be there.
“It’s difficult to articulate how much it [being free-to-air] means to me. Everyday people, no matter where you come from or what you are up to, can watch these games. It’s truly magic, it’s truly real‑life magic that the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the greatest teams in the world, world record‑breakers, can be viewed by anyone who turns on their TV.”
after newsletter promotion
After the opening game, Tui travelled to York to cover New Zealand’s first match against Spain. The Black Ferns won 54-8 but Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Amy du Plessis and Leti-I’iga were injured, something Tui was “gutted” to see, saying they “got the job done with a bonus-point win”. New Zealand next face Japan on Sunday and Tui says they are not a team you to be underestimated.
“Japan might not have the same speed or size but man they are fit. If you switch off for five minutes Japan will completely turn the game around and you will be down the other end of the field, as Ireland found out. It’s good New Zealand had a little peek at that game. It’s a reminder you can’t take Japan lightly at all, so I am really looking forward to it.”
What is next for Tui as a player? While she did not confirm any specifics, there may be opportunities in Premiership Women’s Rugby.
“I went into my DMs and there’s Saracens, Harlequins. I was like: ‘Is this what happens? Is this how it goes?’ I might go through some of my inbox and see what is going on. I don’t know, I have always lived my life and career with whatever feels good. If it feels right and it’s a bunch of mates and we’re going to have fun, like, yeah … but there’s so much going on right now [in terms of her career next steps]. It does seem like a sick competition, I do watch it … I’ll have to chat to Ilona [Maher, the USA international and former Bristol Bear] and see how she liked it.”
Though absent from the World Cup squad, Tui’s presence remains undeniable. Whether that is through her sharp punditry, inspiration on and off the field, or her try-scoring ability, she is far from finished shaping the future of rugby.
