Ruby Tui – ‘I See Things As A Sign That It’s Only Going To Get Better’

It was great to spend time talking to Ruby Tui at the recent HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026, as she really is a global icon of the women’s game. Having read her book “Straight Up”, we discussed her own media background, the state of the women’s game, the courage to tackle personal issues publicly and of course Singapore and her role as tournament ambassador.

Impact of England Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

We had sat one row behind Ruby at the Women’s RWC 2025 when Japan took on the Black Ferns in Exeter, and what started as a bit of a tournament trend when she performed the haka from the stands in unison with her teammates on the field. So many months on from the biggest Women’s rugby tournament to date, where does she feel the game is at the moment, and has it picked up on the momentum?

“I think England at the last Rugby World Cup did such an amazing job at hosting. I went to a couple of games a week, but I was buggered by the end of the day. I went to the opening match between the USA and England, and I thought that was super smart, you know, to get the superstars of the USA against the superstars of England and build right off the bat.

From beginning to end, it was just electric. They hosted in really cool cities and had this huge climax at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but they’re still celebrating. They’re still taking the opportunities. Those English players went straight into the PWR. That’s difficult mentally as a player, but I think they’ve done such a great job at just carrying that on.”

Photo Credit – The Kallang – Ruby Tui at HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026

Ruby The Media Professional

In her book, Ruby discussed studying media, and she has been a pundit at the RWC 2025, but also on the HSBC SVNS Series and elsewhere. 

“I’ve actually been doing this kind of stuff for maybe 10 years now. So I’ve come out to Singapore to commentate in 2024, but the women still were not part of it. And now our NZ girls have won it already. So yeah, this is my first time here with the women’s and men side by side, and it’s everything I thought it would be, man, it’s amazing. 

The crowd is different. I’ve noticed it’s very family-friendly and the fans are very respectful, but also, they know all kinds of facts. They know everything I’ve done in my career. They know my cat’s name. They’re really cool fans in Singapore and Asia in general.”

Photo Credit – The Kallang – HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 – Ruck and Rumble

In general, when we speak to ambassadors not familiar with the Asian rugby scene, they are surprised by the level of interest in rugby, especially in the youth, schools and grassroots. We asked what had impressed her in Singapore and how events like these at The Kallang play a critical role in inspiring the next generation.

“Here in Singapore, they have just done such a great job at integrating the whole rugby community around this particular event. Talking to the locals, this is the biggest sporting event at the National Stadium all year. So people really look forward to it. 

There’s about three weeks of rugby in and around this. I was at the Southeast Asia Sevens too, and that was really special. The final was here, and we did the kids’ presentations who played at the National Stadium. So it’s just really, really smart. If New Zealand ever got the SVNS back, I would be in everybody’s ear to do something like this – they have done an amazing job.”

Of the HSBC SVNS Series, we said that in Asia, we are so fortunate to have three legs, and each event is so different in Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Each one really has a festival feel to it, and several other rugby activities around them

Ruby agreed and added, “How good is it for the Singapore men’s and women’s team to be playing a comp here in front of their fans. And to have the trophy finals in the stadium is so cool.”

Off the field, one fan had asked us to ask Ruby about her food experiences in Singapore.

“I’m not gonna lie. It’s been tough because I always try to embrace cultures, and I’ve been trying to embrace this Singapore food. I loved the chilli crab, I loved the carrot cake, but the cockles and the snails, that’s not for me. Singapore, you guys win. You win. That’s why you are the champions of the food.”

Biggest Opportunities At The Moment In Terms Of Growing This Game?

Photo Credit – The Kallang – HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026

“There are things everywhere, like you could pick out so many. We probably need a whole hour-long episode to really get into it. 

But a cool conversation that I had with a young girl here at a rugby clinic, she said, “Oh, Ruby, it’s so hard. There are only six girls’ teams here.” And I was sitting there just chuffed, you know, because 10 years ago, the conversation would have gone. “We don’t have a girls’ team at all. I’m the only girl who wants more rugby, and I have nowhere to go.”

But now, we were standing here with plenty of girls’ rugby players around us. If history is anything to go by, the next time I come back here, there’s gonna be double the number of teams. So there’s just so much going on that I’m just so optimistic, and I don’t see challenges. I just see things as a sign that it’s only going to get better. I have got a really good feeling about all rugby.

I think women’s rugby is a no-brainer. You double the population of rugby to make space. And I think the likes of Siya Kolisi, for example, are champions of the women’s game because they want rugby to thrive. So there are far more opportunities than challenges.”

Where does that optimism come from? No doubt there is growth, and the women’s game has come a long way.

“I think I have just been the weird one in the group. I’ve always believed it. I’ve always believed in the possibility. It’s not just an incredible sport, brother, it’s to me, a key to change our societies for the better.

It just always has been a no-brainer. I’ve always been the optimist in the back of the room, like, I think we can do this, and the things I believe have come true. The challenges are there to be overcome.”

Straight Up – Ruby Tells It Like It Is

Photo Credit – The Kallang – Ruby Tui at HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026

The title of her book is perfect, as Ruby says it like it is. She has also been brave in tackling what most would see as sensitive and difficult issues and placing them in the public domain. How did the book come about, and was she anxious about the reaction?

“It was funny because I wasn’t anxious about what was in it. Anyone who knows me knows I’m really open. There’s all this stuff, and there’s contracts, and there’s politics in the world, but if you just talk to somebody and you’re honest, that is all you can really ask for, and I’ve always been an open book.

When my manager suggested writing it, I wasn’t anxious, to be honest, because I was happy. I was anxious that no one would be interested. I thought a couple of my mates or my family would love it, but that’ll be about it. And the responses were overwhelming; it’s crazy. I think it was important to tell the story of what you go through, because everybody’s challenges are huge. Whether they’re life-changing, if it is extreme poverty, or if it was just that I had to live up to my parents’ expectations, and that’s life-changing. That’s the truth. 

And so why that becomes so beautiful is rugby or sport, is just about crossing the white line. None of that other stuff matters. The field is the ultimate levelling playing field, like truly and honestly, you can come from nothing or everything, but who wins? 

I think it’s so important to understand your own story, tell your story, realise your story, because that’s what makes stepping onto the white line so important, and such a beautiful, honest, and all the layers are stripped back there, and you just play.”

Rugby Connects People

Photo Credit – The Kallang – Ambassadors HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026

Ruby explains how rugby found her and how she found rugby. It’s a story we hear multiple times, but really (and we love many sports), there is something special about rugby and the connections it allows us to create.

“So there are other sports in this world that are really physically challenging, but in rugby, you put your body on the line for somebody you’ve just met. It’s like it’s almost sacred. It’s so special, it’s so cool. And immediately, you have this bond with somebody that you have with no one else ever in your life. And you reach an age where you can’t do that anymore. 

It is a lifelong, lasting relationship with people. There are these people that are in my life, and I played with some of them over 10 years ago, and there’s just a look in your eye, and it’s like, I’m fine. I’m gonna be fine, you know? 

So rugby is life-changing to me. In the sport of fifteens, especially, there is a position in the team for every kind of body type. I think it’s just the most welcoming, brave, special sport in the world. I mean, I’m biased, but you say that, because once you try the sport and you realise what it feels like to be in a team, wholeheartedly, there’s nothing else as good.”

If Ruby Tui Could Change One Thing in Rugby?

“The global rugby Schedule. So one thing that was difficult as a player was aligning calendars. And I think if you just get all the people within your region, even worldwide, and align a calendar, that makes things way easier. 

It’s one thing in New Zealand we did with Canada and England, you know. And now we have these competitions where we play every year. So if you could sit down and align your calendars, and agree and then the teams can do all their pre-season, all the warm-up competitions around the same time, that makes things so much easier.

That was the first thing we found in New Zealand. In reality, it’s not about our schedule; it’s about the world schedule. Let’s all get better and best align that.”

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