Do we like Ruby Tui?
Our score: 9 out of 10. Openly backs LGBTQ+ inclusion, gave away a World Cup medal to a young fan, and no harmful words or company turned up, though the record on other issues is thin.
Ruby Tui was born in 1991 and, as the NZ Herald's profile of her memoir tells it, grew up with family violence at home. She eventually got out with help from Women's Refuge, and sport, first netball and then rugby, became her way through.
She turned that story into the book Straight Up, saying she hoped it might give readers hope. She told the Herald that when you flip shame it can turn into service, which is a fair summary of how she's used her platform ever since.
On the field she's the real deal: Olympic silver in Rio in 2016, gold in Tokyo, World Rugby's women's sevens player of the year in 2019, and a try in the Black Ferns' 34-31 win over England in the 2021 Rugby World Cup final. She's also done the Sky commentary gig, so she's good company on the couch too.
On the harm check, we found nothing nasty: no culture-war grievance, no dodgy company, no slide into conspiracy land. She told Gay Express she'd only sponsor brands that actively support rainbow staff and communities, and said “I always try and make the rainbow flag visible.” To be fair, searches on climate and migrants turned up nothing from her either way, so that part of the record is thin.
The good stuff is the memorable bit. In the World Cup final at Eden Park she gave her gold medal to a young fan, and World Rugby later presented her with a replacement in Monaco. Her take on it: “I wouldn't have it any other way.”
Not everything's been smooth. She was left out of the Black Ferns squad for the 2025 Pacific Four Series, with coach Allan Bunting calling it a tight race and a tough call. That's a selection stoush, not a scandal, and nothing suggests she did anything wrong.