Black Ferns superstar Ruby Tui has had an extraordinary last few months.

Off the back of her raw and intimate personal exploration detailed in her debut book ‘Straight Up’, Ruby and the Black Ferns celebrated their sixth World Cup win- and opened up a conversation about the impact of women’s rugby.

“I’m really just extremely grateful and content to be in this position. This was probably the last - but one of the most important - missions I’d had for my sabbatical. Immediately after that all happened, I had to sit down and go- what am I doing next?”

Her latest project? She’s reaching out to her younger fans with an illustrated book- ‘Little Ruby and Friends’.

“I’ve always had this concept of mental health in a kids’ book in my head, and the memoir, Straight Up, was so serious and so big- this was such a joyful experience. All my friends - every character in this kids’ book are real friends of mine.”

Ruby Tui’s last year had been ‘extraordinary’, but full-on and intensive as she entered the public eye and went under the kind of scrutiny few female athletes got to experience. Tui explained to Francesca Rudkin that ‘Little Ruby and Friends’ teaches the importance of self-care.

“I’d always wanted to write a kids’ book and there’s all these young fans, young girls, boys, they just adore our team, they’re huge supporters of me and my teammates. I was like- I’ve gotta do this for them, you know?”

Ruby’s always valued her young fans- she explained to Francesca that she always wanted to make sure they were taken care of and got plenty of attention and autographs from herself and the team. All eyes have been on the Black Ferns, and Ruby seems to know the power she holds.

“Whether I like it or not, I’m trying to make the world a better place, I’m trying to be the best rugby player I can, and as a result of that I’m in a role model situation. I try not to think about it as a heavy weight- but a very privileged weight.”

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