Straight Up

Product Information

Though US national teams have struggled recently, the men failing to qualify for this year’s World Cup in France and the women losing a quarter-final to Canada in New Zealand last year, World Rugby is increasingly focused on the US. The 2031 men’s World Cup and 2033 women’s World Cup will be played on American soil.

I’m not ashamed to admit it: I HAVE A HUGE GIRL CRUSH ON RUBY TUI so this review might be a bit bias.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

They did try to love him. I heard from my aunty that when Grandma died she said to Grandad, You have to look after my son, Vaki. But Dad was always arguing with his family because he had been through so much, and I think that because he rejected his family’s love, I got that little bit of extra love from them — like I got his share too. I got away with heaps, and I really felt that. At one point during lunch, I put it to her that we’re now seeing the transformation of Ruby Tui, sportswoman, to Ruby Tui, businesswoman. As a child, Ruby was exposed to a lot of drug and alcohol abuse and later had a period of "chaotic lubrication" herself. This is Ruby Tui. An open, raw and honest account of her journey from a troubled and unstable childhood, searching for a better option in life, to Olympic champion and the world's best rugby sevens player.

She writes impactfully of winning the Sevens silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games - and the drama which surrounded that campaign - before going one step higher on the dais to win gold at the following Tokyo Olympics. As we wrap up lunch, one of the Accor managers comes to chat. It’s the school holidays and his two young boys are with him; Tui spends the next 15 minutes talking to them, showing them her World Cup medal.

On Tuesday, she added: “To help grow our game around the world, especially in a place like the US, is an opportunity I take very seriously. PR7s has an awesome model for their competition, with equal pay and opportunity for men and women. And I’m absolutely buzzing to play some sevens again!”

When I see the contract in front of me, it’s not so much about everybody else. It’s like, well, Ruby, is your heart on this? Is your passion still in this? I do want to say, you’re chatting to Tim, my co-host here. He’s been talking a bit of s*** about our New Zealand Olympic team and I wondered if you had anything to say to that?” Bracewell asked. The explosion of women's rugby on the global stage has matched the rise of Ruby's stellar career, as she has grown with the game from amateur to professional. Some people might find that weird. But if you walk into our team - first of all, we’re a rugby team, everybody chants after they win. You look at any clubroom. It’s a common thing. For the record – and I say this with, ahem, no bias whatsoever – New Zealand has six gold medals in Tokyo so far, which is one gold for every 816,000 people. Australia has 15 gold medals at a rate of one for every 1.69 million people.

New Zealander of the Year Awards semifinalists include Ruby Tui, Sir John Kirwan, Tāme Iti, Topp Twins One of the many personal details Ruby wasn't sure about including in Straight Up, she tells Susie Ferguson, is that by the time she was four she didn't want her mother and father to be together. This interview with Ruby Tui is tremendous, haha, what an absolute legend. #bbcolympics— Leeroy Genkins (@ironsoffthetee) July 30, 2021 Nothing I do is mediocre or just for likes. I really like myself; I don’t need other people’s likes, you know,” she says. We were just smiling at each other and not really saying anything, and Dad said to me, Do you want to hang out with her after she finishes work? Of course I was like, Oh yes please!