NEW ZEALAND STAR Ruby Tui gave an iconic post-match interview after her side’s electric women’s Rugby World Cup final win over England today.
“How was that, New Zealand?! How was that,” she asked the record 40,000-plus crowd in Auckland’s Eden Park after the thrilling 34-31 victory.
“I’m just so proud to be a New Zealander right now. They said nobody cared about women’s rugby. Well, guess what? We out here. We’re going nowhere.
“Thank you for letting us be here, have our presence here.
“They said we couldn’t do it, kids. They said we wouldn’t. We did it. And honestly, it took all of us. Anybody out there defended an England maul before? It isn’t easy in the last minute, baby! But we all did it together. New Zealand did it together. And I’m so proud to be here right now.”
This is just unreal. What a superstar. pic.twitter.com/eepLdigOmv
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) November 12, 2022
The winger, one of several Olympic champion Sevens players in the New Zealand team, then led the crowd in a rendition of Maori folk song ‘Tutira Mai,’ mirroring the scenes at Eden Park when the All Blacks won the men’s 2011 World Cup final.
An emotional Tui later added that she hoped the spectacle — as much as the result — would prompt more girls to take up rugby globally.
She noted large numbers had also watched two compelling semi-finals last week, including New Zealand’s 25-24 nail-biter against France.
“If you like sport, take away the gender and think, what’s entertaining you?” she said.
“Because I’ll guarantee you, that semi and that final, that was entertainment.”
The Black Ferns put their “struggles” behind them and retained their title in a spectacular end to a memorable tournament.
It completed a transformation for New Zealand under former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith, who was introduced after they were thrashed twice in England a year ago despite being reigning world champions.
Smith had steered the Black Ferns to 11 straight wins but his team were still underdogs against a Red Roses side he labelled one of the best teams in the history of men’s or women’s rugby.
Scrum-half Kendra Cocksedge, who is retiring as the most-capped Black Fern after snaring a third world crown, feared her team’s hopes were over in April when a review into last year’s European tour revealed a “toxic” culture.
It led to the resignation of 2017 title-winnning coach Glenn Moore.
“This team’s been through some struggles in the last 12 months,” Cocksedge, 34, said.
“To play a part in winning a World Cup, at Eden Park with an amazing crowd, there’s no words for it. For the first time in my career, I’m speechless.
“We’ve come so far. Everyone’s fallen in love with the Black Ferns and we’ve just fizzed off it in the last six to eight weeks and I’ve just had a fairytale ending.
“I don’t think it gets much better than this.”
