Ultimate Sevens: Black Ferns icon Ruby Tui named as dream teammate by Great Britain star

The Great Britain star was asked which of her Trailfinders teammates in the PWR she would recruit for the new Ultimate Sevens franchise, and her answer was the one and only Ruby Tui. The Black Ferns wing has signed a one-year deal with Trailfinders, in what is lining up to be an exciting campaign in Premiership Women's Rugby.

Tui is one of the biggest names in women's rugby, having established herself as a World Cup winner and Olympic champion with New Zealand across the 15s and sevens styles of the games. Tui is beloved by rugby fans for her incredible personalty that lends itself to the world of broadcast and socials. Uren would love to bring that very same personality to the Sol Feroz group.

“Current contracts [at Trailfinders], I would pick Ruby Tui,” Uren told RUCK. “Like me and her, we are such good friends. She's one of my best mates now, and I think we would just have so much fun off the field.”

The exchange underlines one of the defining features of Ultimate Sevens, with players who have spent their careers representing different countries now being brought together under six new professional franchises. For Uren, that international mix is one of the most exciting aspects of the new competition.

“I think the biggest one for me is it's the first time that all these nations are mixing, and I think that's going to be such a special thing,” she explained.

“We get to learn under a new head coach. We get to play against and learn off players that we normally play against, and I think every single nation and every single country play their rugby so differently, and they have their own twists and tricks within the game and how they see it.”

That experience has already created a very different environment inside the Latin-flavoured Sol Feroz, where the men's and women's squads have remained together throughout their preparations. Uren admits the setup has presented some challenges, particularly with language barriers with the Argentinians and Spaniards, but believes it has helped the group bond.

“As a team, we've been real tight knit. We've done it probably a little bit differently to the other teams. We keep our boys and our girls together, which has been really interesting because there's a lot of Spanish that I'm trying to have to learn because there's a lot of language barriers.”

Uren has particularly connected with Ireland's Megan Burns. Her new-found partnership with Meg is another example of the unusual dynamics created by Ultimate Sevens. The pair have previously spent their careers competing against one another rather than sharing a dressing room.

“I've actually never played with Meg before, because GB and Ireland's are always separate,” Uren said. “But I think it's really cool because I think she's someone that we've probably actually competed against one of the most, because we face them in Euros and in the World Series.”

“So it's kind of cool to kind of get to know her off the field, not just as a, you know, enemy that you normally play against.”

That theme of former rivals becoming teammates runs throughout the new competition, as Uren took on her Great Britain teammate Isla Norman Bell, in the Ultimate Sevens Women's Final, as Sol Feroz were defeated by Atlantic Novas. Uren relished lining up against someone she has spent almost every day with over the past year.

“I would probably have to pick Isla Norman Bell right now. Me and her have grown really, really tight, and we've spent pretty much every day together for the last year.” Uren said, ahead of the final.

“But I just know that we would just enjoy that game and probably smile and playing against each other the whole time. But I'm going to have to watch out for a little footwork, to be honest.”

Uren expects Sol Feroz to embrace the fast-paced nature of the new format, with the franchise built around speed, power and individual expression.

“I think from Sol Feroz, you can expect a quick game, a lot of speed, and a lot of us just expressing ourselves. I think you'll never know where it's going to go, which is going to be super exciting.”

And while Uren has already revealed the player she would love to have alongside her, she also has her eye on the opposition.

Asked which franchise she is most excited to face as the tournament heads out to Biarritz for round two, Uren picked out the defending champions. "Probably Atlantic Novas, just because I think they've got some real good players in that team.”

With the first chapter of Ultimate Sevens in the books, the tournament heads to France this weekend, as some of the world's best players step outside their traditional international rivalries. For Uren, though, one thing is already clear: if she had the chance to add another superstar to Sol Feroz, Ruby Tui would be at the top of her list.