Photography: Bernadette Peters.
Rising All Blacks star Ruben Love can pinpoint the exact moment his rugby dream began. It was his 10th birthday, when a surprise trip to a Hurricanes match led to an unforgettable encounter with one of his idols.
“It was the first time I’d been to a live game and Aaron Cruden kicked a penalty right on full- time, which won the match,” recalls the flying first five-eighth and fullback.
“Afterward, I had my photo taken with him and couldn’t believe I got to meet my superhero!”
Now a dynamic Hurricanes playmaker and fully fledged All Black himself, Ruben, 25, is determined to help inspire the next generation of young rugby players, especially those from humble beginnings like his.
“As a kid growing up in Waikanae Beach, then moving to Palmerston North, becoming a professional rugby player wasn’t the most realistic dream,” explains Ruben, who has Te Ātiawa heritage.
“But I was always a bit delusional about it and would think, ‘Don’t worry. It’ll happen!’ I want kids to know it doesn’t matter where you come from – you can achieve your dreams if you back yourself and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something.”
From B teams to big dreams
Ruben may have had the belief, but his path to success was far from straightforward. He only made B teams at Palmerston North High School and almost gave up rugby a couple of times before his dad, former Māori All Black Matene Love, intervened.
“Dad was on the board of trustees and got wind of it,” grins Ruben, whose father and Liverpool-born mum Lorna are his greatest supporters.
“He took me to a park where there was a game going on and said, ‘You can get out and play or you can walk home!’”
Ruben eventually made national underage teams in both rugby and cricket before leaving school. At one stage, he had his sights set on becoming a Black Cap, but everything changed when he ran out for the Māori under-18 rugby team in front of his whānau — sealing his future in rugby.
The push he needed
“It was the last game my grandad saw before he passed away and it meant so much to my family, bringing them joy during such a hard time,” shares Ruben, who is the third of six kids.
The athlete made his professional debut for Wellington in 2020, joined the Hurricanes in 2021 and scored two tries in his ABs debut against Japan in 2024.
“I didn’t quite realise the magnitude of playing for the All Blacks to begin with,” admits Ruben.
“I was just focused on playing well, and not letting my family and country down. It wasn’t until I came home to Palmy at the end of that year and saw how happy my community was that I realised what it meant.”
Ruben is one of the most popular All Blacks of his generation on social media, with more than 75,000 followers on Instagram, but he insists fame isn’t the goal.
“I didn’t post that much until I started to realise how much closer it can bring you to your fans,” he says.
“I try to share what I’m up to behind the scenes and keep it as authentic as possible.”
Showing rugby’s lighter side
His posts often show the lighter side of life in professional rugby, including his “terrible” attempts at making coffee before training.
He laughs, “There’s a bit of competition between the boys about who can crack the machine’s Da Vinci code!”
Through social media, Ruben has invited kids to opening training sessions and to join him for runs in the park. Earlier this year, he ran the inaugural 1ove Youth Rugby Camp in Palmerston North for boys and girls of all ages.
“We had no idea how many kids would come,” confesses Ruben.
“I got 100 t-shirts printed, then 180 showed up!”
Giving back to the next generation
The rugby star has also published a journal for schoolkids, designed to help them set goals and back themselves, drawing on lessons from his own journey.
“There’s no hidden agenda,” shares Ruben.
“I just want to do something for the kids, especially young Māori, that I never had when I was growing up.”
Off the field, the sporting hero keeps life relatively low-key. He lives in a Wellington flat with two longtime mates and doesn’t have a girlfriend, admitting dating can be “tricky” in the public eye. He enjoys reading, sauna sessions and ocean swims in his downtime.
Although he’s at the start of what looks like an exciting rugby legacy, Ruben has his feet firmly on the ground.
He concludes, “One day, the lights will go out on my career, so I want to be known as someone who played the game the best I could, maintained the family-first approach I was raised on and was always grateful for the opportunities that came my way.”
