'I didn't actually sign up': The time Ruben Love was tricked into pursuing rugby

Wellington and Hurricanes star fullback, Ruben Love, has shared the story of how his dad, former Maori All Black Matene Love, tricked him into sticking with rugby during a time he found himself favouring cricket and attempting to drop rugby altogether.

Love’s sporting talent has seen him rack up an impressive resume already in his young career.

At just 21 years old, he has represented New Zealand in Under-19 cricket and Under-20 rugby, in addition to his breakout Super Rugby season with the Hurricanes and Lions which saw him earn a Maori All Blacks call-up and most recently, a spot in the All Blacks XV squad.

Love spoke to SENZ Afternoons ahead of Saturday night’s NPC final clash where his Wellington side will come up against Canterbury in Christchurch.

“I think it was my fifth form at Palmy (Palmerston North) Boys and I wasn’t too keen on playing rugby,” Love revealed. “I just wasn’t enjoying it.

“I was really having a good time with my cricket and kind of thought that’s the way I wanted to go.

“I didn’t sign up for rugby that year, but I didn’t tell my dad.

“My dad was on the Board of Trustees, and he somehow found out that I didn’t sign up for rugby even though I told him that I did.

“So, one morning I got up and asked him if we could go to the cricket nets and do some training.

“I got changed, got into my cricket clothes and was chuffed that (we got) to go to the nets.

“As we were driving to the nets, we actually passed where the training field and the nets are and I asked him, ‘Where are we going? This isn’t the cricket nets that we’re going to … I know this road’.

“We ended up at a rugby field where the Under 16s B team was … they were just playing an invitational team from Australia.

“We basically just stopped in the car, and he said, ‘You can either get out and walk home or you can go out there and play’.

“I didn’t actually sign up for rugby, but he just managed to sweet-talk the coach or whatever to let me jump on for a bit.

“So yeah, (I) jumped on for the Under 16 Bs, got a hiding from some Australian invitational team and unfortunately just had to stick with them for the rest of the year and keep playing rugby.

Love prospered in the Hurricanes setup late last season, with Jordie Barrett vacating the full back position to take his shot at the midfield.

Only three outside backs were selected for the All Blacks XV squad, making Love’s inclusion especially promising for his future in the black jersey.

Reflecting on his dads intervention, Love finds himself grateful, not just for his rugby career but the enjoyment the game has provided him.

“But in hindsight, that was the best thing for me.

“It kept my love for the game going because it wasn’t a social team, but we just had a good crew and yeah, just went hard at the end of that year and the First XV spot opened up the year later.”