Amy Rule

BIOGRAPHY

Black Fern #230

Amy Rule is a rock solid tighthead prop whose exceptional leadership qualities and quick learning saw her become a Black Fern after just four years of playing rugby on the 2021 Northern Tour.

She grew up in Riverton, 30km south-east of Invercargill where her grandparents owned a dairy, Fish n Chip shop and bred horses. A competitive rower, it wasn't until her final year of high school she started playing rugby. Her start was inauspicious.

“It was a Southland open invitation team that played a Dunedin club. I had no idea of the rules, but I do remember there was a break down the wing and I was like that’s not one of my teammates so I literally launched off the ground and hit the girl in the head and got sent off.”

With no girls’ rugby team at Aparima College the 2018 head prefect played for Winton’s Central Southland College and the Blues Rugby club.

Otago coach Scott Mason, himself a prop, saw potential in Rule and she played six matches in the 2018 Farah Palmer Cup for the Spirit including the Championship final against a blockbusting Wellington Pride.

“I love prop because it’s such a challenge. It’s a battle where sometimes one thing goes wrong the whole thing messes up. I’m disciplined when it comes to my processes which helps when you're under the pump. I get around the park quite easily, but that’s something you can always work on.”

A scholarship took her to Lincoln University where she quickly broke into the Canterbury rugby system flourishing particularly under the tutelage of former Black Fern Amanda Murphy and Whitney Hansen (daughter of Sir Steve Hansen). At the end of 2021 season she had played 19 games in red and black, never losing and starting in the 2019 and 2020 Farah Palmer Cup final wins against Auckland (30-20) and Waikato (8-7).

In 2019 she was selected in the New Zealand Development XV that scored three convincing victories on a Pacific Island tour and received a “life-changing” Tania Dalton scholarship award. Dalton was a netball World Champion who passed tragically in 2017, aged 45.

“It’s about honouring her legacy by leading with love and happiness. You're provided with financial aid, mentoring, and workshops on things like public speaking. We help others in the community and each recipient is sponsored by an organisation which helps you create connections through those networks. High performance isn’t about just showing up to training, it’s nutrition, recovery, mental skills and leadership.”

Fellow Black Fern Patricia Maliepo, World Surf lifesaving champion Briana Irving and Touch Black Princess Elliott are among other recipients.

Embodying the drive of Dalton, Rule was picked for the Black Ferns 2021 Northern Tour. She made three appearances off the bench. Combating rolling mauls was a serious issue but “restricting penalties” and “time and connection” saw improvement.

“England were very physical, worked well together and shut down opportunities. France were sporadic but took opportunities. Sometimes I don’t think they knew what they were doing.”*

Rule is the first Black Ferns prop from Southland since Carol Hayes played the very first game in 1989. She is the first rugby international from Riverton since champion 1930s loose forward Ron Ward.

*France are unusual too in that they are coached by a woman, Annick Hayraud. Hayraud served in a hybrid coach/manager role from 2011 to 2014 and has been ‘head of rugby’ since 2017. In her involvement she has won 56 of 82 test matches to the end of November 2021. Nathalie Amiel (56 tests, 1986-2002) was among the first group of women inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014. She coached France from 2006 to 2009.

Profile by Adam Julian