'Congrats bro, you're in the All Blacks': Ruben Love on his rise through injuries

Ruben Love was at The Street Church in June with Wellington Lions doctor Theo Dorfling when his phone started consistently bleeping.

The first message Love retrieved said, “Congrats bro, you're in the All Blacks.”

A disbelieving Love briefly left the congregation to check. It transpired he’d been selected for the All Blacks XV which was still a considerable achievement given his injury woes.

Love only played eight minutes of Super Rugby in what turned out to be the Hurricanes last fixture - the quarter-final defeat to the Brumbies.

"I suffered a groin tear in Super Rugby last year. I kicked a conversion in front against Moana Pasifika. It was an easy one that I didn’t need to strike as hard as I did. Immediately I felt this ripping pain,” Love told RugbyPass.

"I played through the NPC with this injury, but I was in so much pain. The groin is connected to the abs, so it basically affects every movement. Small things such as getting in and out of the car, sneezing, and laughing, especially around Xavier Numa, were really difficult.

"I often sat out practice. Too much kicking, sprinting, and stepping would put further strain on it."

Remarkably, Love played all 13 matches (10 starts) in the Wellington Lions triumphant 2022 NPC season. He scored six tries as Wellington won the title for the first time since 2000.

"We were really frustrated after the Northland loss, so we caught up at one of the boys' flats and had some bonding time. That was a turning point, really connecting as a team,” Love said.

"Leo Crowley missed a lot of the season. His mother passed, which was tough for him. We were determined to play for him, but it meant everyone else had to step up.

"Tamati Ellison had the utmost confidence that we could turn things around. He’s been such a massive servant to rugby in Wellington. He adds so much as a coach."

Wellington won ten consecutive matches to conclude the 2022 season and has carried on the momentum in 2023 with an unblemished 4-0 start to the NPC and two successful defences of the Ranfurly Shield against Heartland opposition in July.

New defensive structures coupled with greater individual accountability have driven much of the improvement.

Wellington’s increased resolve was best illustrated in their 26-18 NPC final win against Canterbury in Christchurch. Love, however, is renown for attack, and he scored a cracking try in the decider.

“That wasn’t my try, sure I scored it, but Caleb Delany got a lineout steal and Jackson (Garden-Bachop) put Dupes (Du'Plessis Kirifi) in a hole. Watch how Jackson pump-faked the pass. That looks easy but in full motion, it’s hard to get the timing right.

"Dupes throws off half the Canterbury team and could properly have thrown the fullback off too, but he does the unselfish thing and passes. All I had to do is run it in.”

As part of the Maori All Blacks in July 2022, Love ran the Irish ragged in an eclectic stint off the bench in Wellington.

Down by 20 points, Love came on late in the second half, made repeat breaks, and scored a try as the Maori, in inclement weather, launched an improbable comeback that just fell short.

"Ireland are such a strong team, a strength-in-numbers team, very hard to break down and precise in their structures. I watched a lot of tape before that game trying to figure out how they defend. I wanted to take players one-on-one, loosen things up a bit and take Ireland out of their comfort zone,” Love said.

“The other thing about that game is I had 30 family members in the stands shivering, waiting patiently for me to come on. I wanted to give them their money’s worth.”

Love hurt the Irish again on the All Blacks XV tour in November. He scored a try in the resounding 47-19 victory over Ireland A in Dublin, but his own groin pain persisted, so he sought international assistance.

Enda King is a sports physiotherapist, strength and conditioning coach, researcher, and educator who heads Elite Performance and Development at Aspetar in Doha, Qatar.

King has worked with athletes in the AFL, NBA, NFL, UFC, boxing, jockeys, and GAA. His greatest areas of expertise lie within hip and groin-related injury, as well as knee and ACL rehabilitation. Love communicates with King on Zoom.

“He’s been a game changer with his practical tips and building confidence. I’m not fully recovered. I’m not even sure how I got the injury, but it's definitely more manageable now.”

Love thrived on the All Blacks XV tour of Japan. He started in both wins against Japan XV’s amassing 139 minutes across both games. He was at his very best in the more open second fixture.

He set up two tries, the first with an incisive run and the second with two quick kicks that travelled 80m. A try-saving tackle on Semisi Masirewa, who scored two second-half tries, was another quality moment.

“A lot of people said we were playing Japan B but in one of the games, they had 388 Test caps. They basically flipped the bench and only made a couple of swaps across both games. They were a good side who played a fast, skilful brand of footy," Love said.

In his spare time, Love studies Te Reo Maori and videography. Wellington travels to Christchurch for a rematch of the NPC final on Sunday.