A Rugby World Cup winner and Olympic champion has joined Ealing's PWR club at Vallis Way. What she has won, why she came, and when you can next see her play.
One of the most decorated players in world rugby has signed for a club on Vallis Way.
Trailfinders Women announced the signing of Ruby Tui on 19 August. The New Zealand international arrives at Trailfinders Sports Club in West Ealing with a Rugby World Cup winner’s medal, an Olympic gold and an Olympic silver.
Trailfinders have signed international players before. They have not signed one with this record.
What she has won
Tui has won at the top of both codes of the women’s game. The club’s announcement sets out the record:
- She made her international debut in 2012 and has been a mainstay of the Black Ferns Sevens ever since.
- She took silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, then gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when New Zealand beat France in the final.
- She was named World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in 2019.
- She was part of the Black Ferns squad that won the 2021 Rugby World Cup, and scored a try in the 34-31 final win over England.
- She has played in Super Rugby Aupiki with the Chiefs Manawa since that competition launched in 2022.
The club calls that final “one of the greatest rugby matches ever played”. Tui scored in it.
What was said
The club’s statement, attributed to Barney Maddison, said: “Ruby is one of the most respected figures in the women’s game. Her experience of winning at the very highest level, combined with the energy and leadership she brings on and off the pitch, will be an enormous asset to the squad as we push on from last season. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the club.”
Tui’s own statement leaned on the players already there. “Fizzing to sign with Trailfinders,” she said. “I feel like I’ve seen a lot of Women’s rugby and it’s the biggest and best Women’s comp in the world right now. The whole Trailfinders team have been so welcoming since I got here and watching them all last season had me fizzed about how they’re playing game!”
She named four compatriots already in the squad as part of the draw: Alana Borland, Tanya Kalounivale, Georgia Ponsonby and Maia Roos. “They all said it wasn’t too bad here ay so here we are,” she said.
The club frames the signing as a statement of intent, saying it underlines its growing ambition after reaching the Premiership Women’s Rugby final last season. That is the club’s own description of where it finished.
When you can see her
The next fixture listed on the club’s own women’s page is Bristol Bears against Trailfinders Women on Saturday 19 September 2026, away at North Bristol RFC, in the JAECOO Next Gen Cup. The club has not published a Premiership Women’s Rugby fixture list for the coming season on that page, so home dates at Vallis Way are not yet fixed there. Check the club’s fixtures page before travelling, and note that no squad selection has been announced for any match.
Trailfinders Sports Club is at Vallis Way, West Ealing, W13 0DD, and the club runs both its men’s and women’s sides from the same ground. Its site carries a directions page; the nearest stations are in West Ealing and Northfields.
What it means for you
If you follow women’s rugby, the practical point is that a Rugby World Cup winner will be playing club rugby in W13 rather than on television from New Zealand. Vallis Way is a club ground rather than a stadium, so you are close to the pitch. Ticket prices for the coming season are on the club’s own tickets page.
If you have children who play, the club runs an academy and a foundation alongside the senior sides, both linked from its own site. A signing of this profile tends to bring a spike in interest at exactly the point in the year when clubs are recruiting for the new season.
If you are planning a trip to Vallis Way, remember that the roads around West Ealing are busy this autumn. Leeland Road is closed until 26 September and Argyle Road is under multi-way signals until 8 October.
Sources
- Ealing Trailfinders, “Trailfinders sign Ruby Tui”, published 19 August 2026, for the signing, the career record, the 2021 final scoreline and both statements.
- Ealing Trailfinders women’s fixtures and results for the 19 September fixture against Bristol Bears at North Bristol RFC.
- Ealing Trailfinders contact page for the Trailfinders Sports Club address at Vallis Way, West Ealing, W13 0DD.
- Ealing Council’s weekly street works list for the West Ealing road closures.
All career details on this page are those set out in the club’s own announcement.
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