Ruben Love: man of the match with a record 25 points in the 2026 Super Rugby final

On 20 June 2026, in front of a sold-out crowd at Hnry Stadium in Wellington, Ruben Love scored two tries, kicked six conversions and landed a penalty from halfway as the Hurricanes beat the Chiefs 60-5 to win the Super Rugby Pacific title. His 25 points were reported by Rugby365 and AFP as the most by one player in a Super Rugby final, and he was named man of the match. A fortnight later he was the All Blacks' starting first five-eighth. This is the story of the Wellington-born playmaker who might have been a cricketer, and whose 2026 was cut short by an ankle injury.

A rugby family

Love was born in Wellington on 28 April 2001 and is the son of Matene Love, a former Māori All Black. Matene was a first five-eighth and fullback for Manawatu and Whanganui through the 1980s and played 106 first-class games, according to ClubRugby.nz.

Ruben grew up with a ball in his hands. "Our parents would always be chucking balls at us," he told ClubRugby.nz in 2022, remembering family gatherings with his cousins. Like his father before him, he went to Palmerston North Boys' High School.

Bat, gloves and ball

At Palmerston North Boys' High, Love was in the First XV in 2018 and 2019, and in his final year the side brought home the Polson Banner. He was also a wicketkeeper-batsman in the First XI from Year 11.

He was good enough to go a long way in both sports. He became the first player picked for both the New Zealand Under 18 Māori rugby and cricket sides, and the Hurricanes' profile records that in his last year at school he was selected for both the New Zealand Under 19 cricket team and the New Zealand Schools rugby team. ClubRugby.nz noted that he was the first player since Jeff Wilson to represent New Zealand secondary schools sides in both rugby and cricket.

He chose rugby. In January 2022 he told ClubRugby.nz that he still watched any cricket he could find, but the annual Black Clash match was now the only cricket he played.

Wainuiomata and Wellington

Love moved to Wellington after school, joined the Wainuiomata club and signed with the Wellington Lions. His first club season, 2020, was disrupted by ankle trouble, and he played only five games for Wainuiomata. He missed the club's 17-15 Hardham Cup final win over Hutt Old Boys Marist for the best of reasons: he had made his Wellington debut the night before.

That debut came against Bay of Plenty at Sky Stadium on 25 September 2020, and he scored a try in a 32-10 win.

In 2022 Wellington won the provincial game's two big prizes. The Lions took the Ranfurly Shield from Hawke's Bay with a 19-12 win at McLean Park in Napier on 17 September 2022, and Love, by then their regular fullback, scored in the first defence, a 34-6 win over Waikato at Sky Stadium on 24 September 2022. Then came the final against Canterbury at Rugby League Park in Christchurch on 22 October 2022. Love scored the opening try and kicked the last points of the night, a penalty on full-time, as Wellington, captained by Du'Plessis Kirifi, won 26-18 to complete the NPC title and Ranfurly Shield double.

He played 44 games for Wellington between 2020 and 2025, scoring 141 points, according to the New Zealand Rugby History database.

The Hurricanes

Love joined the Hurricanes for 2021, and his Super Rugby debut came off the bench against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on 26 March 2021, a 30-19 win. He was 19 years and 332 days old, and ClubRugby.nz recorded that he was the first player born this century to play for the club.

His next game was his first start, at first five-eighth, against the Crusaders at Sky Stadium on 11 April 2021. Head coach Jason Holland backed the teenager to take on Richie Mo'unga. "He's got the energy, he's got the excitement factor, he's got pace," Holland told 1News. The Crusaders won 30-27 in golden point.

The next few seasons brought plenty of fullback duty and plenty of interruptions. He played seven games in 2021, nine in 2022 and two in 2023. In 2024 he was the Hurricanes' fullback for most of the season, and on 3 March 2024 he scored twice in a 38-33 win over the Reds at AAMI Park in Melbourne, during Super Round. Ankle surgery in December 2024 kept him out of the start of the 2025 season, but he scored on his return, against Moana Pasifika at North Harbour Stadium on 8 March 2025, although the Hurricanes lost 40-31.

That month he re-signed with the Hurricanes and New Zealand Rugby through to the end of 2028. "He is everything we want in a Hurricane," head coach Clark Laidlaw said. Love called it an honour "to represent my people" and to keep playing on the land where he grew up. He finished 2025 with 90 points from 12 games, five of them at first five-eighth.

The 2026 final

In 2026 Love was the Hurricanes' first five-eighth from the start, and the side broke Super Rugby's records for team tries and points in a season, AFP reported. They finished top of the table, beat the Brumbies 66-12 and the Blues 57-21 at home in the play-offs, and met the Chiefs in the final in Wellington on 20 June 2026.

Love was at the heart of it. He scored in the 14th minute, picking up a loose ball after a Jordie Barrett grubber kick and stepping the cover, and on the stroke of half-time he kicked a penalty from halfway to make it 29-0, the biggest half-time lead in a Super Rugby final. His second try came after a long run by Peter Lakai, and Patrick McKendry of 1News described it as "finished in acrobatic fashion by the No.10". He converted six of the Hurricanes' nine tries.

The Hurricanes won 60-5, the biggest winning margin in a Super Rugby final, for their second title and their first since 2016. Asked about Love afterwards, co-captain Jordie Barrett said: "He's a guy there with so much talent." By Wikipedia's count Love finished the season with 55 games and 259 points for the club.

Māori All Blacks and All Blacks XV

Love's first senior representative honours came with the Māori All Blacks against Ireland in 2022. He came off the bench in the 32-17 win at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on 29 June 2022, and again at Sky Stadium in Wellington on 12 July 2022, when he scored a try in a 30-24 loss.

That November he toured with the All Blacks XV and scored in a 47-19 win over Ireland A at the RDS Arena in Dublin on 4 November 2022. He toured Japan with the XV in 2023, and in the 41-27 win over Japan at Egao Kenko Stadium in Kumamoto on 15 July 2023, his break set up the first of Billy Proctor's four tries.

Two tries on Test debut

Scott Robertson first named Love in an All Blacks squad in July 2024, but injury delayed his debut until the end-of-year tour. Against Japan at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on 26 October 2024, he came on in the 51st minute for Sevu Reece and scored two tries in the last three minutes of a 64-19 win, becoming All Black No 1223. Peter Lakai made his debut in the same game.

His second cap came at fullback in the third Test against France, at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on 19 July 2025, a 29-19 win. He came off the bench against South Africa at Sky Stadium in Wellington on 13 September 2025, a 43-10 loss, and against Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth on 4 October 2025, a 28-14 win. On the northern tour he started at fullback against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 22 November 2025 and scored in a 52-26 win.

Rennie's No 10

Dave Rennie took over as head coach in 2026 and picked Love at first five-eighth for his first Test, against France at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on 4 July 2026. It was Love's first start in the No 10 jersey for the All Blacks. He kicked three conversions and a penalty in a 34-32 win, and McKendry wrote that he was "sharp and incisive at times".

Love kept the jersey for the next five Tests. He converted six tries in the 47-17 win over Italy at Sky Stadium on 11 July 2026, and against Ireland at Eden Park on 18 July 2026 he kicked five conversions and found space for a 50:22 that led to a try for Asafo Aumua in a 40-21 win.

On the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour he led the Ka Mate haka for the first time before the match against the Sharks at King's Park in Durban on 11 August 2026, then kicked seven conversions in a 54-0 win on a waterlogged pitch. 1News called him "almost flawless off the tee". He started all three Tests against South Africa: a 33-16 win at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on 22 August 2026, a 33-26 loss at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 29 August 2026, and a 29-24 loss at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 5 September 2026.

By then Love had been managing an ankle problem for much of the season, and he suffered an ankle ligament injury on the South African tour. On 5 October 2026 the All Blacks confirmed he needed surgery and would miss the rest of the year. "He sort of nursed it a little bit through Super Rugby," Rennie said. "He's tough, Ruben."

That left Love with 11 Tests, eight of them as a starter and eight of them wins, with three tries, 22 conversions and a penalty for 62 points.

Style and standing

The coaches who have worked with Love tend to talk about his attitude as much as his skill. Laidlaw, re-signing him in 2025, called him "an unbelievable professional" who sets a high standard for himself and others. Holland, picking him as a teenager, said he had "the smarts on when to pass, when to kick". Rennie's verdict, after six straight Tests in the No 10 jersey, was the shortest: tough.

Where he is now

Love is recovering from ankle surgery. When the injury was announced, 1News reported that it was unclear whether he would be fit for the start of the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season. He is named in the Hurricanes' 2027 squad, announced on 28 October 2026, as the club sets out to defend its title, and he is contracted to the Hurricanes and New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2028.

The All Blacks, meanwhile, play Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday 8 November 2026 NZ time, then Wales in Cardiff and England at Allianz Stadium in London, before the Nations Championship Finals Weekend in London at the end of the month.

Career at a glance

Test figures are from RUGBE's match-by-match All Blacks data to 17 October 2026. Provincial figures are from the New Zealand Rugby History database; Hurricanes figures from Wikipedia to the end of the 2026 season.