Black Ferns: Prop Amy Rule reveals benefits of Australian Super Rugby W stint ahead of Pacific Four test against Canada

Black Ferns prop Amy Rule played for the ACT Brumbies in the Super Rugby W competition. Photo / Getty Images

In a bid to elevate her game, Amy Rule took her talents to Australia for something she couldn’t find on the New Zealand scene.

After helping South Island Matatū to their first Super Rugby Aupiki title, the 22-year-old tighthead prop hopped across the Tasman to further test herself and learn how other nations approach the sport.

Joining the ACT Brumbies in the Australian Super Rugby W competition, Rule started in the No 3 jumper in three of her four appearances with the team as they finished third on the ladder before being knocked out of the playoffs in the semifinals.

It was a decision she quickly reaped the benefits of.

“A piece of going over to Australia was experiencing a different type of footy [and] also [a] challenging set piece,” Rule explained. “I feel like in New Zealand we’re all taught similar ways, so [I was] trying to challenge myself in that space and understanding where I can grow my game in different areas.

“Being a front rower, sometimes there’s not a lot of space to try and find opportunities for myself. I’ve got to nail my key roles and set piece, but going to the Brumbies was a really cool opportunity to find work and find opportunities around my general play.”

With a new playing group alongside her and new teams opposing her, as well as new coaches presenting different ideas, Rule made the most of her four appearances in the competition.

She was the only player in the Black Ferns squad to play in both women’s Super Rugby competitions. However, a number of Kiwi talents joined her, including new Wallaroo Carys Dallinger, Cristo Tofa (Hurricanes Poua), and Di Hiini and Martha Mataele (Matatū), while several Australians played in Aupiki before heading back home.

Now back in the Black Ferns environment, the World Cup winner is absorbing new information from the team’s fresh coaching group and a revamped roster as they embark on the Pacific Four tournament.

“It was a cool opportunity to just experience rugby in a different country,” Rule said of playing in Australia. “I’m always wanting to grow and get better, and I don’t think you can beat [the Black Ferns’] environment, but it has helped me in the long run.”

Rule made her 13th test appearance as the Black Ferns kicked off their 2023 campaign with an emphatic 50-0 win over the Wallaroos in Brisbane, in a 35-minute stint off the bench. It was a slight change in role for Rule after starting in the World Cup final last year and scoring an important try in the match.

The squad travelled to Ottawa this week ahead of their clash against Canada in the nation’s capital on Sunday morning, where they will stay for the next fortnight with their final test in the tournament against the United States in the same city the following week.

A top-three finish in the tournament will see the Black Ferns qualify for the end-of-year WXV 1 tournament, which features the best three teams from the Pacific Four along with England, France and Wales - the best three teams from the Six Nations.