Michael Ruru to captain Road Safety Perth Spirit
Energetic scrumhalf Michael Ruru has been appointed Road Safety Perth Spirit captain for the upcoming 2017 National Rugby Championship (NRC) with fellow Nedlands product Anaru Rangi named as his deputy.
The 26-year-old is a natural leader on and off the field with his fierce competitive nature and team first attitude making the Nedlands No.9 the ideal man to lead the Spirit in their quest for back-to-back titles.
Ruru says it is a privilege to be chosen to lead the Western Australian side and is excited about the opportunity.
“Obviously I’m honoured and thankful that the coaching staff have put that faith in me to be captain,” he said. “More than that I’m just excited to be part of the Perth ‘Pigs’ for another campaign.”
“When you look at the squad there are some quality leaders and anyone of them could have been captain. I am going to grab this opportunity with two hands and hopefully, I can do the team proud.
“Having Anaru (Rangi) as vice-captain is great, what you see is what you get with him. He might not say much but his actions speak louder than words and he sets a great example.”
“The culture in the Piggies is fantastic and getting better every year. I really want to add to that and keep that going, we want to have a really open and family orientated environment.”
Ruru a prime example of the pathway that the Spirit provides to players in the Pindan Premier Grade, having played for the Spirit since 2014 before earning a Super Rugby contract with the Force this year and going onto win the club’s Rising Star Award.
Road Safety Perth Spirit Head Coach Kevin Foote says Ruru thoroughly deserves the position after three NRC campaigns with the Spirit and a spectacular first season of Super Rugby.
“He’s a very good leader and he takes his rugby seriously, I’m very proud of him,” he said. “To call him our Spirit captain is something incredibly special for us.”
“I met Michael in 2014 and realised how hardworking he was. He was working a day job and then training for NRC and I was quite surprised how long it took him to get into a professional set up and since he’s done that he’s excelled.”
“He’s a really good leader, great father, a fantastic team man and I think he drives a very high standard for us at training and on game day. He has very high aspirations for himself and everyone around him so he will drive everyone to be the best they can be.”
Speaking on Anaru Rangi’s appointment as vice-captain, Foote said the powerful hooker is set to thrive in the role.
“Anaru is going to be the behind the scenes guy. He’s the guy behind Mikey, he will get the hard work done in the background and let Mikey lead in his own way. He’s a man’s man, an honest hardworking grafter and the guys will really rally behind him.”
Ruru will lead the Road Safety Perth Spirit out as they begin their NRC title defence against the Melbourne Rising at McGillivray Oval, Mt Claremont on Sunday, 3 September.
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