Rising star Ruby Clayton ready to tackle Japanese rugby tour challenge

Local rugby union talent Ruby Clayton will depart for the first of what she hopes will be many international tours next week when the junior Blue Boar travels to Japan as part of the Australian Raptors Rugby Academy’s under-14 girls’ squad.

Ruby and her 18 teammates will line up for three games in four days against junior Japanese sides, the first of which will take place on Friday, January 17, after the team flies out on Tuesday.

Ruby, who is the daughter of Brett and Jodie Clayton, has excelled in the rugby union arena since debuting for the junior Blue Boars at the start of the 2023 season.

The 14-year-old Narrabri girl, who will attend Wee Waa High School as a Year 10 student in 2025 and will turn 15 in March, has an abundance of rep honours to her name already, which include playing for Central North in 15s and sevens and the NSW Country team, as well as being selected into the NSW Waratahs’ junior Northern Region Academy.

At a school level she has also played for the CHS team and went on to be selected to play in the NSW schools’ sevens team.

Those achievements and her skill and dedication have seen her gain selection onto the Raptors’ squad for the Japanese tour, and she cannot wait to take on the new challenge.

Ruby told The Courier that she is hoping to improve as a player on the tour and experience the culture that Japan has to offer.

“I’m so excited. I cannot believe I actually am going,” she said.

“I was playing for NSW Country in 2023 and one of the coaches told us that there was a tour coming up for the Australian Raptors, and the trials were at the start of (2024) in Sydney, so I tried out and made the team,” she said.

“I’ll be playing in the centres over there in Japan.

“I’m really looking forward to the experience of it all, mostly the playing side of it, but I can’t wait to see the culture there too.

“I’m definitely hoping to enhance my performance and become a better player overall.”

Ruby’s preparation for the tour was hampered when she rolled her ankle and ruptured two ligaments at the team’s first training session back in November, but after spending time in a moon boot and rehabilitating, she is ready to take on some of Japan’s best and brightest young players.

The tour continues a rapid rise for Ruby, who hopes to one day play professionally.

The Narrabri teenager was initially nervous as she considered signing up to play rugby as a 12-year-old, but she loved the game immediately when she played her first match.

“I had some close friends that were playing for the junior Blue Boars, and I was always scared of playing, but I went down and watched them and I thought maybe I could give it a go,” she said.

“So I decided to join up and I fell in love with the sport.

“My first game was at Inverell and I was very nervous at the start, but as soon as my first match was done, I couldn’t wait to keep playing.

“I can play anywhere on the field but my most preferred positions are five-eighth and centre.

“I would like to play for the NSW Waratahs in the Super W comp one day, and if that doesn’t work out, I’d also like to try and make the NRLW.”

Ruby said that her Narrabri coaches during her first two seasons, who were Andrew Barrett and Bob Ford, both helped her significantly, especially her confidence in tackling and ball-carrying.

The Australian Raptors Rugby Union Academy offers a program that focuses on the all-round development of the individuals involved, both on and off the field.

Led by a team of professionals and rugby enthusiasts, the Raptors strive to create an unforgettable experience for everyone involved while helping players become the best versions of themselves and also gain higher-level rugby representative opportunities in the future.

The under-14s girls’ squad’s three fixtures in Japan, which will be played as nine-a-side games, are as follows: Game one: Friday, January 17 v Kanagawa Princesses; game two: Sunday, January 19 v Fukuoka Shinjin girls; game three: Monday, January 20 v Fukuoka ladies.