Melissa Ruscoe

Melissa Ruscoe
MNZM
Ruscoe in 2011
Born
Melissa Jane Ruscoe

(1976-12-15) 15 December 1976 (age 48)
New Zealand
Association football career
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
International career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–2000 New Zealand 23 (2)
Rugby union career
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2004–2010 New Zealand 22 (32)
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Women's rugby union
Rugby World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2006 Canada Team competition
Gold medal – first place 2010 England Team competition

Melissa Jane Ruscoe MNZM (born 15 December 1976) is a New Zealand sportswoman who has served as captain of her country's national team in two different football codes: association football and rugby union.[1]

Football career

Ruscoe made her Football Ferns debut in a 0–1 loss to Bulgaria on 24 August 1994.[2] She finished her international career with 23 caps and 2 goals to her credit.[3]

Rugby career

After leaving behind her international career in soccer, Ruscoe switched to rugby, joining the Canterbury team in New Zealand's women's provincial championship in 2003. As a loose forward, she made the Black Ferns the following year. She has played on Black Ferns teams that won the Churchill Cup in 2004 and the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2006, and was also named the New Zealand women's player of the year in 2005. Ruscoe captained the Black Ferns to victory in the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup.[1][4]

In the 2011 New Year Honours, Ruscoe was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to women's rugby.[5][6] She has been the assistant coach of Canterbury in the Farah Palmer Cup since 2016.[6] She currently teaches at Hillmorton High School.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Player Profiles — Melissa Ruscoe". New Zealand Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  2. ^ "Football Ferns – Line-ups". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  3. ^ "Caps 'n' Goals, New Zealand Women's national representatives". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Black Ferns four times World Champions". New Zealand Rugby Union. 9 June 2010. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  5. ^ "New Year honours list 2011". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b c "World Cup Windback: 2006 Black Ferns". allblacks.com. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.


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