RUGBY SUPER-COUPLE KENNEDY & SOLLY 'WE'VE BUILT A BEAUTIFUL LIFE TOGETHER'

After an unexpected proposal, the Black Ferns co-captain and her fellow footy star are ready to tie the knot

Like any long-term couple, Black Ferns great Kennedy Simon and her fiancé have their tense moments, but very rarely do things ever escalate in their rock-steady relationship, thanks to fellow rugby star Solomone Tukuafu's playful sense of humour.

"Solly has three missing teeth, so if I'm ever mad at him, he'll whip out his plate to reveal a very goofy, gummy grin," smiles the Ferns co-captain. "It cracks me up without fail, to the point I can't possibly be cross with him any more."

It's this very childlike cheekiness that Chiefs prop Solly has always deployed to win over his girl, but as 16-year olds, when the couple first met in their hometown of Hamilton, it took Kennedy quite some time to cotton on to his charming moves.

"All my mates had boyfriends, but I was only interested in rugby," says the 27-year-old, who made her Black Ferns debut in 2019. "I didn't have time to be in a relationship and was so naïve back then that I didn't even notice Solly liked me. He was an absolute clown and we always had fun together, but I thought we were just really good friends who both loved code."

The truth is Solly's affections ran much, much deeper than sport alone and, for months, the playful prankster, also 27, attempted to steal Kennedy's heart by finding any excuse to spend time with her, dropping her to school, picking her up from practice and becoming a constant fixture on the sideline at her games.

"One day, Solly said he wanted to do things properly and asked if I'd go out for dinner with him," recalls Kennedy. "I remember thinking, 'Do what properly?' but we went out and had a really great time, like we always did.