All Blacks
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand
in what is regarded as its national sport
.
The All Blacks are the Rugby World Cup champions, the IRB's current Team of the Year, the leading points scorers of all time and the only international rugby team with a record winning margin against every test nation
they have played. The All Blacks have held the top ranking in the world for longer than all other countries combined and in over 100 years only five test rugby nations have ever beaten New Zealand.
New Zealand competes annually with Australia
and South Africa
in the Tri Nations competition, winning the trophy a record ten times (in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010) in its 16-year history. They are the current holders of the Rugby World Cup
and the Bledisloe Cup
competed for annually with Australia, with the All Blacks currently on the second-longest winning streak holding the Trans-Tasman trophy since 2003. They also hold the Freedom Cup
; contested annually with South Africa and have completed a Grand Slam, defeating all four Home Nations
during one tour, four times (in 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010).
The All Blacks have won over a record 75% of all rugby matches they have played since 1903 and they were named the International Rugby Board
(IRB) Team of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and a record fifth time in 2011. Their captain, Richie McCaw, was the International Rugby Board Player of the Year for a record third time. Fifteen former All Blacks have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
; three of these are also inductees of the IRB Hall of Fame
, and another player is a member of the IRB Hall.
The team first competed in 1884 against Cumberland County, New South Wales, and played their first Test match
in 1903, a victory over Australia
. This was followed by a tour of the Northern Hemisphere
in 1905.
The team's early uniforms consisted of a black jersey with a silver fern and white knickerbockers. By their 1905 tour New Zealand were wearing all black, except for the silver fern, and their All Black name dates from this time. New Zealand traditionally perform a haka
(Māori
challenge) before each match. Traditionally, the haka performed is Te Rauparaha's
Ka Mate
, though since 2005 Kapa o Pango
, a modified version of the 1924 All Blacks haka, Kia Whaka-ngawari, has occasionally been performed.
Rugby football was introduced to New Zealand by Charles Monro
in the late 1860s; Monro discovered the sport while completing his studies at Christ's College, Finchley, England. The first recorded game in New Zealand took place in May 1870 in Nelson between the Nelson club and Nelson College. The first union, Canterbury
, was formed in 1879. In 1882, New Zealand's first internationals were played when the Southern Rugby Union (later the New South Wales Rugby Union
) toured the country. The tourists played Auckland provincial clubs twice, Wellington twice and once each against Canterbury, Otago and West Coast, North Island
, winning four games and losing three. Two years later the first New Zealand team to go overseas toured New South Wales; New Zealand played and won eight games.
The first tour by a British team took place in 1888 when a British Isles
team toured Australia and New Zealand, but no Test matches were played. The players were drawn mainly from England and the Scottish Borders
, although there were representatives from all four home unions.
1891 saw the formation of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union representing seven unions, not including Canterbury, Otago
and Southland. The first sanctioned New Zealand side toured New South Wales in 1894 and the following year New Zealand played its first home "international" game, losing 8–6 to New South Wales. The team's first true international Test match was against Australia on 15 August 1903 at the Sydney Cricket Ground
, resulting in a 22–3 win.
A representative New Zealand team, since referred to as the Originals, first toured Britain in 1905. Reference to the team by the name "All Blacks" first appeared during this tour when, according to team member Billy Wallace
, a London newspaper reported that the New Zealanders played as if they were "all backs". Wallace claimed that because of a typographical error, subsequent references were to "All Blacks". This may be a myth, as the name also describes their playing uniform of black shirts, shorts and socks.
The Originals' only loss on tour was 3–0 to Wales at Cardiff
. The match has entered into the folklore of both countries because of controversy over whether All Black Bob Deans scored a disallowed try, which would have earned them a 3–3 draw. A team representing the British Isles – known as the Anglo-Welsh since it consisted of English and Welsh players only – undertook a return tour to New Zealand in 1908 and were defeated 2–0 in the test series by New Zealand.
began in 1921, when the Springboks
(as the South African team is known) toured New Zealand for a Test series that finished all square
. New Zealand toured South Africa for the first time in 1928; this series also ended in a draw.
The 1924 All Black tourists to the United Kingdom (UK) were dubbed the Invincibles because they won every game. However, the team were deprived of the chance to complete a grand slam when Scotland refused to play them because of an argument over expenses. The first truly representative British Isles (now known as British and Irish Lions) side toured New Zealand in 1930. Although the Lions won the first Test, the home side regrouped and went on to win the series 3–1. New Zealand toured the UK again in 1935–36, losing only three games (including two Tests) during a 30-match tour. In one of these losses, Prince Obolensky
famously scored two tries to help England to a 13–0 win, their first over New Zealand.
In 1937, South Africa won a series against New Zealand when they toured New Zealand, and this 1937 South African team has been described as the best team ever to leave New Zealand. It was not until 1949, after the end of the Second World War, that New Zealand next played the Springboks when they visited South Africa with Fred Allen as captain. The tour witnessed an infamous All Blacks record, the loss of two Test matches on the same day. This was possible because Australia were touring New Zealand at the same time. On the afternoon of 3 September New Zealand, captained by J. B. (Johnny) Smith, were beaten 11–6 by Australia in Wellington. That same afternoon in South Africa New Zealand, captained by Ron Elvidge (Allen was injured), lost 9–3 to the Springboks in Durban
. New Zealand also lost their second Test, 16–9, which gave Australia the Bledisloe Cup for the first time. Although each Test against South Africa was very close, New Zealand lost the series 4–0. The two tours coincided because Maori players were not able to go to South Africa at the time, meaning the Australians, who were not considered strong opposition, played against a New Zealand team made up of the best Maori and the reserve non-Maori players, while the South Africans encountered the best pakeha (non-Maori) players New Zealand had. (This restriction on Maori representing New Zealand in South Africa lasted until the 1970 tour, in which Bryan Williams (rugby) famously shone.) Also on the 1949 tour, captain Fred Allen led a partial contingent of All Blacks to Rhodesia for two exhibition matches. The Rhodesia side beat the All Blacks 10-8 in Bulawayo and then drew 3-3 in the follow up match in Salisbury.
The two series losses to South Africa made their 1956 tour of New Zealand
highly anticipated. New Zealand were captained by Bob Duff and coached by Bob Stuart
, and their 3–1 series win was their first over the Springboks and the Springboks' first series loss against any opponent. During the series, New Zealand introduced Don Clarke
and brought back Kevin Skinner in the last two Tests to help secure the win. Skinner, a former New Zealand boxing champion, was brought back after injuries to props Mark Irwin and Frank McAtamney and in the third test had to "sort out" both the South African props whilst Don Clarke become known as "The Boot" for his goal kicking.
New Zealand's 3–1 series win over the Lions in 1959 proved to be the start of a dominant period in All Black rugby. This was followed by the 1963–64 tour to the UK, led by Wilson Whineray
, in which New Zealand were deprived of a Grand Slam by a scoreless draw with Scotland. The only loss on this tour was to Newport RFC, who won 3–0 at Rodney Parade
, Newport
on 30 October 1963. The 1967 side won three Tests, but was unable to play Ireland
because of a foot-and-mouth
scare. This tour formed part of New Zealand's longest winning streak, between 1965 and 1970, of 17 Test victories. This was also the longest Test winning streak by any nation at the time; it would be equalled by the Springboks from 1997 to 1998 and surpassed by Lithuania
in 2010. Although the 1966 Lions were defeated 0–4 in their New Zealand tour, there was a reversal of fortune five years later when the 1971 Lions
, under the captaincy of Welshman John Dawes
, beat New Zealand in a Test series, which remains the Lions' only series victory in New Zealand.
The 1972–3 tourists narrowly missed a Grand Slam with a draw against Ireland. The tour was notable for the sending home of prop Keith Murdoch, who was alleged to have been involved in a brawl in a Cardiff
hotel while celebrating the defeat of Wales.
In 1978, Graham Mourie
captained New Zealand to their first Grand Slam, completed with a 13–12 victory over Wales. That game generated controversy after New Zealand won as the result of a late penalty. Lock Andy Haden
had dived out of a line-out in an attempt to earn a penalty, but the penalty awarded by referee Roger Quittenden was against Welsh lock Geoff Wheel
for jumping off the shoulder of Frank Oliver. New Zealand's only loss on the tour was the famous 12–0 defeat by Irish province Munster
at Thomond Park
. Later a play which focused on the loss was written by John Breen
, called Alone it Stands
.
in Montreal
by 33 African nations after the IOC
refused to ban the team. New Zealand again failed to win the Test series in South Africa: they did not do so until 1996, after the fall of apartheid. The 1976 Tour contributed to the Gleneagles Agreement
being adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of State in 1977.
The 1981 South African tour to New Zealand sparked protests against South Africa's apartheid policy the likes of which had not been seen in New Zealand since the 1951 waterfront dispute
. The NZRU had invited the Springboks to tour as the Muldoon
government refused to involve politics in sport. Although New Zealand won the Test series, two of the tour's provincial games were cancelled and the whole tour was marred by violence and protest. The third and final test match of the tour is sometimes known as the Flour Bomb Test, as an anti-apartheid activist in a Cessna light aircraft dropped leaflets, flares, a parachute-supported banner reading "Biko," (Steve Biko
) and flour bombs into Auckland's Eden Park
throughout the match, felling a New Zealand player. During the tour the country experienced unrest, and the tour had a significant impact on New Zealand society.
The 1985 All Blacks tour to South Africa was cancelled after legal action on the grounds that it would breach the NZRU's constitution. In 1986, a rebel tour to South Africa took place that had not been authorised by the NZRU and the team, named the Cavaliers
, included many All Blacks. Those that participated in the tour received a ban for two tests from the NZRU when they returned to New Zealand. Allegations that players received payment for the tour were never proved.
in 1987 was co-hosted and won by New Zealand, who beat France
29–9 in the final
at Eden Park
, Auckland
. New Zealand conceded only 52 points and scored 43 tries in six games en route to the title, beating Italy
, Fiji
, Argentina
, Scotland, Wales and France.
By the 1991 World Cup
New Zealand were an ageing side, co-coached by Alex Wyllie
and John Hart
. They struggled during pool matches against the United States
and Italy, but won their quarter-final against Canada
. They were then knocked out by eventual winners Australia 16–6 in their semi-final at Lansdowne Road
. In the wake of the tournament, there were many retirements, including coach Wyllie, who had enjoyed an 86% win rate during 29 Tests in charge.
Laurie Mains
replaced Wyllie in 1992, and was given the job of preparing the side for the 1995 event
in South Africa. New Zealand were again favourites to take the championship. Their role as favourites was confirmed when a young Jonah Lomu
scored four tries against England in the 45–29 semi-final win. However, the New Zealand team suffered an outbreak of food poisoning before the final (the source of the poisoning is heavily debated). Despite this, they took hosts South Africa to extra time, before losing to Joel Stransky
's drop goal. The allegation of food poisoning was later publicly backed by Rory Steyn, a former head of security for South African president Nelson Mandela. He was the security liaison for the All Blacks and reported in a book that a Far Eastern gambling syndicate was responsible for the outbreak by bribing a waitress.
group (a combination of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia) which was formed with the purpose of selling TV rights for two new competitions, the domestic Super 12
competition and the Tri-Nations. The first Tri-Nations was contested in 1996, with New Zealand winning all four of their Tests to take the trophy.
The 1996 Tri-Nations match in South Africa between New Zealand and South Africa was the first in a historic series. Under new coach John Hart
and the captaincy of Sean Fitzpatrick
, New Zealand won a Test series in South Africa for the first time. Fitzpatrick rated the series win higher than the 1987 World Cup victory in which he had participated.
The next two seasons saw mixed results for New Zealand, who won won all their Tri-Nations Tests in 1997 before losing the title for the first time in 1998. In 1998 New Zealand lost all five Tests in the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup series (two to South Africa and three to Australia), the first time they had lost four Tests in succession since 1949. The following year they suffered their worst Test loss, 28–7 to Australia in Sydney.
New Zealand rebounded in the 1999 World Cup
and dominated their pool, handing England a 30–16 defeat at Twickenham
. They advanced past Scotland 30–18 in the quarter-finals to play France at Twickenham. They finished the first half ahead 17–10. France then produced a famous half of rugby to which New Zealand had no answer, winning 43–31. Hart subsequently resigned as coach and was replaced by co-coaches Wayne Smith
and Tony Gilbert.
Under Smith and Gilbert, New Zealand came second in the 2000 and 2001 Tri-Nations. Both coaches were replaced by John Mitchell on 3 October 2001, who went on to coach New Zealand to victory in both the 2002 and 2003 Tri-Nations, as well as regaining the Bledisloe Cup, held by Australia since 1998, in 2003. After winning the 2003 Tri-Nations, they entered the 2003 World Cup
as one of the favourites and dominated their pool, running up wins against Italy, Canada and Tonga
before winning one of the most competitive matches of the tournament against Wales. They defeated South Africa, a team they had never beaten at the World Cup, 29–9, but lost to Australia 22–10 in the semi-final in Sydney. Afterwards, Mitchell was fired by the NZRU and replaced by Graham Henry
.
Henry's tenure began with a double victory over reigning World Champions England in 2004. The two games had an aggregate score of 72–15, with New Zealand keeping England try-less. Despite the winning start to Henry's tenure, the Tri-Nations was a mixed success with two wins and two losses. The competition was the closest ever, bonus points deciding the outcome and New Zealand finishing last. The 2004 season finished on a high, with New Zealand winning in Europe, including a record 45–6 victory over France.
In 2005 New Zealand whitewashed the touring British and Irish Lions 3–0 in the Test series, won the Tri-Nations, and achieved a second Grand Slam over the Home Nations. They went on to sweep the major International Rugby Board year-end awards in which they were named Team of the Year, Henry was named Coach of the Year, and fly-half (first five) Daniel Carter was Player of the Year. New Zealand were nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year
in 2006 for their 2005 performance.
In 2006 they again took the Tri Nations Series by winning their first five matches, three against Australia and two against South Africa. They lost their final match of the series against South Africa. They completed their end of year tour unbeaten, with record away wins over France, England and Wales. New Zealand were named 2006 IRB Team of the Year and were nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for the second time, while flanker Richie McCaw
was named IRB Player of the Year.
The 2007 season started off with two mid-year Tests
against France. New Zealand won the Tests 42–11 at Eden Park and 61–10 at Westpac Stadium. A third game, against Canada, resulted in a 64–13 win, although the game was more competitive than the scoreline indicated.
New Zealand's first Tri-Nations
game of 2007 was against the Springboks in Durban
, South Africa. New Zealand scored two tries in the final ten minutes of the game to win 26–21. The following week against the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in Melbourne the Wallabies upset New Zealand to win 20–15, New Zealand's first loss to Australia since 2004. New Zealand won both following home games to successfully defend the Tri-Nations Series for 2007.
New Zealand entered the 2007 Rugby World Cup
as favourites, and won their pool, beating Scotland, Italy, Romania and Portugal by at least 40 points. However, they then suffered a defeat to hosts France in the first knockout game, the quarterfinals. Following the loss to France coach Graham Henry's
job was on the line with then Canterbury Crusaders coach Robbie Deans
a likely contender as the next All Blacks coach, but Henry managed to keep his job.
The 2008 season started with three mid-year Tests
, the first against Ireland at Westpac Stadium
, Wellington
. The final two games were against England, the first at Eden Park and the second at AMI Stadium in Christchurch. New Zealand played their first Tri-Nations
game against South Africa at Westpac Stadium in Wellington winning 19–8 but a week later at Carisbrook
in Dunedin they lost to South Africa 28–30, ending a 30-match winning streak at home, their previous loss in New Zealand being against England in 2003. New Zealand played their next Tri-Nations match on 26 July against Australia at Stadium Australia in Sydney, losing 34–19 but a week later against Australia at Eden Park in New Zealand won 39–10. The greatest victory for New Zealand in the 2008 season was beating South Africa 19–0 on their home ground, Newlands Stadium
. New Zealand played their final match on 13 September against Australia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane
winning 28–24 and retaining the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations.
The All Blacks opened the 2009 season on 13 June with a 22–27 loss to France
at Carisbrook
, but beat France 14–10 at Westpac Stadium
a week later. On points difference, France won the Dave Gallaher Cup for the first time in the nine years the two teams had competed for it. A week later the All Blacks defeated Italy
27–6 at AMI Stadium. They finished second in the Tri-Nations Series
, behind South Africa who lost only one game, and ended the series with a 33–6 win over Australia in Wellington.
In 2010 the All Blacks won the Tri Nations series for the tenth time after three successive victories against South Africa, also retaining the Bledisloe Cup after consecutive victories against the Australia. During 2010 New Zealand were undefeated for 15 test matches, three wins from equalling the record of 18 consecutive wins by Lithuania.
In the 2011 Rugby World Cup
, the All Blacks defeated France in the final
, with a score of 8-7, to become world champions for the second time.
logo and the NZRU silver fern on the front. The 1884 New Zealand tour to Australia was the first overseas New Zealand rugby tour, and featured clothing very different from today's jersey. Back then, the team donned a dark blue jersey, with gold fern on the left of the jumper. In 1893 the NZRU stipulated at its annual general meeting that the uniform would be black jersey with a silver fern and white knickerbockers. However historic photographs suggest white shorts may have been used instead during these early years. Sometime between 1897 and 1901 there was a change; by 1901 the team met NSW in a black jersey, a canvas top with no collar, and a silver fern.
Recently it has become traditional for New Zealand to wear an embroidered poppy on their jersey sleeve when playing France during the end-of-year tours. The poppy honours the soldiers who died in the battlefields of Europe. Captain Richie McCaw said "We want to honour the overseas service of New Zealanders. It is an important part of our history as a country and a team."
Adidas currently pays the NZRFU $200 million over 9 years, expecting New Zealand to win around 75% of their matches. Nike
also looked at sponsoring New Zealand in 1996, but went with Tiger Woods
instead.
The change kit has traditionally been white with black shorts. After a few years playing with a change kit of grey shirt and black shorts, the NZRU announced a return to the traditional white jersey and black shorts in May 2009.
2011 saw a revolution of old and new. 30 July revealed a new All Black jersey with white standup collar at the Springboks match in Wellington. The white collar is said to be honouring the 1987 world-cup-winning team. Adidas has claimed that the performance in the jersey is 1 – 50% better than its predecessor.
The All Blacks perform a haka
(Māori
challenge) before each international match. The haka has been closely associated with New Zealand rugby ever since a tour of New South Wales in 1884. The New Zealand native team that toured Britain in 1888/89 used Ake Ake Kia Kaha and the 1903 team in Australia used a mocking haka, Tupoto koe, Kangaru!. The 1905 All Blacks began the tradition of using Ka Mate
and by 1914 this was firmly established as part of New Zealand rugby. The 1924 All Blacks used a specially composed haka Kia Whaka-ngawari, but later All Blacks reverted back to Ka Mate.
In August 2005, before the Tri-Nations Test match between New Zealand and South Africa at Carisbrook
stadium in Dunedin
, New Zealand performed a new haka, Kapa o Pango, specially composed by Derek Lardelli and "...designed to reflect the multi-cultural make-up of contemporary New Zealand – in particular the influence of Polynesian
cultures". Kapa o Pango was to be performed on special occasions and was not intended to replace Ka Mate. Kapa o Pango concludes with what has been interpreted as a "throat slitting" gesture that was a source of controversy and led to accusations that Kapa o Pango encourages violence, and sends the wrong message to All Blacks fans. However, according to Derek Lardelli, the gesture represents "drawing vital energy into the heart and lungs."
In November 2006, at the Millennium Stadium
, Cardiff, New Zealand performed the haka in the dressing room prior to the match – instead of on the field immediately before kick-off – after a disagreement with the Welsh Rugby Union
, which had wanted Wales to sing their national anthem
after the haka.
In 2008, New Zealand played Munster
at Thomond Park. Before the match, Munster's four New Zealanders challenged New Zealand by performing a haka before the All Blacks started theirs. On the same tour, Wales responded by silently refusing to move after New Zealand's haka, and the two teams simply stared at each other until the referee forced them to start the game.
were introduced by the IRB in October 2003, New Zealand occupied the number one ranking the majority of the time.
In the decade from 2000–2009, New Zealand won 100 Tests (82% winning percentage). They won 15 consecutive Tests at one point and recorded a world record 30 straight wins at home.
Their all-time points difference for Tests (and international level matches) stands at 12,563 to 6,128 (as at 23 October 2011). Many national teams' worst defeat was against New Zealand – the national teams of France, Ireland, Argentina, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan, and Portugal all suffered a record loss to New Zealand. Only five of the top twenty test rugby nations have ever beaten New Zealand; even traditional home nations Ireland and Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks.
Their Test match record against all nations (listed alphabetically), updated to 23 October 2011, is as follows:
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in what is regarded as its national sport
National sport
A national sport or national pastime is a sport or game that is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are de facto national sports, as baseball is in the U.S., while others are de jure as lacrosse and ice hockey are in Canada.-De jure national sports:-De facto...
.
The All Blacks are the Rugby World Cup champions, the IRB's current Team of the Year, the leading points scorers of all time and the only international rugby team with a record winning margin against every test nation
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
they have played. The All Blacks have held the top ranking in the world for longer than all other countries combined and in over 100 years only five test rugby nations have ever beaten New Zealand.
New Zealand competes annually with Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in the Tri Nations competition, winning the trophy a record ten times (in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010) in its 16-year history. They are the current holders of the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
and the Bledisloe Cup
Bledisloe Cup
Rugby Union's Bledisloe Cup is contested by the Australia national rugby union team and New Zealand national rugby union team. It is named after Lord Bledisloe, the former Governor-General of New Zealand who donated the trophy in 1931. The trophy was designed in New Zealand by Nelson Isaac, and...
competed for annually with Australia, with the All Blacks currently on the second-longest winning streak holding the Trans-Tasman trophy since 2003. They also hold the Freedom Cup
Freedom Cup
The Freedom Cup is a minor international rugby union trophy contested between South Africa and New Zealand, during the Tri Nations tournament and its successor, The Rugby Championship. It was first contested in 2004 , in a one-off test. The game, played at Ellis Park, Johannesburg was won 40-26 by...
; contested annually with South Africa and have completed a Grand Slam, defeating all four Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
during one tour, four times (in 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010).
The All Blacks have won over a record 75% of all rugby matches they have played since 1903 and they were named the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB) Team of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and a record fifth time in 2011. Their captain, Richie McCaw, was the International Rugby Board Player of the Year for a record third time. Fifteen former All Blacks have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame
International Rugby Hall of Fame
The International Rugby Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepts new inductees every two years...
; three of these are also inductees of the IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame
The IRB Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Rugby Board that recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The IRB Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals...
, and another player is a member of the IRB Hall.
The team first competed in 1884 against Cumberland County, New South Wales, and played their first Test match
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
in 1903, a victory over Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. This was followed by a tour of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
in 1905.
The team's early uniforms consisted of a black jersey with a silver fern and white knickerbockers. By their 1905 tour New Zealand were wearing all black, except for the silver fern, and their All Black name dates from this time. New Zealand traditionally perform a haka
Haka
Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
(Māori
Maori culture
Māori culture is the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, an Eastern Polynesian people, and forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. Within the Māori community, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori...
challenge) before each match. Traditionally, the haka performed is Te Rauparaha's
Te Rauparaha
Te Rauparaha was a Māori rangatira and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars. He was influential in the original sale of conquered Rangitane land to the New Zealand Company and was a participant in the Wairau Incident in Marlborough...
Ka Mate
Ka Mate
"Ka Mate" is a Māori haka composed by Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe of the North Island of New Zealand.-The creation and composition of Ka Mate:...
, though since 2005 Kapa o Pango
Haka (sports)
The Haka is a traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand. There are thousands of Haka that are performed by various tribes and cultural groups throughout New Zealand. The best known Haka of them all is called "Ka Mate". It has been performed by countless New Zealand teams both locally and...
, a modified version of the 1924 All Blacks haka, Kia Whaka-ngawari, has occasionally been performed.
Introduction of rugby to New Zealand
Charles John Monro
Charles John Monro is credited with bringing Rugby union to New Zealand. Charles was the 4th son of New Zealand politician Sir David Monro and his wife Dinah....
in the late 1860s; Monro discovered the sport while completing his studies at Christ's College, Finchley, England. The first recorded game in New Zealand took place in May 1870 in Nelson between the Nelson club and Nelson College. The first union, Canterbury
Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
, was formed in 1879. In 1882, New Zealand's first internationals were played when the Southern Rugby Union (later the New South Wales Rugby Union
New South Wales Rugby Union
The New South Wales Rugby Union is the organisation responsible for the sport of rugby union in most of the state of New South Wales, Australia...
) toured the country. The tourists played Auckland provincial clubs twice, Wellington twice and once each against Canterbury, Otago and West Coast, North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, winning four games and losing three. Two years later the first New Zealand team to go overseas toured New South Wales; New Zealand played and won eight games.
The first tour by a British team took place in 1888 when a British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team toured Australia and New Zealand, but no Test matches were played. The players were drawn mainly from England and the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, although there were representatives from all four home unions.
International competition begins
Otago Rugby Football Union
The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...
and Southland. The first sanctioned New Zealand side toured New South Wales in 1894 and the following year New Zealand played its first home "international" game, losing 8–6 to New South Wales. The team's first true international Test match was against Australia on 15 August 1903 at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, resulting in a 22–3 win.
A representative New Zealand team, since referred to as the Originals, first toured Britain in 1905. Reference to the team by the name "All Blacks" first appeared during this tour when, according to team member Billy Wallace
Billy Wallace
William Joseph Wallace , usually known as Billy Wallace, was a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He was a member of the legendary 1905 Original All Blacks. Wallace won his first Test cap for New Zealand on 15 August 1903 against Australia...
, a London newspaper reported that the New Zealanders played as if they were "all backs". Wallace claimed that because of a typographical error, subsequent references were to "All Blacks". This may be a myth, as the name also describes their playing uniform of black shirts, shorts and socks.
The Originals' only loss on tour was 3–0 to Wales at Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. The match has entered into the folklore of both countries because of controversy over whether All Black Bob Deans scored a disallowed try, which would have earned them a 3–3 draw. A team representing the British Isles – known as the Anglo-Welsh since it consisted of English and Welsh players only – undertook a return tour to New Zealand in 1908 and were defeated 2–0 in the test series by New Zealand.
Development of a legacy
New Zealand's rivalry with South AfricaSouth Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
began in 1921, when the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
(as the South African team is known) toured New Zealand for a Test series that finished all square
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
. New Zealand toured South Africa for the first time in 1928; this series also ended in a draw.
The 1924 All Black tourists to the United Kingdom (UK) were dubbed the Invincibles because they won every game. However, the team were deprived of the chance to complete a grand slam when Scotland refused to play them because of an argument over expenses. The first truly representative British Isles (now known as British and Irish Lions) side toured New Zealand in 1930. Although the Lions won the first Test, the home side regrouped and went on to win the series 3–1. New Zealand toured the UK again in 1935–36, losing only three games (including two Tests) during a 30-match tour. In one of these losses, Prince Obolensky
Alexander Obolensky
Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky was a Russian Rurikid prince and an international rugby union footballer who played for England. He was popularly known as just "The Prince" by many sports fans.-Biography:...
famously scored two tries to help England to a 13–0 win, their first over New Zealand.
In 1937, South Africa won a series against New Zealand when they toured New Zealand, and this 1937 South African team has been described as the best team ever to leave New Zealand. It was not until 1949, after the end of the Second World War, that New Zealand next played the Springboks when they visited South Africa with Fred Allen as captain. The tour witnessed an infamous All Blacks record, the loss of two Test matches on the same day. This was possible because Australia were touring New Zealand at the same time. On the afternoon of 3 September New Zealand, captained by J. B. (Johnny) Smith, were beaten 11–6 by Australia in Wellington. That same afternoon in South Africa New Zealand, captained by Ron Elvidge (Allen was injured), lost 9–3 to the Springboks in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. New Zealand also lost their second Test, 16–9, which gave Australia the Bledisloe Cup for the first time. Although each Test against South Africa was very close, New Zealand lost the series 4–0. The two tours coincided because Maori players were not able to go to South Africa at the time, meaning the Australians, who were not considered strong opposition, played against a New Zealand team made up of the best Maori and the reserve non-Maori players, while the South Africans encountered the best pakeha (non-Maori) players New Zealand had. (This restriction on Maori representing New Zealand in South Africa lasted until the 1970 tour, in which Bryan Williams (rugby) famously shone.) Also on the 1949 tour, captain Fred Allen led a partial contingent of All Blacks to Rhodesia for two exhibition matches. The Rhodesia side beat the All Blacks 10-8 in Bulawayo and then drew 3-3 in the follow up match in Salisbury.
The two series losses to South Africa made their 1956 tour of New Zealand
1956 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia and New Zealand
The 1956 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia and New Zealand-Tour itinerary:-Australia First Test:-Australia Second Test:-New Zealand First Test:-New Zealand Second Test:-New Zealand Third Test:-New Zealand Fourth Test:...
highly anticipated. New Zealand were captained by Bob Duff and coached by Bob Stuart
Bob Stuart
Robert Charles "Bob" Stuart was one of the most well known and admired sportsman in New Zealand. He was given a lifetime service award by the International Rugby Board immediately after the World Cup in 2003.-Career:...
, and their 3–1 series win was their first over the Springboks and the Springboks' first series loss against any opponent. During the series, New Zealand introduced Don Clarke
Don Clarke
Donald Barry Clarke was a New Zealand rugby union player who played 89 times as a New Zealand international from 1956 until 1964...
and brought back Kevin Skinner in the last two Tests to help secure the win. Skinner, a former New Zealand boxing champion, was brought back after injuries to props Mark Irwin and Frank McAtamney and in the third test had to "sort out" both the South African props whilst Don Clarke become known as "The Boot" for his goal kicking.
New Zealand's 3–1 series win over the Lions in 1959 proved to be the start of a dominant period in All Black rugby. This was followed by the 1963–64 tour to the UK, led by Wilson Whineray
Wilson Whineray
Sir Wilson James Whineray, KNZM, OBE is a former business executive and the longest-serving captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team. Rugby writer T.P. McLean considered him the All Blacks' greatest captain.He first played for the All Blacks in 1957...
, in which New Zealand were deprived of a Grand Slam by a scoreless draw with Scotland. The only loss on this tour was to Newport RFC, who won 3–0 at Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, south Wales. Located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre it is primarily used for rugby matches and is the home ground of Newport RFC and the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team.-History:...
, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
on 30 October 1963. The 1967 side won three Tests, but was unable to play Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
because of a foot-and-mouth
Foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease or hoof-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids...
scare. This tour formed part of New Zealand's longest winning streak, between 1965 and 1970, of 17 Test victories. This was also the longest Test winning streak by any nation at the time; it would be equalled by the Springboks from 1997 to 1998 and surpassed by Lithuania
Lithuania national rugby union team
The Lithuania national rugby union team represents Lithuania at rugby union. They are governed by the Lithuanian Rugby Federation , and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.-History:...
in 2010. Although the 1966 Lions were defeated 0–4 in their New Zealand tour, there was a reversal of fortune five years later when the 1971 Lions
1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand
In 1971 the British Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a test series in New Zealand...
, under the captaincy of Welshman John Dawes
John Dawes
Sydney John Dawes OBE is a former Welsh rugby union player, playing at centre, and later coach. He captained London Welsh, Wales, the Barbarians and the British Lions...
, beat New Zealand in a Test series, which remains the Lions' only series victory in New Zealand.
The 1972–3 tourists narrowly missed a Grand Slam with a draw against Ireland. The tour was notable for the sending home of prop Keith Murdoch, who was alleged to have been involved in a brawl in a Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
hotel while celebrating the defeat of Wales.
In 1978, Graham Mourie
Graham Mourie
Graham Neil Kenneth Mourie is a former New Zealand All Black flanker and coach of the Hurricanes. He was one of the great All Black Captains in the late 70s and early 80s...
captained New Zealand to their first Grand Slam, completed with a 13–12 victory over Wales. That game generated controversy after New Zealand won as the result of a late penalty. Lock Andy Haden
Andy Haden
Andrew Maxwell Haden is a former New Zealand rugby union player, who was a lock-forward for Auckland and New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s.-Life and career:...
had dived out of a line-out in an attempt to earn a penalty, but the penalty awarded by referee Roger Quittenden was against Welsh lock Geoff Wheel
Geoff Wheel
Geoff Wheel is a former Wales international rugby union player who attained 32 international caps. A lock-forward, he played club rugby for Swansea RFC....
for jumping off the shoulder of Frank Oliver. New Zealand's only loss on the tour was the famous 12–0 defeat by Irish province Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
at Thomond Park
Thomond Park
Thomond Park is a stadium located in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and count Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. The capacity of the stadium is 26,500 following its large scale redevelopment in...
. Later a play which focused on the loss was written by John Breen
John Breen
John Breen is a playwright from Limerick, Ireland. He is famous for his play Alone it Stands which tells the tale of Munster Rugby Team's legendary victory over New Zealand's mighty All Blacks in Thomond Park, Limerick in 1978...
, called Alone it Stands
Alone it Stands
Alone It Stands is a play by John Breen that tells the story of the 1978 rugby union match at Thomond Park between Irish provincial side Munster and the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks...
.
Controversial tours
The 1976 All Blacks tour of South Africa generated much controversy and led to the boycott of the 1976 Summer Olympics1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
by 33 African nations after the IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
refused to ban the team. New Zealand again failed to win the Test series in South Africa: they did not do so until 1996, after the fall of apartheid. The 1976 Tour contributed to the Gleneagles Agreement
Gleneagles Agreement
The Gleneagles Agreement was unanimously approved by the Commonwealth of Nations at a meeting at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland. In 1977, Commonwealth Presidents and Prime Ministers agreed, as part of their support for the international campaign against apartheid, to discourage contact and...
being adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of State in 1977.
The 1981 South African tour to New Zealand sparked protests against South Africa's apartheid policy the likes of which had not been seen in New Zealand since the 1951 waterfront dispute
1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute
The 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute was the largest and most widespread industrial dispute in New Zealand history. During the time, up to twenty thousand workers went on strike in support of waterfront workers protesting financial hardships and working conditions. Thousands more refused to...
. The NZRU had invited the Springboks to tour as the Muldoon
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
government refused to involve politics in sport. Although New Zealand won the Test series, two of the tour's provincial games were cancelled and the whole tour was marred by violence and protest. The third and final test match of the tour is sometimes known as the Flour Bomb Test, as an anti-apartheid activist in a Cessna light aircraft dropped leaflets, flares, a parachute-supported banner reading "Biko," (Steve Biko
Steve Biko
Stephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
) and flour bombs into Auckland's Eden Park
Eden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
throughout the match, felling a New Zealand player. During the tour the country experienced unrest, and the tour had a significant impact on New Zealand society.
The 1985 All Blacks tour to South Africa was cancelled after legal action on the grounds that it would breach the NZRU's constitution. In 1986, a rebel tour to South Africa took place that had not been authorised by the NZRU and the team, named the Cavaliers
New Zealand Cavaliers
The Cavaliers was the name given to an unofficial New Zealand rugby union team which toured South Africa in 1986.The rebel tour occurred after the official All Black tour planned for 1985 was cancelled due to a legal ruling that it would be incompatible with the NZRFU's legally stated purpose:...
, included many All Blacks. Those that participated in the tour received a ban for two tests from the NZRU when they returned to New Zealand. Allegations that players received payment for the tour were never proved.
Early World Cups
The inaugural World Cup1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
in 1987 was co-hosted and won by New Zealand, who beat France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
29–9 in the final
1987 Rugby World Cup Final
The 1987 Rugby World Cup Final was the final match in the 1987 Rugby World Cup, the first Rugby World Cup played.It was played at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand on 20 June 1987 between the hosts New Zealand and France...
at Eden Park
Eden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. New Zealand conceded only 52 points and scored 43 tries in six games en route to the title, beating Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
, Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
, Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
, Scotland, Wales and France.
By the 1991 World Cup
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
New Zealand were an ageing side, co-coached by Alex Wyllie
Alex Wyllie
Alex "Grizz" Wyllie is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and coach.Wyllie began his first-class career with Canterbury in 1964 and played 210 matches for the province until 1979, serving as captain on over one hundred occasions...
and John Hart
John Hart (rugby coach)
John Bernard Hart, ONZM was a New Zealand rugby union coach, mainly for Auckland and the All Blacks. After many years in business, during which he rose to become Group Employee Relations Director for Fletcher Challenge, then New Zealand's largest company, John Hart began his first class coaching...
. They struggled during pool matches against the United States
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
and Italy, but won their quarter-final against Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
. They were then knocked out by eventual winners Australia 16–6 in their semi-final at Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
. In the wake of the tournament, there were many retirements, including coach Wyllie, who had enjoyed an 86% win rate during 29 Tests in charge.
Laurie Mains
Laurie Mains
Laurence William 'Laurie' Mains MNZM is a former rugby union footballer and coach who represented New Zealand. Mains' representative career started when he first played for Otago in 1967. He made his All Blacks début in 1971, against the British and Irish Lions. His last Test was against Ireland...
replaced Wyllie in 1992, and was given the job of preparing the side for the 1995 event
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
in South Africa. New Zealand were again favourites to take the championship. Their role as favourites was confirmed when a young Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union player. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He has had a huge impact on the game...
scored four tries against England in the 45–29 semi-final win. However, the New Zealand team suffered an outbreak of food poisoning before the final (the source of the poisoning is heavily debated). Despite this, they took hosts South Africa to extra time, before losing to Joel Stransky
Joel Stransky
Joel Theodore Stransky is a former South African rugby union rugby player, most notable for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the famous dramatic winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. He played as a fly-half.-Early life:Stransky was born in...
's drop goal. The allegation of food poisoning was later publicly backed by Rory Steyn, a former head of security for South African president Nelson Mandela. He was the security liaison for the All Blacks and reported in a book that a Far Eastern gambling syndicate was responsible for the outbreak by bribing a waitress.
Professional era
The professional era in rugby union began in 1995, marked by creation of the SANZARSANZAR
SANZAR is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly after rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's two...
group (a combination of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia) which was formed with the purpose of selling TV rights for two new competitions, the domestic Super 12
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
competition and the Tri-Nations. The first Tri-Nations was contested in 1996, with New Zealand winning all four of their Tests to take the trophy.
The 1996 Tri-Nations match in South Africa between New Zealand and South Africa was the first in a historic series. Under new coach John Hart
John Hart (rugby coach)
John Bernard Hart, ONZM was a New Zealand rugby union coach, mainly for Auckland and the All Blacks. After many years in business, during which he rose to become Group Employee Relations Director for Fletcher Challenge, then New Zealand's largest company, John Hart began his first class coaching...
and the captaincy of Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick MNZM is a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country. He is also the son of former player Brian Fitzpatrick....
, New Zealand won a Test series in South Africa for the first time. Fitzpatrick rated the series win higher than the 1987 World Cup victory in which he had participated.
The next two seasons saw mixed results for New Zealand, who won won all their Tri-Nations Tests in 1997 before losing the title for the first time in 1998. In 1998 New Zealand lost all five Tests in the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup series (two to South Africa and three to Australia), the first time they had lost four Tests in succession since 1949. The following year they suffered their worst Test loss, 28–7 to Australia in Sydney.
New Zealand rebounded in the 1999 World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
and dominated their pool, handing England a 30–16 defeat at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. They advanced past Scotland 30–18 in the quarter-finals to play France at Twickenham. They finished the first half ahead 17–10. France then produced a famous half of rugby to which New Zealand had no answer, winning 43–31. Hart subsequently resigned as coach and was replaced by co-coaches Wayne Smith
Wayne Smith (rugby player)
Wayne Ross Smith is a former rugby union footballer, and currently a rugby union coach. He is currently the backs coach for New Zealand's national rugby union team the All Blacks. He played provincial rugby for Canterbury and became an All Black in 1980. He played first five-eighth, gaining 35...
and Tony Gilbert.
Under Smith and Gilbert, New Zealand came second in the 2000 and 2001 Tri-Nations. Both coaches were replaced by John Mitchell on 3 October 2001, who went on to coach New Zealand to victory in both the 2002 and 2003 Tri-Nations, as well as regaining the Bledisloe Cup, held by Australia since 1998, in 2003. After winning the 2003 Tri-Nations, they entered the 2003 World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
as one of the favourites and dominated their pool, running up wins against Italy, Canada and Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
before winning one of the most competitive matches of the tournament against Wales. They defeated South Africa, a team they had never beaten at the World Cup, 29–9, but lost to Australia 22–10 in the semi-final in Sydney. Afterwards, Mitchell was fired by the NZRU and replaced by Graham Henry
Graham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
.
Henry's tenure began with a double victory over reigning World Champions England in 2004. The two games had an aggregate score of 72–15, with New Zealand keeping England try-less. Despite the winning start to Henry's tenure, the Tri-Nations was a mixed success with two wins and two losses. The competition was the closest ever, bonus points deciding the outcome and New Zealand finishing last. The 2004 season finished on a high, with New Zealand winning in Europe, including a record 45–6 victory over France.
Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year
List of winners and nominees of the Laureus World Sports Awards: Team of the Year. Winning team is bolded and shaded in gray.-List of winners and nominees:-See also:*Sportsman of the Year*Sportswoman of the Year*Breakthrough of the Year...
in 2006 for their 2005 performance.
In 2006 they again took the Tri Nations Series by winning their first five matches, three against Australia and two against South Africa. They lost their final match of the series against South Africa. They completed their end of year tour unbeaten, with record away wins over France, England and Wales. New Zealand were named 2006 IRB Team of the Year and were nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for the second time, while flanker Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams...
was named IRB Player of the Year.
The 2007 season started off with two mid-year Tests
2007 mid-year rugby test series
The 2007 mid-year rugby Test series refers to the Rugby union Test matches played during June and May 2007. These are played in the Southern Hemisphere, and include all Tests hosted by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa outside of the 2007 Tri-Nations...
against France. New Zealand won the Tests 42–11 at Eden Park and 61–10 at Westpac Stadium. A third game, against Canada, resulted in a 64–13 win, although the game was more competitive than the scoreline indicated.
New Zealand's first Tri-Nations
2007 Tri Nations Series
The 2007 Tri Nations Series was an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The series began in South Africa on 16 June, with a Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town and ended on 21 July in Eden Park, Auckland...
game of 2007 was against the Springboks in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa. New Zealand scored two tries in the final ten minutes of the game to win 26–21. The following week against the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in Melbourne the Wallabies upset New Zealand to win 20–15, New Zealand's first loss to Australia since 2004. New Zealand won both following home games to successfully defend the Tri-Nations Series for 2007.
New Zealand entered the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
as favourites, and won their pool, beating Scotland, Italy, Romania and Portugal by at least 40 points. However, they then suffered a defeat to hosts France in the first knockout game, the quarterfinals. Following the loss to France coach Graham Henry's
Graham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
job was on the line with then Canterbury Crusaders coach Robbie Deans
Robbie Deans
Robert Maxwell Deans is the current coach of the Wallabies and former All Black. He is the former coach of the Crusaders. He also served as assistant to former All Blacks coach John Mitchell between late 2001 and 2003...
a likely contender as the next All Blacks coach, but Henry managed to keep his job.
The 2008 season started with three mid-year Tests
2008 mid-year rugby test series
The 2008 mid-year rugby Test series refers to the Rugby union Internationals played from May to July 2008, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. For Australia, New Zealand and South Africa they constitute preparation for the 2008 Tri Nations...
, the first against Ireland at Westpac Stadium
Westpac Stadium
Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. The final two games were against England, the first at Eden Park and the second at AMI Stadium in Christchurch. New Zealand played their first Tri-Nations
2008 Tri Nations Series
The 2008 Tri Nations Series was the thirteenth annual Tri Nations competition between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa...
game against South Africa at Westpac Stadium in Wellington winning 19–8 but a week later at Carisbrook
Carisbrook
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
in Dunedin they lost to South Africa 28–30, ending a 30-match winning streak at home, their previous loss in New Zealand being against England in 2003. New Zealand played their next Tri-Nations match on 26 July against Australia at Stadium Australia in Sydney, losing 34–19 but a week later against Australia at Eden Park in New Zealand won 39–10. The greatest victory for New Zealand in the 2008 season was beating South Africa 19–0 on their home ground, Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium, currently referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons, is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all seater venue....
. New Zealand played their final match on 13 September against Australia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
winning 28–24 and retaining the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations.
The All Blacks opened the 2009 season on 13 June with a 22–27 loss to France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
at Carisbrook
Carisbrook
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
, but beat France 14–10 at Westpac Stadium
Westpac Stadium
Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders...
a week later. On points difference, France won the Dave Gallaher Cup for the first time in the nine years the two teams had competed for it. A week later the All Blacks defeated Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
27–6 at AMI Stadium. They finished second in the Tri-Nations Series
2009 Tri Nations Series
The 2009 Tri Nations Series was the fourteenth annual Tri Nations rugby union series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, respectively nicknamed the All Blacks, Wallabies, and Springboks...
, behind South Africa who lost only one game, and ended the series with a 33–6 win over Australia in Wellington.
In 2010 the All Blacks won the Tri Nations series for the tenth time after three successive victories against South Africa, also retaining the Bledisloe Cup after consecutive victories against the Australia. During 2010 New Zealand were undefeated for 15 test matches, three wins from equalling the record of 18 consecutive wins by Lithuania.
In the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
, the All Blacks defeated France in the final
2011 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2011 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match between France and New Zealand, the final match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It was played on Sunday, 23 October 2011 at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, and was won 8–7 by New Zealand, who thus won the World Cup.The New Zealand All Blacks...
, with a score of 8-7, to become world champions for the second time.
Jersey
The current New Zealand jersey is entirely black except for a white collar, and with the AdidasAdidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
logo and the NZRU silver fern on the front. The 1884 New Zealand tour to Australia was the first overseas New Zealand rugby tour, and featured clothing very different from today's jersey. Back then, the team donned a dark blue jersey, with gold fern on the left of the jumper. In 1893 the NZRU stipulated at its annual general meeting that the uniform would be black jersey with a silver fern and white knickerbockers. However historic photographs suggest white shorts may have been used instead during these early years. Sometime between 1897 and 1901 there was a change; by 1901 the team met NSW in a black jersey, a canvas top with no collar, and a silver fern.
Recently it has become traditional for New Zealand to wear an embroidered poppy on their jersey sleeve when playing France during the end-of-year tours. The poppy honours the soldiers who died in the battlefields of Europe. Captain Richie McCaw said "We want to honour the overseas service of New Zealanders. It is an important part of our history as a country and a team."
Adidas currently pays the NZRFU $200 million over 9 years, expecting New Zealand to win around 75% of their matches. Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
also looked at sponsoring New Zealand in 1996, but went with Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
instead.
The change kit has traditionally been white with black shorts. After a few years playing with a change kit of grey shirt and black shorts, the NZRU announced a return to the traditional white jersey and black shorts in May 2009.
2011 saw a revolution of old and new. 30 July revealed a new All Black jersey with white standup collar at the Springboks match in Wellington. The white collar is said to be honouring the 1987 world-cup-winning team. Adidas has claimed that the performance in the jersey is 1 – 50% better than its predecessor.
Haka
Haka
Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
(Māori
Maori culture
Māori culture is the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, an Eastern Polynesian people, and forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. Within the Māori community, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori...
challenge) before each international match. The haka has been closely associated with New Zealand rugby ever since a tour of New South Wales in 1884. The New Zealand native team that toured Britain in 1888/89 used Ake Ake Kia Kaha and the 1903 team in Australia used a mocking haka, Tupoto koe, Kangaru!. The 1905 All Blacks began the tradition of using Ka Mate
Ka Mate
"Ka Mate" is a Māori haka composed by Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe of the North Island of New Zealand.-The creation and composition of Ka Mate:...
and by 1914 this was firmly established as part of New Zealand rugby. The 1924 All Blacks used a specially composed haka Kia Whaka-ngawari, but later All Blacks reverted back to Ka Mate.
In August 2005, before the Tri-Nations Test match between New Zealand and South Africa at Carisbrook
Carisbrook
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
stadium in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, New Zealand performed a new haka, Kapa o Pango, specially composed by Derek Lardelli and "...designed to reflect the multi-cultural make-up of contemporary New Zealand – in particular the influence of Polynesian
Polynesian culture
Polynesian culture refers to the indigenous peoples' culture of Polynesia who share common traits in language, customs and society. Chronologically, the development of Polynesian culture can be divided into four different historical eras:...
cultures". Kapa o Pango was to be performed on special occasions and was not intended to replace Ka Mate. Kapa o Pango concludes with what has been interpreted as a "throat slitting" gesture that was a source of controversy and led to accusations that Kapa o Pango encourages violence, and sends the wrong message to All Blacks fans. However, according to Derek Lardelli, the gesture represents "drawing vital energy into the heart and lungs."
In November 2006, at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, Cardiff, New Zealand performed the haka in the dressing room prior to the match – instead of on the field immediately before kick-off – after a disagreement with the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
, which had wanted Wales to sing their national anthem
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the national anthem of Wales. The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers", usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents...
after the haka.
In 2008, New Zealand played Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
at Thomond Park. Before the match, Munster's four New Zealanders challenged New Zealand by performing a haka before the All Blacks started theirs. On the same tour, Wales responded by silently refusing to move after New Zealand's haka, and the two teams simply stared at each other until the referee forced them to start the game.
Overall
New Zealand have only ever been beaten by five nations, and are unique in being the only international team to have a winning record against every nation they have played. They have won 364 of their 484 matches – 75.2% (see table), and have lost at home only 37 times. Since World RankingsIRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
were introduced by the IRB in October 2003, New Zealand occupied the number one ranking the majority of the time.
In the decade from 2000–2009, New Zealand won 100 Tests (82% winning percentage). They won 15 consecutive Tests at one point and recorded a world record 30 straight wins at home.
Their all-time points difference for Tests (and international level matches) stands at 12,563 to 6,128 (as at 23 October 2011). Many national teams' worst defeat was against New Zealand – the national teams of France, Ireland, Argentina, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan, and Portugal all suffered a record loss to New Zealand. Only five of the top twenty test rugby nations have ever beaten New Zealand; even traditional home nations Ireland and Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks.
Their Test match record against all nations (listed alphabetically), updated to 23 October 2011, is as follows:
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and New Zealand The New Zealand All Blacks first played against Argentina on 30 October 1976, but New Zealand did not award test caps for the two internationals on that tour, nor for Argentina's first internationals in New Zealand in 1979... |
13 | 0 | 1 | 92.9% | |
| 143 History of rugby union matches between Australia and New Zealand The first clash in rugby union between Australia and New Zealand took place in a test match on 15 August 1903 in Sydney. On that occasion, the All Blacks won by 22-3.... |
97 | 41 | 5 | 67.8% | |
| 38 History of rugby union matches between the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand The All Blacks first played against the British and Irish Lions in 1904, beating them 9–3 at Athletic Park, Wellington. Since then, there has been a total of 38 Test matches between the two teams, with the All Blacks winning 29 of them. The most recent test, held at Eden Park, Auckland, on 9 July... |
29 | 6 | 3 | 76.3% | |
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 34 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 79.4% | |
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 51 | 38 | 12 | 1 | 74.5% | |
| 24 History of rugby union matches between Ireland and New Zealand The New Zealand All Blacks first played against Ireland in 1905, beating them 15–0 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin. The two teams have played a total of 24 Test matches, with the All Blacks winning 23 of them... |
23 | 0 | 1 | 95.8% | |
| 11 History of rugby union matches between Italy and New Zealand The All Blacks first played against Italy as the opening game of the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, beating them 70-6 at Eden Park, Auckland. The two teams have played a total of nine Test matches, with New Zealand winning all of them by an average margin of 51 points.The two sides have been in... |
11 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 28 History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and Scotland The All Blacks first played against Scotland in 1905 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. The two teams have played 26 times, with New Zealand winning 24 matches and two resulting in draws. The most recent Test was played at Murrayfield in November 2010, with New Zealand winning 49-3.-Overall... |
26 | 0 | 2 | 92.9% | |
| 83 | 46 | 34 | 3 | 55.4% | |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 28 History of rugby union matches between New Zealand and Wales The All Blacks have played against Wales 28 times, winning 25 of them, and Wales winning the other three. The first Test match between the two sides was played in 1905 at Cardiff Arms Park, with Wales winning 3 – 0.-Overall summary:-Results:... |
25 | 3 | 0 | 89.3% | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% | |
| Total | 484 | 364 | 103 | 17 | 75.2% |
World Cup
New Zealand have won the World Cup twice - in the 1987 inaugural competition held in New Zealand and Australia, and in 2011 when it was also held in New Zealand, beating France in the final. In 1991, they lost their semi-final to Australia before winning the playoff for third. In 1995, they improved by reaching the final, before losing in extra time to hosts South Africa. They finished in fourth place in 1999, after losing their semi-final and then the third-place playoff game. In 2003, New Zealand were knocked out by hosts Australia in their semi-final, before finishing third. The 2007 World Cup saw their worst tournament, being knocked out in the quarterfinals by the host nation France; until this they were the only team to have reached the semifinals of every tournament. As a result of the poor performance in the 2007 World Cup the New Zealand Rugby Union commissioned a 47 page report to detail the causes of the failure. In 2011 the All Blacks won their second world cup after 24 years.New Zealand hold several World Cup records: most World Cup Matches (43), most points in one match (145 versus Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
in 1995), most cumulative points over all World Cups (2,012), most tries overall (272), and most conversions (198). Several individual players also hold World Cup records; Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union player. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He has had a huge impact on the game...
for most World Cup tries (15 over two World Cups), most appearances held by Sean Fitzpatrick (17 from 1987 to 1995), Marc Ellis
Marc Ellis (rugby)
Marc Christopher Gwynne Ellis is a New Zealand businessman and television presenter, and former rugby league and rugby union player. A graduate of the University of Otago, his primary business interests are in Charlie's, a juice company...
with most tries in a match (6 versus Japan in 1995), Grant Fox
Grant Fox
Grant James Fox is a former rugby union player from New Zealand. He was born in New Plymouth. He attended Auckland Grammar school....
with most points in one tournament (126 in 1987), and Simon Culhane
Simon Culhane
Simon Culhane is a rugby player who won 6 caps playing at fly-half for the New Zealand rugby union side . He made his international test debut at the age of 27 on 4 June 1995 during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The match, against Japan was won 145-17 and is the largest winning margin for an All...
with most points in a single game (45 versus Japan in 1995).
New Zealand has the best record of all teams in the World Cup having a record of 2 (1st), 1 (2nd), 2 (3rd), 1 (4th). New Zealand are the only team to top their pool in every World Cup so far and not to lose a pool match.
On Sunday, the 23rd of October, the All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup against finalists France, played at Eden Park Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand.
Tri Nations and The Rugby Championship
New Zealand's only annual tournament is a competition involving the Southern Hemisphere's top national teams. From 1996 through 2011, they competed in the Tri Nations against Australia and South Africa. From 2012, the three teams will be joined by newcomers ArgentinaArgentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
in The Rugby Championship. New Zealand's record of ten tournament wins (the most recent in 2010) and 50 match wins is well ahead of the other teams' records. The Bledisloe Cup
Bledisloe Cup
Rugby Union's Bledisloe Cup is contested by the Australia national rugby union team and New Zealand national rugby union team. It is named after Lord Bledisloe, the former Governor-General of New Zealand who donated the trophy in 1931. The trophy was designed in New Zealand by Nelson Isaac, and...
is also contested between New Zealand and Australia, and the Freedom Cup
Freedom Cup
The Freedom Cup is a minor international rugby union trophy contested between South Africa and New Zealand, during the Tri Nations tournament and its successor, The Rugby Championship. It was first contested in 2004 , in a one-off test. The game, played at Ellis Park, Johannesburg was won 40-26 by...
between New Zealand and South Africa, as part of the Tri Nations and The Rugby Championship.
Current squad
New Zealand's 30-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup was announced on 23 August.On 1 October, Dan Carter sustained a tournament-ending groin injury and was replaced in the squad by Aaron Cruden.
On 9 October, Mils Muliaina
Mils Muliaina
Junior Malili Muliaina , better known as Mils Muliaina, is a rugby union player. He plays for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and New Zealand at international level. He was born in Salesi, Samoa, then moved with his family to Invercargill, New Zealand, at the age of two...
sustained a shoulder fracture and Colin Slade
Colin Slade
Colin Slade is a rugby union footballer who represents the Highlanders in the Super 15 competition and Canterbury in the ITM Cup, playing at primarily at Fly Half, as well as all other backline positions on occasions...
suffered a groin tear. Stephen Donald and Hosea Gear were called into the squad to replace them.
Squad and caps are current as of 16 October 2011.
Head Coach: Graham Henry
Graham Henry
Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World...
Notable players
International Rugby Hall of Fame
The International Rugby Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepts new inductees every two years...
; Fred Allen, Don Clarke
Don Clarke
Donald Barry Clarke was a New Zealand rugby union player who played 89 times as a New Zealand international from 1956 until 1964...
, Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean Fitzpatrick MNZM is a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand, and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country. He is also the son of former player Brian Fitzpatrick....
, Grant Fox
Grant Fox
Grant James Fox is a former rugby union player from New Zealand. He was born in New Plymouth. He attended Auckland Grammar school....
, Dave Gallaher
Dave Gallaher
David "Dave" Gallaher was a New Zealand rugby union footballer, best known as the captain of "The Originals", the first New Zealand national rugby union team to be known as the All Blacks....
, Michael Jones, Ian Kirkpatrick
Ian Kirkpatrick
Ian Andrew Kirkpatrick is a former New Zealand rugby union player, who was captain of the All Blacks.Kirkpatrick began his first-class career in 1966 at the age of 20 playing for Poverty Bay. One year later in he moved to Canterbury and established himself in the local provincial team...
, John Kirwan, Sir Brian Lochore
Brian Lochore
Sir Brian James Lochore, ONZ, KNZM, OBE is a former rugby union footballer and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the side 46 times...
, Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union player. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He has had a huge impact on the game...
, Sir Colin Meads
Colin Meads
Sir Colin Earl Meads, KNZM, MBE , is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played 55 test matches , most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 1971.Meads is widely considered one of the greatest players in history...
, Graham Mourie
Graham Mourie
Graham Neil Kenneth Mourie is a former New Zealand All Black flanker and coach of the Hurricanes. He was one of the great All Black Captains in the late 70s and early 80s...
, George Nepia
George Nepia
George Nepia was a Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2004 he was selected as number 65 by the panel of the New Zealand's Top...
and Wilson Whineray
Wilson Whineray
Sir Wilson James Whineray, KNZM, OBE is a former business executive and the longest-serving captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team. Rugby writer T.P. McLean considered him the All Blacks' greatest captain.He first played for the All Blacks in 1957...
.
Four former All Blacks have been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame
The IRB Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Rugby Board that recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The IRB Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals...
. David Kirk
David Kirk
David Edward Kirk, MBE, , is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He is best known for having been the captain of the All Blacks when they won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987....
, Lomu and Whineray were inducted primarily as players, whilst Lochore was inducted primarily as a coach.
Dave Gallaher played in New Zealand' first ever Test match in 1903 and also captained the 1905 Originals. Along with Billy Stead
Billy Stead
Billy Stead was a New Zealand rugby union player born in Invercargill who played for the All Blacks in their 1905 tour. Stead also played for Southland, and later coached various teams, including Southland and the New Zealand Māori...
, Gallaher authored the famous rugby book The Complete Rugby Footballer. At the age of only 19, George Nepia played in all 30 matches on the Invincibles tour of 1924–25. Nepia played 37 All Blacks games; his last was against the British Isles in 1930.
Fred Allen captained all of his 21 matches for New Zealand, including six Tests, between 1946 and 1949. He eventually moved onto coaching New Zealand between 1966 and 1968. New Zealand won all 14 of their Test matches with Allen as coach.
Five Hall of Fame inductees, including the first New Zealander named to the IRB Hall of Fame, played during the 1960s. Don Clarke was an All Black between 1956 and 1964 and during this period he broke the record at the time for All Black Test points. Clarke famously scored six penalties in one match – a record at the time – to give New Zealand an 18–17 victory over the British Isles at Dunedin in 1959. Sir Wilson Whineray played 32 Tests, captaining New Zealand in 30 of them. He played prop and also number 8 between 1957 and 1965. New Zealand lost only four of their 30 Tests with Whineray as captain. On 21 October 2007, Whineray became the first New Zealander to earn induction to the IRB Hall of Fame. In Colin Meads' New Zealand Rugby Museum profile, he is described as "New Zealand's equivalent of Australia's Sir Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
or the United States of America's Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
." Meads, nicknamed Pinetree, played 133 games for New Zealand, including 55 Tests. In 1999 the New Zealand Rugby Monthly magazine named Meads the New Zealand player of the century. Ian Kirkpatrick played 39 Tests, including 9 as captain, between 1967 and 1977. He scored 16 tries in his Test career, a record at the time.
The only All Blacks Hall of Famer to debut in the 1970s was flanker Graham Mourie. He captained 19 of his 21 Tests and 57 of his 61 overall All Blacks matches between 1976 and 1982. Most notably, in 1978 he was captain of the first All Blacks side to complete a Grand Slam over the four Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
sides.
The 1987 World Cup champions were coached by Sir Brian Lochore who had represented New Zealand in 25 Tests between 1964 and 1971, including 17 as captain. Lochore was knighted
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1999 for his lifetime services to rugby, and was also inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame on 24 October 2011 at the IRB Awards
IRB Awards
The IRB Awards are given out annually by the International Rugby Board, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievement in the sport. They were first awarded in 2001...
ceremony in Auckland alongside all other World Cup-winning coaches through the 2007 tournament. Four of the 1987 World Cup squad that he had coached are also inductees in the International Hall of Fame, and one in the IRB Hall. John Kirwan played a total of 63 Tests between 1984 and 1994, scoring 35 tries, an All Blacks record at the time. In the 1987 World Cup opener against Italy, Kirwan raced 90 meters to score one of the tries of the tournament. An All Black from 1984 to 1993, Grant Fox was one of New Zealand' greatest point-scorers with 1067 points, including 645 Test points. Fox played 46 Tests, including the 1987 World Cup final against France. Known as The Iceman, Michael Jones was one of the greatest open side flankers of all time. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Jones first played international rugby for Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
, then for New Zealand, playing 55 Tests between 1987 and 1998. Due to his Christian faith Jones never played rugby on Sundays, resulting in him not playing in the 1991 World Cup semi-final against Australia, and also in him not being picked for the 1995 World Cup squad. The team's captain, David Kirk, was inducted into the IRB Hall alongside Lochore; all other World Cup-winning captains through 2007 (minus the already-inducted Australian
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
John Eales
John Eales
John Eales AM is an Australian former rugby union player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.-Early life:...
) were also enshrined at this ceremony.
For many years the most capped Test All Black was Sean Fitzpatrick, with 92 appearances. He played in the 1987 World Cup after incumbent Andy Dalton was injured, and was appointed All Blacks captain in 1992, continuing in the role until his retirement in 1997. He played 346 first class rugby matches.
His test record was eclipsed by Mils Muliaina and Richie McCaw who won their 93rd caps against Ireland on 20 November 2010.
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union player. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He has had a huge impact on the game...
is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He was the youngest player ever to appear in a Test as an All Black, making his debut at age 19 years, 45 days in 1994. Lomu, a wing, had unique physical gifts; even though he stood 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) and weighed 119 kg (262 lb), making him both the tallest and heaviest back ever to play for New Zealand, he could run 100 metres in under 11 seconds. He burst on the international scene in the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
, scoring seven tries in the competition. Four of those tries came in New Zealand' semifinal win over England, including an iconic try in which he bulldozed England's Mike Catt
Mike Catt
Michael John "Mike" Catt OBE is a South African-born former English rugby union footballer who played for London Irish and Bath. He earned 75 international caps for England and played in three World Cup Finals, in 1995, 2003 and 2007...
on his way to the try line. He would add eight more tries in the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
. Perhaps most remarkably, Lomu played virtually his entire top-level career in the shadow of a serious kidney disorder
Nephrotic syndrome
Nephrotic syndrome is a nonspecific disorder in which the kidneys are damaged, causing them to leak large amounts of protein from the blood into the urine....
which ended his Test career in 2002 and ultimately led to a transplant
Kidney transplantation
Kidney transplantation or renal transplantation is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease. Kidney transplantation is typically classified as deceased-donor or living-donor transplantation depending on the source of the donor organ...
in 2004. Even with his career hampered and eventually shortened by his health issues, he scored 37 tries in 63 Tests. Lomu was also inducted into the IRB Hall at the October 2011 IRB Awards ceremony, being specifically recognised as one of four new inductees "who had left an indelible mark on Rugby World Cup for their moments of magic, inspiration or feats".
Individual records
The record for most All Black Test points (and World Record) is held by Dan Carter with 1,250 from 85 Tests. He surpassed Andrew MehrtensAndrew Mehrtens
Andrew Philip Mehrtens MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, currently playing in France for Béziers, a club in the third-level Fédérale 1 league...
' All Black record total of 967 points from 70 Tests in the All Blacks' win over England on 21 November 2009. On 27 November 2010 Dan Carter scored a penalty against Wales to pass Jonny Wilkinson's previous world record of 1,178 points. Carter also holds the record for points against Australia with 270.
The All Blacks' record Test try scorer is Doug Howlett
Doug Howlett
Douglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a wing but he has also covered fullback at national and international levels. He currently plays in Ireland with Munster. He is the brother of former Tongan rugby league international Phil...
with 49 tries, who overtook Christian Cullen
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...
's 46 during the 2007 World Cup. The world record for tries in a calendar year is held by Josevata Rokocoko, with 17 tries in 2003; he also became the first All Black to score ten tries in his first five Tests, as well as the first All Black to score at least two tries in each of four consecutive Tests. In Test matches, the most capped All Black is Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams...
with 103 caps. The record for most Tests as captain is held by Richie McCaw with 63. The youngest All Black in a Test match was Jonah Lomu, capped at age 19 years, 45 days, whilst the oldest Test player was Ned Hughes
Ned Hughes
Edward "Ned" Hughes , was a New Zealand rugby union and rugby league player who played 9 times as an All Black hooker from 1907 until 1921 and twice for the Kiwis in 1910...
at 40 years, 123 days.
Coaches
Due to the definition and role of All Blacks coach varying so much prior to the 1949 All Blacks tour of South Africa, the following table only includes coaches appointed since.Updated: 1 November 2011
| Name | Years | Tests | Won | Drew | Lost | Win percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex McDonald | 1949 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| Tom Morrison | 1950, 5, 55–56 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 66.7% |
| Len Clode | 1951 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Arthur Marslin | 1953–1954 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60% |
| Dick Everest | 1957 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Jack Sullivan | 1958–1960 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 54.5% |
| Neil McPhail | 1961–1965 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 80% |
| Ron Bush | 1962 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Fred Allen | 1966–1968 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Ivan Vodanovich | 1969–1971 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 40% |
| Bob Duff | 1972–1973 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 75% |
| John Stewart | 1974–1976 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 54.5% |
| Jack Gleeson | 1977–1978 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 76.9% |
| Eric Watson | 1979–1980 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 55.5% |
| Peter Burke | 1981–1982 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 81.8% |
| Bryce Rope | 1983–1984 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 75% |
| Sir Brian Lochore Brian Lochore Sir Brian James Lochore, ONZ, KNZM, OBE is a former rugby union footballer and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the side 46 times... |
1985–1987 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 77.7% |
| Alex Wyllie Alex Wyllie Alex "Grizz" Wyllie is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and coach.Wyllie began his first-class career with Canterbury in 1964 and played 210 matches for the province until 1979, serving as captain on over one hundred occasions... |
1988–1991 | 29 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 86.2% |
| Laurie Mains Laurie Mains Laurence William 'Laurie' Mains MNZM is a former rugby union footballer and coach who represented New Zealand. Mains' representative career started when he first played for Otago in 1967. He made his All Blacks début in 1971, against the British and Irish Lions. His last Test was against Ireland... |
1992–1995 | 34 | 23 | 1 | 10 | 67.6% |
| John Hart John Hart (rugby coach) John Bernard Hart, ONZM was a New Zealand rugby union coach, mainly for Auckland and the All Blacks. After many years in business, during which he rose to become Group Employee Relations Director for Fletcher Challenge, then New Zealand's largest company, John Hart began his first class coaching... |
1996–1999 | 41 | 31 | 1 | 9 | 75.6% |
| Wayne Smith Wayne Smith (rugby player) Wayne Ross Smith is a former rugby union footballer, and currently a rugby union coach. He is currently the backs coach for New Zealand's national rugby union team the All Blacks. He played provincial rugby for Canterbury and became an All Black in 1980. He played first five-eighth, gaining 35... |
2000–2001 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 70.5% |
| John Mitchell | 2002–2003 | 28 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 82.1% |
| Graham Henry Graham Henry Graham Henry is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks. He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticized following the All Blacks quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World... |
2004–2011 | 103 | 88 | 0 | 15 | 85.4% |
Home grounds
Like the other two countries in the Tri Nations, New Zealand does not have an official stadium for its national team. Instead, New Zealand play their Test matches at a variety of venues throughout New Zealand.Prior to the construction of Westpac Stadium in 1999, Wellington's Test venue was Athletic Park. Athletic Park was the venue for the first All Blacks Test match in New Zealand against Great Britain in 1904. The first home Test match played outside the main centres of Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin or Wellington was in 1996 at McLean Park
McLean Park
McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby. It is one of the 10 proper cricket grounds of New Zealand....
in Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
. The 1987 Rugby World Cup final was played at Eden Park.
Eden Park and AMI Stadium were upgraded in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In 2006, the Government of New Zealand proposed the construction of a waterfront National Stadium in Auckland
Stadium New Zealand
Stadium New Zealand, often called the Waterfront Stadium, was the provisional name for a national stadium proposed for Auckland's waterfront to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The stadium never advanced beyond a concept design....
as an alternative to Eden Park's upgrade; this proposal was rejected by the Auckland Regional Council
Auckland Regional Council
The Auckland Regional Council was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989...
. The NZRU no longer considers Carisbrook as a suitable Test venue (it did however get a Test Match against South Africa in 2008 and had one against Wales in 2010); a covered sports stadium was proposed as a replacement. Dunedin City Council
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
approved the new stadium in March 2008, land acquisition proceeded from August to October of that year, and the new venue opened in August 2011, in time for the World Cup.
AMI Stadium was significantly damaged during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with cracks in some stands and the playing surface badly damaged by liquefaction
Liquefaction
Liquefaction may refer to:* Liquefaction, the general process of becoming liquid* Soil liquefaction, the process by which sediments become suspended* Liquefaction of gases in physics, chemistry, and thermal engineering* Liquefactive necrosis in pathology...
as well as damage to infrastructure and streets surrounding the venue. As a result of the damage all scheduled 2011 World Cup games to be held in Christchurch were moved to other regions.
| Ground | Record | Recent Win | Recent Draw | Recent Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMI Stadium, Christchurch Christchurch Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of... (formerly Lancaster Park and Jade Stadium) |
80% | 2010 (AUS) | N/A | 1998 (AUS) |
| Athletic Park, Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... |
69% | 1999 (FRA) | 1962 (AUS) | 1998 (RSA) |
| Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until... |
N/A | |||
| Eden Park Eden Park Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable... , Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... |
81% | 2011 (FRA) | 1994 (RSA) | 1994 (FRA) |
| Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders... , Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... |
88% | 2011 (CAN) | N/A | 2003 (ENG) |
| Waikato Stadium Waikato Stadium Waikato Stadium is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold... , Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland... |
88% | 2011 (JPN) | N/A | 2009 (RSA) |
Venues of All Black Tests in New Zealand
| Ground | First Test | First Test | Last Test | Tests at that ground | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Park, Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
1904 v British Lions |
1904 | 1999 | 42 | 69% |
| Tahuna Park, Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until... , South Island South Island The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean... |
1905 v Australia |
1905 | 1905 | 1 | 100% |
| Potter's Park, Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
1908 v British Lions |
1905 | 1905 | 1 | 100% |
| Carisbrook Carisbrook Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game... , Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until... , South Island South Island The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean... |
1908 v British Lions |
1908 | 2011 v Fiji |
38 | 86% |
| AMI Stadium, Christchurch Christchurch Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of... , South Island South Island The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean... Formerly Lancaster Park and Jade Stadium |
1913 v Australia |
1913 | 2010 v Australia |
48 | 81% |
| Eden Park Eden Park Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable... , Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
1921 v South Africa |
1921 | 2011 v France 2011 Rugby World Cup Final The 2011 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match between France and New Zealand, the final match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It was played on Sunday, 23 October 2011 at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, and was won 8–7 by New Zealand, who thus won the World Cup.The New Zealand All Blacks... |
71 | 81% |
| Epsom Showgrounds, Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
1958 v Australia |
1958 | 1958 | 1 | 100% |
| McLean Park McLean Park McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby. It is one of the 10 proper cricket grounds of New Zealand.... , Napier Napier, New Zealand Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
1996 v Western Samoa |
1996 | 1996 | 1 | 100% |
| North Harbour Stadium North Harbour Stadium North Harbour Stadium is a stadium, situated in Albany, in North Shore City, in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, football and rugby League are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape.... , North Shore City, North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
1997 Fiji |
1997 | 2005 | 6 | 100% |
| Rugby Park, Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
1997 v Argentina |
1997 | 1997 | 1 | 100% |
| Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders... , Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
2000 v Australia |
2000 | 2011 v Canada |
16 | 88% |
| Waikato Stadium Waikato Stadium Waikato Stadium is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold... , Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
2002 v Italy |
2002 | 2011 v Japan |
8 | 88% |
| Yarrow Stadium Yarrow Stadium Yarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, with main vehicle access off Maratahu St... , New Plymouth New Plymouth New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated.... , North Island North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island... |
2008 v Samoa |
2008 | 2010 v Ireland |
2 | 100% |
| TOTAL | 236 | % |
North Island
- Athletic Park and Westpac StadiumWestpac StadiumWestpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders...
, WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... - Potter's Park, Eden ParkEden ParkEden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
and Epsom Showgrounds AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world... - McLean ParkMcLean ParkMcLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby. It is one of the 10 proper cricket grounds of New Zealand....
, NapierNapier, New ZealandNapier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"... - North Harbour StadiumNorth Harbour StadiumNorth Harbour Stadium is a stadium, situated in Albany, in North Shore City, in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, football and rugby League are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape....
, North Shore City - Rugby Park and Waikato StadiumWaikato StadiumWaikato Stadium is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold...
, HamiltonHamilton, New ZealandHamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland... - Yarrow StadiumYarrow StadiumYarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, with main vehicle access off Maratahu St...
, New PlymouthNew PlymouthNew Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
South Island
- Tahuna Park, CarisbrookCarisbrookCarisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
, Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza, DunedinDunedinDunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until... - AMI Stadium, ChristchurchChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
(Formerly Lancaster Park and Jade Stadium)
See also
- v ArgentinaHistory of rugby union matches between Argentina and New ZealandThe New Zealand All Blacks first played against Argentina on 30 October 1976, but New Zealand did not award test caps for the two internationals on that tour, nor for Argentina's first internationals in New Zealand in 1979...
- v AustraliaHistory of rugby union matches between Australia and New ZealandThe first clash in rugby union between Australia and New Zealand took place in a test match on 15 August 1903 in Sydney. On that occasion, the All Blacks won by 22-3....
- v British and Irish LionsHistory of rugby union matches between the British and Irish Lions and New ZealandThe All Blacks first played against the British and Irish Lions in 1904, beating them 9–3 at Athletic Park, Wellington. Since then, there has been a total of 38 Test matches between the two teams, with the All Blacks winning 29 of them. The most recent test, held at Eden Park, Auckland, on 9 July...
- v England
- v France
- v IrelandHistory of rugby union matches between Ireland and New ZealandThe New Zealand All Blacks first played against Ireland in 1905, beating them 15–0 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin. The two teams have played a total of 24 Test matches, with the All Blacks winning 23 of them...
- v MunsterHistory of rugby union matches between Munster and New ZealandMunster Rugby has a strong tradition of competitiveness against touring rugby teams. They have played the All Blacks, the national team of New Zealand, 8 times since 1905...
- v ItalyHistory of rugby union matches between Italy and New ZealandThe All Blacks first played against Italy as the opening game of the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, beating them 70-6 at Eden Park, Auckland. The two teams have played a total of nine Test matches, with New Zealand winning all of them by an average margin of 51 points.The two sides have been in...
- v ScotlandHistory of rugby union matches between New Zealand and ScotlandThe All Blacks first played against Scotland in 1905 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. The two teams have played 26 times, with New Zealand winning 24 matches and two resulting in draws. The most recent Test was played at Murrayfield in November 2010, with New Zealand winning 49-3.-Overall...
- v South Africa
- v WalesHistory of rugby union matches between New Zealand and WalesThe All Blacks have played against Wales 28 times, winning 25 of them, and Wales winning the other three. The first Test match between the two sides was played in 1905 at Cardiff Arms Park, with Wales winning 3 – 0.-Overall summary:-Results:...
- List of New Zealand rugby union Test matches
- New Zealand national rugby league teamNew Zealand national rugby league teamThe New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...