Rugby and the All Blacks
Rugby religion
Played with passion for some 140 years and followed today with near-religious fervour, rugby has helped shape Kiwis into a proud, sporting nation determined to make its mark in the world. The first rugby game played on New Zealand soil was in May 1870 in Nelson at the top of the South Island, and by 1879 the game’s popularity had spread and the first rugby unions were formed in Canterbury and Wellington.
Over the decades, New Zealand’s rugby players have gained an international reputation as skilful sportsmen, from George Nepia and the Brownlie brothers in the 1920s and 30s to Colin Meads and Don Clarke in the 1960s, and the national team continues to earn respect wherever it plays.
The love of this fast and physical sporting contest runs deep in the Kiwi psyche along with a great sense of national pride for the All Blacks. To wear the hallowed black kit, adorned with New Zealand’s silver fern motif, is the ambition of sporting school kids throughout the land. The New Zealand Rugby Union supports initiatives to encourage playing from a young age. ‘Rippa Rugby’ is a non-contact version of the sport developed for primary school children, and ‘Small Blacks’ has been designed to help young players develop their rugby.
Match Day
The thrill of being amid a victory-hungry crowd at an All Blacks match will leave any sports fan buzzing. It is worth noting that during the New Zealand summer, the team is often touring overseas in the northern hemisphere’s winter. Chances of catching a game are a lot higher from April to October, and each of New Zealand’s stadiums, mostly located in major cities, has its own method of ticketing. Local New Zealand-based regional teams also play regular matches in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, and Christchurch (construction permitting) in the Super-14 League against teams from Australia and South Africa. I-Site visitor centres will be able to assist you to secure tickets and advise of any matches that are being played locally. Alternatively, visit http://allblacks.com.
There are plenty more opportunities to watch a match, with 26 provincial-based league teams. From late August to late October, the nationwide representative competitions take place, with 14 teams taking part in the Air New Zealand Cup and 12 in the Heartland Championship.
To learn more about the All Blacks and New Zealand’s national sport, visit the New Zealand Rugby Museum (www.rugbymuseum.co.nz) in Palmerston North or the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame (www.nzhalloffame.co.nz), located on the first floor of Dunedin Railway Station.
How the All Blacks got their Name
There are a couple of theories as to how the All Blacks got their name. One is that after a big victory in England in 1905 a newspaper that planned to run ‘All Backs’ as a headline, suggesting that the team’s forwards played like backs, accidentally printed the headline ‘All Blacks’. The other theory is that the name was coined by a rugby journalist who began referring to the team as All Blacks because of the colour of their kit. No matter which story is true, the name has been synonymous with the great New Zealand team ever since.
Discover more...
• Visit Dunedin, home of the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
Read more from the travel guide to New Zealand