Rugby: A National Passion

New Zealand is truly a ‘Stadium of Four Million’ populated by passionate rugby supporters: you could say that Rugby is a national obsession in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

The nation’s first official Rugby match was played in Nelson right back in May 1870, between Nelson College and Nelson Football Club. The sport caught on quickly and the first inter-provincial match was played just five years later, between Auckland and Dunedin Clubs. The first Provincial Unions were formed in Canterbury and Wellington in 1879 and the New Zealand Rugby Union was formed on 16 April 1892.

The famous black jersey was formally chosen as New Zealand’s national playing strip in 1893 and was worn in the following year by the first NZRU-sanctioned national team to visit Australia. After playing its first match at home against a Wellington XV, the team toured New South Wales and won all eight of its matches. New Zealand’s first test match was played across the Tasman in Sydney, against Australia, in 1903, and in 1904 its first test match on home soil was played against Great Britain – the All Blacks won 9 – 3.

Above: Worn with pride. The black jersey with its iconic Silver Fern emblem has been worn since 1893.

By the time they toured the United Kingdom, France and North America in 1905 and 1906, the All Blacks legend was immortalised. The team played 35 matches, losing just one. Now known as ‘the Originals’, this team contributed hugely to New Zealand’s cultural identity, creating a huge sense of national pride and gaining the respect of Northern Hemisphere nations. Since those days, the All Blacks have played in more than 400 test matches and have a success rate of more than 70%.

In 1924 and 1925, the legend gained yet greater weight with a 32-match tour of the United Kingdom, France and Canada. Incredibly, this team won every single one of its 32 matches, earning it the name ‘the Invincibles’.

Above: Go All Blacks! All Black Ma'a Nonu is tackled by an opponent in a match at Carisbrook Stadium in Dunedin.

Politics and sports collided in 1981 when the South African Springbok team toured New Zealand, sparking massive protests and huge debate about whether the nation should be hosting a team from apartheid-ruled South Africa. The games are not as well remembered as the political significance of the era, and the integral role that Rugby has played in the formation of New Zealand’s cultural fabric.

Although New Zealand’s national Rugby team still wears the black jersey, the game has continued to evolve over the years. After the Rugby World Cup tournament in South Africa, in 1995, international Rugby became a professional sport – and the All Blacks became a professional team. Major Southern Hemisphere rugby tournaments now include Investec Super Rugby and Investec Tri Nations, which New Zealand competes in every season against Australian and South African national rugby teams (the Wallabies and the Springboks).

Above: Pensive moment. The All Blacks Coach, Graham Henry (centre), watches the game unfold.

The inaugural Rugby World Cup was held in 1987, in New Zealand and Australia, and was won by the All Blacks. Although they have achieved a spot in the quarter-finals at every Rugby World Cup since, they have not managed to win the tournament again since that first event – in 2011, the whole of New Zealand is hoping that their treasured national All Blacks Rugby team can turn this record around.

For more information on the All Blacks and Rugby culture in New Zealand, see www.nzru.co.nz.