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  • Before rewrite: 3535 words
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Summary

[edit]

Rugby union, almost universally referred to as "rugby" in New Zealand, was introduced the country by Charles Monro in 1870.[1] The game grew in popularity and by the mid-1880s a number of provincial unions had been established. In 1882 a New South Wales state side toured the country, and in 1884 a privately organised New Zealand team reciprocated with a tour of the state;[2][3] this side it now acknowledged as the first New Zealand national team. A national body, the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) was formed in 1892,[4][a] and the following year an officially sanctioned side, captained by Thomas Ellison, toured New South Wales.[5][6]

The team played their first ever test match, a victory over Australia in Sydney, in 1903,[7] and the following year hosted a test for the first time – a victory over the touring British Isles. A representative New Zealand team then toured the British Isles in 1905. The side is now known as the "Originals" as even though the name "All Blacks" most likely existed before the trip, the tour did popularise it.[8] The tourists played 35 matches, with their only loss was a 3–0 defeat to Wales in Cardiff.[9] The match has entered into rugby folklore because of a controversy over whether All Black Bob Deans scored a try which would have earned his team a 3–3 draw.[10][b] The success of the tour helped establish rugby as New Zealand's national sport and fed a growing sporting nationalism.[11][12]

International rugby was suspended during the First World War,[13] but the sport soon recovered, and the South African national team toured New Zealand in 1921.[14] The Springboks – as the South African team is known – played the All Blacks in a test series that ended all square; a return series by New Zealand in South Africa in 1928 was also drawn.[15] In 1937, South Africa toured New Zealand again and decisively won the series 3–-1; this South African team has been described as the best team ever to leave New Zealand.[16][17]

Between World Wars the All Blacks twice toured the British Isles. The first side, who visited in 1924–25, is known as the "the Invincibles" as they won every match.[18][19] The second tour occurred in 1935–36, where the All Blacks lost three games – including a first ever loss to England – during the 30-match tour.[20][21] As well, in 1930 a British Isles side toured New Zealand, with the All Blacks winning the test series 3–1.

After the Second World War the All Blacks returned to South Africa; the test series from the 1949 tour, with Fred Allen as captain,[22][23] was lost 4–0 although each test was very close.[24] The consecutive series losses to South Africa made their 1956 tour of New Zealand highly anticipated. The All Blacks triumphed 3–1 in the series; their first series victory over the Springboks and the Springboks' first series loss since 1896.[25]

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.[26] The All Blacks toured Britain and Ireland in 1963–64 but were deprived of a Grand Slam by a scoreless draw with Scotland.[27][c] New Zealand returned to Europe in 1967, and won three tests against the Home Nations, but did not play Ireland due to a foot-and-mouth scare.[27] This tour formed part of New Zealand's longest winning streak, achieved between 1965 and 1970, of 17 test victories.[29]

The 1970s brought mixed success; the 1971 British Lions became, as of 2016, the only Lions side to defeat the All Blacks in a test series. New Zealand came close to their first ever Home Nations grand slam in 1972–73, but drew with Ireland.[27] They finally achieved the feat in 1978, when the Graham Mourie captained tourists won all their test matches on their British and Irish tour; their only loss was a 12–0 defeat by Irish province Munster.[30]

New Zealand excluded non-white players from their sides that toured South Africa in 1928, 1949 and 1960 to avoid antagonising the apartheid South African Rugby Board. Resistance to this had been growing since the 1949 tour, and the Halt All Racist Tours movement was formed in 1969 to oppose the practice. The NZRFU canceled a proposed tour to South Africa over the issue, and the South African authorities acquiesced for the 1970 tour by declaring non-white members of the All Blacks "honorary whites".[31] The pressure to cut all sporting ties with South Africa increased throughout the 1970s,[d] but the Springboks toured New Zealand in 1981 after the Muldoon government allowed them entry.[33] Widespread protests erupted and New Zealand saw levels of civil disturbance not experienced since the 1951 waterfront dispute.[34][35] The All Blacks won the series, but the two teams did not play each other again until after the dismantling of apartheid in 1992.[36][34][36][37][e]

New Zealand hosted and won the inaugural World Cup in 1987 beating France 29–9 in the final at Eden Park.[40] The tournament helped repair the damage to rugby's image in New Zealand following the 1981 tour. By the 1991 World Cup New Zealand were an ageing side,[41] co-coached by Alex Wyllie and John Hart. After beating hosts England in the tournament opener, they struggled during in their remaining pool matches, but won their quarter-final.[42] They were then knocked out by eventual winners Australia 16–6 in their semi-final. In the wake of the tournament, Wyllie retired,[43] and in 1992 Laurie Mains was appointed coach. His tenure saw mixed results, and included Bledisloe Cup losses to Australia in 1992, and a series loss to France in 1994. After the All Blacks defeated England 45–29 to qualify for the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup,[44][45] they faced a Nelson Mandela inspired Springboks team. The match went into extra time, before the South African hosts triumphed 15-12.[46][47]

Unlike its professional cousin rugby league, rugby union had remained amateur since the 19th century,[f] but in 1995, after after the amateur regulations for international players had been slowly loosened over the previous decade, professionalism was officially sanctioned by the International Rugby Board. This was spurred by the formation of SANZAR – a consortium of the South African, New Zealand and Australian Unions[49] – which was formed to sell the broadcast rights for two new competitions: the domestic Super 12 competition, and the international Tri-Nations tournament to be contested between the three national sides.[49] The inaugural Tri-Nations was won by New Zealand in 1996,[50] and was immediately followed by a separate three-match test series between South Africa and New Zealand.[51] Under new coach John Hart and the captaincy of Sean Fitzpatrick, the All Blacks won a test series in South Africa for the first time.[52]

After a period of mixed results, including Tri-Nations victory in 1997 and 1999, and the loss of all five Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup tests in 1998,[53][54] New Zealand entered the 1999 Rugby World Cup as one of the favourites. They dominated their pool, and eventually progressed to a semi-final against France.[55] After New Zealand finished the first half 17–10 ahead,[55] France then produced a famous half of rugby to win 43–31.[55] Hart subsequently resigned as coach and co-coaches Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert were appointed. Under the two the All Blacks failed to win the Tri-Nations or Bledisloe Cup in 2000 and 2001, and they were replaced by John Mitchell in late 2001. After winning the 2002 and 2003 Tri-Nations, and regaining the Bledisloe Cup from Australia in 2003, the All Blacks went through their pool matches at the 2003 World Cup unbeaten. After progressing to the semi-final where they faced Australia, they were upset in a 22–10 loss, and in the aftermath Mitchell was replaced as coach by Graham Henry.

Apart from an unsuccessful 2004 Tri-Nations campaign,[56] the team enjoyed significant success over the next three years, with an undefeated test record against European opponents, a second grand slam in 2005, the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Tri-Nations titles, and whitewashing the British and Irish Lions in 2005.[57][58] This made the All Blacks strong favourites for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. They swept their pool matches before facing France in their quarter-final. France had toured New Zealand earlier that season and suffered record defeats, but they upset the All Blacks with a controversial victory to eliminate them from the tournament. Despite it being New Zealand's earliest ever exit from a World Cup, Henry was reappointed as coach. A 30-match winning streak at home was ended in 2008 by a Springbok defeat in Dunedin, but New Zealand still won that season's Tri-Nations and retained the Bledisloe Cup. The following year the team suffered four test losses, including two to South Africa, but suffered only one loss in 2010. In spite of losing the 2011 Tri-Nations after a loss to Australia, New Zealand entered the 2011 Rugby World Cup as strong favourites. They progressed through the tournament and faced France in the final. In front of a home crowd the All Blacks claimed a narrow win 8–7 to win their second World Cup.[59]

Henry retired as coach following the 2011 World Cup, and was replaced as head coach by Steve Hansen, who had been one of his assistants. Hansen's tenure as coach consisted of almost unprecedented success. The Tri-Nations was renamed the Rugby Championship and expanded to include Argentina in 2012, and won by the All Blacks in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The side suffered only one loss in 2012, to England at Twickenham, and won all their matches in 2013, which concluded with a last minute victory over Ireland.[60][61] Under captain Richie McCaw they lived up to their heavy favouritism to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and in doing so became the first side to defend their title, and the first to win three World Cups.[62] In 2016 they were named Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The Union did not include Canterbury, Otago or Southland, who all objected to the requirement that NZRFU executive committee members needed to live in Wellington. They eventually all joined the NZRFU, but the residency rule did not change until 1986.[4]
  2. ^ Tries were worth three points at the time.
  3. ^ their only loss on this tour was to Newport RFC, who won 3–0 at Rodney Parade, Newport.[28]
  4. ^ The All Blacks 1976 South African tour contributed to the Gleneagles Agreement being adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of State in 1977.[32]
  5. ^ A proposed 1985 tour to South Africa was cancelled after a legal ruling that it would breach the NZRFU's constitution,[37] but an unauthorised rebel tour to the country was conducted in 1986.[38][39]
  6. ^ Amateurism was not just about not playing for money. Many in the traditional rugby establishment believed that: "Excessive striving for victory introduced an unhealthy spirit of competition, transforming a character-building 'mock fight' into 'serious fighting'. Training and specialization degraded sport to the level of work".[48]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ McCarthy (1968), pg. 11.
  2. ^ Slatter (1974), pg. 33.
  3. ^ Gifford (2004), p 29.
  4. ^ a b Gifford (2004), pg 32.
  5. ^ Mulholland (2009), pg. 11.
  6. ^ McCarthy (1968), pg. 23.
  7. ^ Elliott (2012), pg. 109.
  8. ^ "All Blacks  – The Name?". New Zealand Rugby Museum. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  9. ^ Elliott (2012), pg. 192.
  10. ^ McLean (1959), pg. 23–25.
  11. ^ Ryan 2011, pp. 1409–1410.
  12. ^ King 2003, p. 281.
  13. ^ McCarthy (1968), pg. 61.
  14. ^ McCarthy (1968), pg. 67–68.
  15. ^ Harding (2000), pg. 234–235.
  16. ^ Palenski (2003), pg 192.
  17. ^ Harding (2000), pg. 39.
  18. ^ McLean (1987), pg 42.
  19. ^ Palenski (2003), pg 74.
  20. ^ McCarthy (1968), pg. 140.
  21. ^ Sherlock, Grant (8 January 2009). "Statue for rugby's Russian prince". BBC News. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  22. ^ Harding (2000), pg. 43.
  23. ^ Harding (2000), pg. 48.
  24. ^ McCarthy (1968), pg. 207.
  25. ^ Harding (2000), pg. 52–53.
  26. ^ McCarthy (1968), pg. 267–272.
  27. ^ a b c "Beach beckons as All Blacks celebrate history". NZ erald. 27 November 2005. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  28. ^ "New Zealand (30 October 1963)". History of Newport. Friends of Newport Rugby Trust. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  29. ^ Palenski (2003), pg 269.
  30. ^ Irish, Oliver (7 April 2002). "The 10 greatest shocks in sport's history". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  31. ^ Mulholland (2009), pg. 164–165.
  32. ^ Watters, Steve. "From Montreal to Gleneagles". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  33. ^ Watters, Steve. "From Montreal to Gleneagles". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  34. ^ a b Sharpe, Marty (25 August 2001). "Dark days of thunder – when a free nation confronted apartheid in sport". wairarapa.co.nz. Archived from the original on 17 February 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2006.
  35. ^ Watters, Steve. "A country divided". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  36. ^ a b Watters, Steve. "A war played out twice a week". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  37. ^ a b Hill, Ruth (8 July 2006). "Protests a turning point in the history of New Zealand". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  38. ^ Luxford, Bob. "Bernie Fraser". Rugby Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  39. ^ Millen, Julia (7 April 2006). "Blazey, Cecil Albert 1909–98". Dictionary of New Zealand biography. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  40. ^ "World Cup in New Zealand and Australia". Rugby Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  41. ^ Palenski (2003), pg 227.
  42. ^ Palenski (2003), pg 228.
  43. ^ Palenski (2003), pg 290.
  44. ^ Knight, Lindsay. "Jonah Tali Lomu". Rugby Museum. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  45. ^ "South Africa's triumphant homecoming". scrum.com. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  46. ^ "Springboks poisoned at 1995 Cup: Luyt". NZ Herald. 30 October 2003. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  47. ^ "1995: Party time for SA". UK: BBC. 24 September 2003. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
  48. ^ Vincent (1998), pg 124.
  49. ^ a b Howitt (2005), pg 7.
  50. ^ Howitt (2005), pg 170.
  51. ^ Harding (2000), pg. 183
  52. ^ Palenski (2003), p 206.
  53. ^ Howitt (2005), p 185.
  54. ^ Howitt (2005), p 199.
  55. ^ a b c Palenski (2003), pg 233.
  56. ^ Howitt (2005), p 289.
  57. ^ Johnstone, Duncan (9 August 2009). "Jeff Wilson backs All Blacks to come right". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  58. ^ Phillips, Mitch (26 November 2006). "Awesome All Blacks widen the gulf". Reuters. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  59. ^ Butler, Eddie (23 October 2011). "Richie McCaw's New Zealand beat France in final". Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  60. ^ "New Zealand beat South Africa for title". BBC Sport. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  61. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24994453#TWEET964381
  62. ^ "New Zealand retain Rugby World Cup with ruthless display against Australia". Guardian. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
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