Global InformationNew Zealand national rugby union team information
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | All Blacks | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem | Silver-fern frond | ||
| Union | New Zealand Rugby | ||
| Head coach | Scott Robertson | ||
| Captain | Sam Cane | ||
| Most caps | Sam Whitelock (153) | ||
| Top scorer | Dan Carter (1,598) | ||
| Top try scorer | Doug Howlett (49) | ||
| |||
| World Rugby ranking | |||
| Current | 3 (as of 6 November 2023) | ||
| Highest | 1 (2003, 2004–2008, 2009–2019, 2021) | ||
| Lowest | 5 (2022) | ||
| First international | |||
 Australia 3–22 New Zealand  (Sydney, Australia; 15 August 1903) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
New Zealand 145–17 Japan  (Bloemfontein, South Africa; 4 June 1995) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 South Africa 35–7 New Zealand (London, England; 25 August 2023) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 10 (First in 1987) | ||
| Best result | Champions (1987, 2011, 2015) | ||
| Tri Nations/Rugby Championship | |||
| Appearances | 28 | ||
| Best result | Champions (1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) | ||
| Website | allblacks.com | ||
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks,[1][2] represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport.[3] Famed for their international success, the All Blacks have often been regarded as one of the most successful sports teams in history.[4][5]
The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, 2011, and 2015. This is second only to South Africa, known as the Springboks, who have won the Rugby World Cup four times: in 1995, 2007, 2019, and 2023. They were the first country to retain the Rugby World Cup. New Zealand has a 76 percent winning record in test-match rugby, and has secured more wins than losses against every test opponent. Since their international debut in 1903,[6] New Zealand teams have played test matches against 19 nations, of which 12 have never won a game against the All Blacks. The team has also played against three multinational all-star teams, losing only eight of 45 matches. Since the introduction of the World Rugby Rankings in 2003, New Zealand has held the number-one ranking longer than all other teams combined.[7] They jointly hold the record for the most consecutive test match wins for a tier-one ranked nation, along with England.
The All Blacks compete with Argentina, Australia and South Africa in the Rugby Championship, and have won the trophy twenty times in the competition's 28 year history. The team has completed a Grand Slam tour against the four Home Nations four times (1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010). World Rugby has named New Zealand the World Rugby Team of the Year ten times since the award was initiated in 2001,[8] and an All Black has won the World Rugby Player of the Year award ten times over the same period. Nineteen former All Blacks have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall Of Fame.
The team's first match took place in 1884 in New South Wales and their first international test match in 1903 against Australia in Sydney. The following year New Zealand hosted their first home test, a match against a British Isles side in Wellington.[a] There followed a 34-game tour of Europe and North America in 1905 (which included five test matches), where New Zealand suffered only one defeat: their first test loss, against Wales.
New Zealand's early uniforms consisted of a black jersey with a silver fern and white shorts. By the 1905 tour they were wearing all black, except for the silver fern, and the name "All Blacks" dates from this time.
The team perform a haka before every match; this is a Māori challenge or posture dance. Traditionally the All Blacks use Te Rauparaha's haka Ka Mate, although players have also performed Kapa o Pango since 2005.
- ^ "Ōpango". allblacks.com (in Māori). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "He kākahu whutupōro Māori tawhito e hoko atu ana i Ūropi". Te Ao Māori News (in Māori). Māori Television. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Sport, Fitness and Leisure". New Zealand Official Yearbook. Statistics New Zealand. 2000. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
Traditionally New Zealanders have excelled in rugby union, which is regarded as the national sport, and track and field athletics.
- ^ "The 10 greatest sports teams of all time - Sports Mole". amp.sportsmole.co.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Pandaram, Jamie (21 October 2016). "Are the All Blacks the greatest team ever?". dailytelegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "From the files of the DIB…The Ramelton 'rover'". History Ireland. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ "Rugby World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
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