H I S T O R Y O F T H E A L L B L A C K S
Date formed 1892
IRB membership 1949
Credit for the introduction of rugby to New Zealand goes to Charles Monro, who brought the game back from Christ's College in Finchley. On his return to New Zealand, Monro spread the rules - first to Nelson College and his local football club in Nelson. On 12 September 1970 Nelson and Wellington played a match at Petone (won by Nelson) and from then on there was no stopping the spread of rugby.
In 1879, unions were formed in Canterbury and Wellington. Other unions soon followed but it was not until 1892 that the New Zealand Rugby Football Union was formed to administer the game at national level.
Even before the NZRFU came into being, overseas tours had been arranged. In 1882 the first rugby team from overseas visited New Zealand when New South Wales toured both islands late in the season. In 1884, a New Zealand team, wearing blue jerseys with a gold fern, returned the visit, winning all their matches in New South Wales.
The first British team to visit arrived in 1888 and the New Zealand Native Team became the first from the colony to visit Britain when it undertook the longest tour ever in 1888-89. The first national side to take the field under the auspices of NZRFU did so in 1893, when 10 games were played on a tour of Australia.
A New Zealand side toured Australia in 1903 and for the first time played a Test match against the opponents from across the Tasman. New Zealand won easily in Sydney. Two years later a national side, now known as the "Original All Blacks", undertook an ambitious tour of the British Isles, France and Canada. The northern hemisphere soon realised how high the level of rugby was in New Zealand as the tourists lost just once in 33 matches.
The period between the wars saw the first tour of South Africa by an All Blacks side. Honours ended even in 1927 with the Test series split 2-2, but New Zealand had to win the final match in Cape Town to square the series.
Australia and New Zealand played for the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in 1931, although the Wallabies had to wait until 1934 to get their hands on the trophy.
Having become an International Rugby Board member in 1949, New Zealand international rugby went from strength to strength. A French team toured for the first time in 1961, only to lose the Test series 3-0.
In 1975, a committee of the NZRFU was set up to organise representative rugby into a national championship. On the basis of performances over the early Seventies, 11 unions were selected for the First Division championship. Bay of Plenty took the first title in 1976, with North Auckland relegated to the Second Division. A Third Division was created in 1985.
The first Rugby World Cup arrived on New Zealand's doorstep in 1987 and the hosts wasted no time in, well, making themselves at home. The final saw the All Blacks beat France 29-9 at Eden Park thanks to tries by flanker Michael Jones, scrum-half David Kirk and wing John Kirwan, plus the kicking of Grant Fox.
New Zealand were knocked out of the 1991 World Cup in England at the semi-final stage by arch-rivals and eventual winners Australia, then were beaten in the final of the 1995 tournament by hosts South Africa. They at least had the memory of a comprehensive destruction of England in the semis, with wing Jonah Lomu putting in a sensational performance.
The new Tri-Nations tournament involving the SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) countries, launched in 1996 as the game began to turn professional and proved to be a happy hunting ground for the All Blacks. They opened with a 43-6 mauling of Australia in the first ever Tri-Nations match, took the first title and then the second in 1997. New Zealand reclaimed the crown from South Africa in 1999, just in time for the fourth World Cup.
F I X T U R E S
ALL BLACKS 2000
ALL BLACKS - 2000 FIXTURES
DATE HOME v AWAY VENUE KICKOFF
16 Jun* All Blacks v Tonga Nth Harbour 1935
*this game may be moved to 17 Jun
ALL BLACKS - 2000 SCOTLAND TOUR
DATE HOME v AWAY VENUE KICKOFF
09 Jun Invitation XV v Scotland TBC 1935
13 Jun East Coast/Pov. Bay v Scotland Gisborne 1435
17 Jun NZ Maori v Scotland New Plymouth 1935
20 Jun Nelson Bays v Scotland Nelson 1435
24 Jun All Blacks v Scotland Dunedin 1435
27 Jun Hawke's Bay v Scotland Napier 1935
01 Jul All Blacks v Scotland Auckland 1935
ALL BLACKS - 2000 TRI-NATIONS
DATE HOME v AWAY VENUE KICKOFF
15 Jul Australia v New Zealand Sydney TBA
22 Jul New Zealand v South Africa Christchurch TBA
29 Jul Australia v South Africa Sydney TBA
05 Aug New Zealand v Australia Wellington TBA
12 Aug BYE - - - -
19 Aug South Africa v New Zealand Johannesburg TBA
26 Aug South Africa v Australia Durban TBA
A L L B L A C K S Q U A D
2000 All Black Squad
Backs: Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga, Jonah Lomu, Doug Howlett, Leon MacDonald, Pita Alatini, Mark Robinson, Alama Ieremia, Tony Brown, Andrew Mehrtens, Justin Marshall, Byron Kelleher.
Forwards: Reuben Thorne, Scott Robertson, Taine Randell, Josh Kronfeld, Ron Cribb, Troy Flavell, Norm Maxwell, Todd Blackadder (c), Kees Meeuws, Carl Hoeft, Greg Somerville, Mark Hammet, Anton Oliver, Craig Dowd.
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