78-590: The Australia women's national rugby union team , also known as the Wallaroos , has competed at all Women's Rugby World Cups since 1998, with their best result finishing in third place in 2010. Australian women have been playing rugby since the late 1930s, in regional areas of New South Wales. In 1992 the first National Women's Tournament was held in Newcastle, NSW. The following year the Australian Women's Rugby Union
156-462: A ball game called kī-o-rahi which greatly resembled Australian Rules Football and rugby football. It has been suggested that this may have influenced New Zealand playing styles, especially amongst the indigenous population. Various codes of football were played in New Zealand in the years following white settlement. Christchurch Football Club , which is now the oldest rugby club in the country,
234-566: A colony to visit Britain. In 1892 the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), now known as the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU), was established, to act as the national governing body of the sport. Following the establishment of the national governing body, the first NZRFU national sanctioned tour was undertaken in 1893, when a ten-game tour of Australia was played. The team was captained by Thomas Ellison . In 1902,
312-459: A fence and invaded the pitch. Police, already very worried, pulled the match when they found out a light plane piloted by a protester was headed to fly around the stadium. A protest turned violent in Wellington the following week, escalating the situation. During the final test match at Eden Park , a low flying plane dropped flour bombs over the pitch. A subsequent 1985 All Black tour was prevented by
390-898: A provincial rugby competition, the Super 12 . The 1996 Super 12 season saw the Auckland Blues finish in second place, whilst the Waikato Chiefs 6th, the Otago Highlanders 8th, the Wellington Hurricanes 9th, and the Canterbury Crusaders 12th. The SANZAR agreement also saw the formation of the Tri Nations Series , a contest between the respective national sides, the All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies . The All Blacks won
468-587: A single under-20 tournament, originally known as the IRB Junior World Championship and now known as the World Rugby Under 20 Championship . The side won the first four editions of the competition (2008–2011), and again in 2015 and 2017. The New Zealand Under 19s rugby team is for players aged under 19. New Zealand Under 19 was selected for the first time in 1990, and played annually until 2007. They were strong contenders during their time, and won
546-437: A win record of over 74%. The first All Blacks Test match was played against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground on 15 August 1903. New Zealand won 22 - 3, with The Sydney Morning Herald saying, 'The present New Zealand team have shown form so far in advance of every fifteen opposed to them that it seems almost impossible for Australia to put a side into the field with any hope of victory...'. The All Blacks were winners of
624-419: Is a pay TV channel dedicated to rugby in New Zealand. The haka is a traditional Māori challenge that has become closely associated with New Zealand rugby at an international level. There are thousands of variations of haka that are performed by various tribes and cultural groups throughout New Zealand; one of the best known is called Ka Mate . The All Blacks have performed a haka before matches since
702-510: Is a selection of the best of New Zealand’s Maori rugby players. All contracted players are able to nominate themselves as eligible for the Maori All Blacks and, in the event a player is considered for selection, the team’s kaumatua (cultural advisor) will trace the player’s whakapapa (genealogy) to confirm his heritage and eligibility. The primary objective of this team is to provide an aspirational pathway for young Maori rugby players. The team
780-489: Is also thought that this saw the emergence of the Kiwi as a national symbol . Rugby dominates New Zealand's sports media . Being the unofficial national winter sport of New Zealand, rugby attracts large sporting attendances and viewership. As many as 5,000 people have turned out to watch All Black training sessions, while the final of 2011 Rugby World Cup was the single most watched television event in New Zealand history. There
858-432: Is an international competition featuring teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The competition, governed by SANZAR, was formed in 1996 as Super 12 after the game turned professional. It became Super 14 in 2006 with the addition of one team each from Australia and South Africa, and Super Rugby in 2011 when a fifth Australian team joined. The current format includes five teams from each participating country. With
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#1732852765693936-585: Is composed of the best players from New Zealand's six university clubs. The team has played in many international fixtures including famous wins over the British and Irish Lions in their 1977 tour and the Springboks in 1956. Many former NZU players have gone on to play for the All Blacks including David Kirk , Kieran Read and Conrad Smith . Today the team takes part in a biannual tour to Japan and consists mainly of amateur club players. While not domestic, Super Rugby
1014-438: Is for players aged under 21. New Zealand Under 21 (formerly Colts) was first selected in 1955 and played annually until 2007. The Under 21s enjoyed great success on the world stage, winning world titles in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004. New Zealand formed an Under 20 side for the first time in 2008. The catalyst for the creation of this side was World Rugby's decision to scrap its under-19 and under-21 world championships in favour of
1092-634: Is the premier domestic competition in New Zealand rugby. It has previously been known as the Mitre 10 Cup, the ITM Cup and the Air New Zealand Cup as sponsorship deals changed IA fully professional competition contested by 14 provincial teams, it is the successor to Division One of the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship (NPC). The Bunnings NPC features
1170-743: The Commonwealth Games Sevens . The New Zealand Sevens team were undefeated in the Sevens events in the Commonwealth Games until 2014 , when South Africa defeated them in the final. Since the inception of the Sevens Series in 1999–2000, the New Zealand Sevens team have dominated the series, winning the first six seasons of the competition (2000–2005) and 12 times in all, most recently in 2014 . The New Zealand Under 21s rugby union team
1248-714: The High Court , but an unofficial tour took place the following year. In 1987, the NZRFU wrote to the International Rugby Football Board , later known as the International Rugby Board (IRB) and now as World Rugby, requesting the possibility of hosting an inaugural Rugby World Cup . The 1987 World Cup was eventually given to both New Zealand and Australia. The All Blacks made it to the final, where they would meet France . The All Blacks won and were crowned
1326-521: The NZRU . The Rugby World Cup is considered the ultimate rugby competition. The New Zealand All Blacks won the first World Cup in 1987, beating France in the final. Since then the All Blacks were favourites on several occasions, but did not win for another 24 years. New Zealand lost to Australia in the semi-final in 2003 and fell to the French team in the quarter-final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Intense lobbying by
1404-465: The Summer Olympics (which added rugby sevens in 2016) one year prior, and Rugby World Cup Sevens held the following year. The tournament was to return to a four-year cycle afterward, with the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup awarded to New Zealand. In August 2019, World Rugby announced that in an effort to "elevate the profile of the women's game", the women's championship will be marketed under
1482-505: The World Rugby Awards since 2001: As of 12 October 2024. Women%27s Rugby World Cup The Women's Rugby World Cup is the women's rugby union world championship which is organised by World Rugby . The first Rugby World Cup for women was held in 1991 , but it was not until the 1998 tournament that the tournament received official backing from the International Rugby Board (IRB, now World Rugby); by 2009,
1560-455: The current World Champions for Women's rugby union and were rugby sevens finalists for men and women . The top domestic club competitions are the professional National Provincial Championship and amateur Heartland Championship , and above them the transnational Super Rugby , in which New Zealand has 5 out of 11 franchises . Before Europeans arrived in New Zealand, the Māori were playing
1638-446: The "Rugby World Cup" branding, with no gender designation, beginning in 2021. World Rugby stated that the decision was intended to promote gender equality and "[eliminate] any inherent or perceived bias" towards men's events, with chairman Bill Beaumont explaining that it "demonstrates our ongoing and unwavering commitment to advancing women in rugby both on and off the field in line with our ambitious strategic plan." World Rugby became
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#17328527656931716-636: The 1998 tournament then again in 2002 in Barcelona and again in 2006 in Canada. Sevens is a form of rugby union which involves 7 players per team rather than 15 in the regular game. The games are 7 minutes per half (10 minutes in a competition final) rather than 40 minutes per half in the 15-man game. The New Zealand Sevens team compete in the World Rugby Sevens Series , the Sevens World Cup , and
1794-466: The 2006 tournament split the 12 participating nations into four pools of three teams. Each nation played three games, after the completion of which a re-seeding process took place. Nations were moved into divisions dictated by their respective overall tournament ranking with the top teams proceeding to the knockout stages. The 2010 event maintained the number of teams participating at twelve, with regional qualifying tournaments. The 2021 tournament retained
1872-510: The All Blacks. They were formerly known as New Zealand A, but the name was changed for marketing purposes. They competed in the Pacific Nations Cup competition alongside Australia A , Fiji , Japan , Samoa and Tonga . They won the inaugural IRB Pacific 5 Nations competition in 2006. In 2007 Australia A joined with the competition, changing its name to Pacific Nations Cup. The Junior All Blacks repeated their 2006 success in 2007 winning
1950-619: The Crown during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s seem to have been the first to take up the sport. Jack Taiaroa and Joseph Warbrick were key members of the first representative New Zealand team, which toured New South Wales in 1884. The New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is responsible for rugby in the country. The NZRU was formed in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union with the original representation of seven unions though there
2028-620: The Crown within the emigrant population, whilst introducing British culture to the Māori population. It was the New Zealand Natives' Rugby Tour of 1888/89 showed that New Zealand could compete with other nations. Similarly, the 1905-06 tour, in which the All Blacks went very close to a clean sweep tour (with just one loss against Wales), helped to create a sense of national pride around the All Blacks, as they appeared physically superior and pulled off an admirable performance on their British tour. It
2106-584: The English meeting the United States in the final for the second time; however, in this instance England emerged as winners. The 1998 tournament became the first women's world cup officially sanctioned by the International Rugby Board . Amsterdam , who were originally scheduled to host the previous world cup, hosted the largest ever tournament with all matches played at the new National Rugby Centre in
2184-649: The Final Tournament: e = nation eliminated in qualifying stage and did not reach Final Tournament w = nation withdrew from qualifying stage p = nation possibly eliminated in qualifying stage and will need to be successful in Repechage in order to reach Final Tournament – = nation did not enter qualifying stage competition. Apart from the African region, the nations involved in the continental qualifying stages have not been announced as at 20 October 2019. The format for
2262-679: The Heartland name was a 2006 end-of-year tour to Argentina, where they played two provincial teams and the Argentina A side, splitting the provincial matches and losing to Argentina A. Their second tour, in November 2008, was a two-match trip to the USA . The first match, in San Francisco , saw them defeat a Pacific Coast XV 39–12. They then travelled to Salt Lake City to take on a USA Select XV in one of
2340-500: The IRB Under 19 World Championship in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2007 The New Zealand Schoolboys rugby union team is for secondary school students to help them aim for and achieve higher honors. New Zealand Schoolboys team is a great team to start out in and it brings you into the international scene early on. Famous past schoolboy players include Aaron Mauger , Mils Muliaina , and Joe Rokocoko . The New Zealand Universities rugby team
2418-684: The IRB had retroactively recognized the 1991 and 1994 tournaments and their champions. Normally, the tournament is held every four years; it was moved forward in 2017 so that the competition could be held in the year before the Commonwealth Games . The 2021 tournament was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic , but still marketed as the 2021 tournament. Three countries have won the Women's Rugby World Cup since its establishment, with New Zealand having won
Australia women's national rugby union team - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-630: The NZRU. Its teams compete for the Meads and Lochore Cups, named after famous All Blacks Colin Meads and Brian Lochore . The participating teams are: The Ranfurly Shield , also known as the Log o' Wood, has been competed for on a challenge basis by provincial teams since 1904. The current holders of the shield become "defenders" in every game played on their home ground, if the opposition or "challenger" defeats them, they become
2574-508: The Plate competition Canada prevailed over Spain 18–4. Following the first tournament, it was decided to move the tournament schedule to the year prior to the next men's world cup , therefore reducing the quadrennial cycle to just three years. The next event was originally scheduled to take place in Amsterdam but ended up being moved to Scotland . Eleven countries competed in the tournament with
2652-476: The United States , the Netherlands , Russia , and the hosts, New Zealand – who emerged as winners after defeating the United States in the final. The first tournament referred to as the Women's Rugby World Cup was held in 1991 and hosted by Wales . Twelve countries were divided into four groups of three. The United States, against expectations, took the first championship with a 19–6 victory over England . In
2730-478: The city's west end. The tournament also saw a record sixteen teams compete. New Zealand, who withdrew from the previous tournament, also competed. The final saw New Zealand defeat the United States and claim their first world cup title. The next event was taken to Spain in 2002. New Zealand won the title for the second time by defeating England 19–9 in the final. The 2006 World Cup took place in Edmonton , Canada, and
2808-485: The competition with victories in all five of their matches including with a 50−0 thumping of their Australian counterparts at Carisbrook Dunedin . The New Zealand Māori played in the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup. No New Zealand team has played in Pacific Nations Cup since then. The Māori All Blacks, previously known as New Zealand Māori, is a representative side that play at home and on tour. The Maori All Blacks team
2886-508: The country as well as being its national sport . In a 2023 survey, 75% of respondents said they followed the sport. The men's national team, the All Blacks , is currently ranked No. 3 in the world . The country co-hosted and won the first ever Rugby World Cup in 1987 , and hosted and won the 2011 Rugby World Cup . The men have won three World Cups (1987, 2011, 2015 ), the second most of any country after South Africa. New Zealand are
2964-403: The expansion to 15 teams, the competition format was dramatically changed. The league phase, originally a single round-robin, was replaced by a three-conference format, with each conference consisting of teams in one of the participating countries. Each team plays home-and-away against the other teams in its conference, plus single games against four teams in each other conference. The finals series
3042-533: The final played at Twickenham on 31 October. The All Blacks dominate the list of winners of the World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year , with ten wins and is the only nation with players winning the award multiple times, Richie McCaw (2006, 2009 and 2010), Dan Carter (2005, 2012 and 2015) and Beauden Barrett (2016 and 2017). The Junior All Blacks are not an age grade side, but are the second national team behind
3120-462: The first events held in the new Rio Tinto Stadium , and came from behind to notch a 19–14 win. Shortly after the tour, the NZRU announced that the Heartland XV would not be assembled in 2009, and would in the future tour every two years. The Black Ferns are the top national women's team in New Zealand. They are the current Women's Rugby World Cup champions, being 3 time winners after they won
3198-594: The first ever World Champions. In the 1980s, New Zealand provincial sides participated in the South Pacific Championship, along with teams from Australia and Fiji. In 1992 this type of competition was relaunched as the Super Sixes, and was expanded to the Super 10 later. As rugby entered the professional era in the mid-1990s, along with South Africa and Australia, New Zealand formed SANZAR , which would see them start
Australia women's national rugby union team - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-422: The first major sports federation to rebrand its events in such a way. The 2021 tournament in New Zealand was postponed by one year to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic ; it will still be branded as the 2021 Rugby World Cup. From 2025 the competition finals will be expanded to 16 teams, from the 12 competing in 2021. On 12 May 2022, World Rugby announced that England, Australia and the United States would host
3354-456: The first rugby union match against Nelson football club on 14 May it was the 15th . A visit to Wellington by Munro later that same year resulted in an organised match between Nelson and Wellington. By the following year, the game had been formalised in Wellington, and subsequently rugby was taken up in Wanganui and Auckland in 1873 and Hamilton in 1874. In 1875, the first representative team
3432-572: The first series. Beginning in 2012, the Argentina Pumas entered the competition, which was renamed The Rugby Championship . New Zealand was supposed to jointly host the 2003 World Cup with Australia, but a disagreement with the IRB saw the tournament given to Australia in its entirety. In 2006, New Zealand won the right to host the 2011 World Cup . In New Zealand there are 520 clubs, 141,726 registered players and 2,309 referees. In colonial New Zealand, rugby football served to maintain loyalty to
3510-676: The first time in history, starting with the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland, followed by the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. From 2025, all Women's Rugby Union World Cup matches will be shown on the BBC, starting with the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in England. Rugby union in New Zealand Rugby union has been played in New Zealand since 1870 and is the most popular sport in
3588-416: The following teams from the former NPC Division One: It also features three teams from the former NPC Division Two: plus one newly formed team, the merger of the former NPC Division Two teams of Marlborough and Nelson Bays: Beginning in 2011, the Mitre 10 Cup split into two divisions—the top-level Premiership and second-level Championship, each with seven teams. Promotion and relegation was reintroduced to
3666-556: The game 37 to 0. The team placed fifth at their first World Cup appearance in 1998 in the Netherlands . They placed fifth at the 2002 event in Barcelona , Spain also. In 2014, The Wallaroos played two Test matches in New Zealand against their Tasman rivals, the Black Ferns , and North American outfit, Canada. Although losing both of these matches, the Wallaroos took this experience into the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup . The Australian team
3744-559: The game in the Wellington Post. The NZRFU discouraged any involvement from its players and officials, nonetheless, a team departed a travelled to Sydney first, and were there labelled the All Golds, a play on All Blacks in reference to the player payments. The team went on to tour England. They played an import role in rugby league. The 1930s saw a period of skill development for rugby in New Zealand. The 1940 All Black tour of South Africa
3822-715: The gender designation from the women's tournament, returning to the previous "Women's Rugby World Cup" title beginning 2025, while rebranding the Rugby World Cup as the "Men's Rugby World Cup" beginning 2027. World Rugby stated that the rebranding was meant to "promote unity across the tournament and provide clarity and consistency for fans". Q = nation qualified for Final Tournament not yet played w = nation withdrew from (final) Tournament e = nation eliminated in qualifying stage and did not reach Final Tournament – = nation did not enter competition. The following nations have participated in qualifying stages, but have never reached
3900-583: The governor of New Zealand, the fifth Earl of Ranfurly presented a trophy shield to the Auckland side, who were undefeated in provincial competition that year. The shield became known as the Ranfurly Shield . Three years later, a 1905 New Zealand team, who became known as the " Originals ", toured the British Isles and France winning all of their games apart from controversially losing the test against Wales . As
3978-422: The inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and were runners-up in 1995. The All Blacks were the only team to have reached the semi-final stage at every World Cup until the 2007 World Cup where they were defeated 20-18 by France in the quarter-finals. New Zealand won its second Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2011. In 2015 New Zealand became the first country to win back to back Rugby World Cups beating Australia 34-17 in
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#17328527656934056-620: The late 19th century. Early forms of rugby had been played in New Zealand since the 1860s. While these were initially associated with the settler elite and the military, other colonists accustomed to hard physical labour also soon took part. In 1872, 'Wirihana' became the first recorded Māori rugby player when he turned out for Wanganui 'Country' in a 20-a-side fixture against their urban counterparts. While some all-Māori clubs were formed, such as Kiri Kiri near Thames, mixed teams were more common in areas like Poverty Bay which had substantial Māori populations. Māori living in areas that had supported
4134-473: The latter part of the year. Two years later, a New Zealand team visited New South Wales, wearing blue jerseys with a golden fern. The team won all their games. In 1888, the first ever British Isles rugby team tour took place, visiting New Zealand and Australia. The visitors won all their New Zealand games except for one, losing to Auckland. During 1888-89, the New Zealand Native team became the first from
4212-517: The most controversial rugby tours ever. From July to September, the Springboks toured New Zealand. Rugby fans filled the stadiums, yet equal numbers of fans protested the games outside the stadiums. Police were divided into Red and Blue riot squads for the tour, and in preparation for possible trouble, all spectators were told to assemble in sports grounds at least an hour before kickoff. At a game at Rugby Park in Hamilton, around 350 protesters pulled down
4290-634: The new holder of the Shield. The Shield was first presented by the Governor of New Zealand , the Earl of Ranfurly . The current holders are Wellington . Each Bunnings NPC and Heartland Championship region conducts local intra-provincial club competitions. The club level is often followed by the local media and has local support. Clubs often rely on the Pub Charity in order to survive. In total, 520 clubs are affiliated to
4368-455: The next three women's tournaments in 2025 , 2029, and 2033 respectively. As part of a new strategy, Australia and the United States were also awarded the preceding men's tournaments in 2027 and 2031 respectively—marking the first time that the men's and women's Rugby World Cup will be held successively in the same host nation. In October 2023, as part of a new brand identity unveiled for the tournaments, World Rugby reverted its decision to drop
4446-512: The other New Zealand teams to have captured the title, the Blues having won in 1996, 1997 and 2003, the Chiefs winning in 2012 and 2013 and the Highlanders winning in 2015. Australia's Brumbies (two titles), Reds (one) and NSW Waratahs (one) and South Africa's Bulls (three) are the only teams from outside New Zealand to have won a title. Heartland Championship Provinces: Heartland Championship Provinces: Heartland Championship Provinces: Heartland Championship Provinces: The Bunnings NPC
4524-489: The pool stages. In Ireland the Women's Rugby World Cup was broadcast by TG4 in 2014, the Irish language channel received praise for airing the tournament. TG4 provided coverage to all of the Irish matches as well as the final and semi-final. Certain matches in the 2017 WRWC knockout phases drew strong TV viewership in England and France, and were broadcast live in the United States. In 2017, ITV started televising Women's Rugby Union World Cup matches on free-to-air TV for
4602-411: The same format, but with the classification round replaced with quarter-finals, as with the men's Rugby World Cup. In 2025, the tournament will expand to 16 teams. The tournament has grown considerably in the past fifteen years although television audiences and event attendance still remain relatively low, especially in comparison to other women's world cup events. The final of the 2006 event in Canada
4680-415: The team swept through Britain, some of the players took note of how rugby (league) was being played in the North of England. One player, Aucklander George Smith met with Sydney entrepreneur James J. Giltinan on his way home, and discussed the opportunities of such a game. Meanwhile, New Zealander Albert Henry Baskervill had contacted the Northern Union to arrange a New Zealand tour, as he had just read about
4758-410: The top level of provincial rugby; the winner of the Championship replaces the bottom team of the Premiership; the winner of the Meads Cup replaces the bottom team of the Championship. The Heartland Championship is an amateur competition contested among 12 teams from the former NPC Divisions Two and Three. It was also founded in 2006 as a result of the reorganisation of the NPC, and is directly run by
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#17328527656934836-440: The top team from each conference, plus the top three non-winners from the Australasian group and the top non-winner from the African group, qualifying. New Zealand teams have dominated Super Rugby for much of its history, winning 12 of the 18 titles decided to date. The Crusaders are the most successful club, having won 10 titles in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Blues, Highlanders & Chiefs are
4914-416: The tournament a record six times. Before the first Women's Rugby World Cup officially sanctioned by the International Rugby Board there had been three previous tournaments of a similar nature. The first of these was an event held in August 1990 in New Zealand . Though not considered a world cup, the tournament was referred to as the World Rugby Festival for Women . The competition included teams representing
4992-434: The tournament. (Full internationals only) Summary of matches, updated to 12 October 2024: Head Coach, Joanne Yapp , announced the Wallaroos 30-player squad for their European tour and WXV 2 on 2 September. Cheryl McAfee is the first Wallaroo to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2021. She led the Australian women's sevens team in the inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens competition that
5070-430: Was also changed. In the Super 12 and Super 14 eras, this was a knockout series involving the top four finishers. The knockout format was retained for Super Rugby, but now involves the three conference winners plus the top three non-winners without regard to conference. Currently, five New Zealand teams participate in the competition, these being Crusaders , Blues , Hurricanes , Chiefs and Highlanders . The competition
5148-408: Was broadcast in a number of countries and streamed live via the internet. Sky Sports broadcast 13 live matches from the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup, including the semi-finals, the third and fourth place play-off match and the final. The pool matches shown included all of England's matches, while each of the home nations' featured live too. There were also highlights shown from all other matches during
5226-402: Was established, and it was declared that the national women's team would be called the Wallaroos. It was chosen because it was the name of one of Australia's oldest clubs, the Wallaroo Football Club, which was formed in 1870. The Wallaroos played their first international in 1994 against New Zealand, also known as the Black Ferns . The match was played at North Sydney Oval , and New Zealand won
5304-443: Was formed, being a combined-clubs Auckland team which toured the South. It is thought that by the mid-1870s, the game had been taken up by the majority of the colony. The latter stages of the 1870s saw the emergence of a more formal structure, with Unions being formed in both Canterbury and Wellington during 1879. In 1882, the first international rugby side toured New Zealand, a New South Wales side that visited both islands during
5382-488: Was formerly established in 1910, and has played many of the world's top Test teams, beating teams such as England , Ireland and the British & Irish Lions . Previously known as the New Zealand Divisional XV, this team was revamped in 2006. Only players who have participated in the previous season's Heartland Championship are eligible for selection; this makes it effectively a Heartland all-star team. This team traditionally goes on second-level tours; their first tour under
5460-406: Was founded in 1863. It played by its own rules for many years. Rugby football was first introduced to New Zealand in 1870 by Charles John Monro , son of the then- Speaker of the House of Representatives , David Monro . He encountered the game while studying at Christ's College Finchley , in East Finchley , London , England , and on his return introduced the game to Nelson College , who played
5538-441: Was further reorganised in 2016 with a permanent sixth team from South Africa and new entries based in Argentina ( Jaguares ) and Japan ( Sunwolves ). At that time, the competition was split into Australasian and African groups (with the latter including the Argentine and Japanese teams), each in turn being divided into two conferences. All of the New Zealand teams formed one conference. The finals series expanded to eight teams, with
5616-551: Was held in Dubai in March 2009. Later that year, she was invited by World Rugby to become a member of the bid team that successfully campaigned for the inclusion of rugby sevens in the Olympics. She also captained the Wallaroos from 2006 to 2010, including at the 2010 Rugby World Cup where they achieved their best result of third place. The following Australia players have been recognised at
5694-458: Was made up of seven North Island teams and four South Island. The remaining provinces contested a split second division, though South and North teams did not meet each other, instead played their respective Island clubs. There was a separate relegation system in place for each the North and South, ensuring the number of teams from each island. The 1981 Springbok Tour , or "The Tour", went down as one of
5772-668: Was one of the first sporting events cancelled due to the Second World War . Rugby was however played in services sport, with games being played with South African allies during the North African desert campaign, also, most domestic competitions were suspended during this time. In 1976, the first ever season of the National Provincial Championship (succeeded in 2006 by the Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship) went underway. In its inaugural format, Division One
5850-505: Was second in the pool stage behind host team France and was narrowly defeated by the United States in the first playoff, but beat Wales in their last match to finish the tournament in seventh place. In 2022, Australia reached the quarter-finals of the 2021 Rugby World Cup , defeating Scotland and Wales in the group stages. They would go down to England 41–5 in Auckland . The Wallaroos were crowned 2024 WXV 2 Champions, they were undefeated in
5928-807: Was staged in London, with the final played at the Twickenham Stoop . The 2017 World Cup was hosted by the Irish Rugby Football Union , which governs the sport on an All-Ireland basis. Games were held in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The tournament was held one year earlier than usual in order to re-align the Women's Rugby World Cup's scheduling for greater synergy with
6006-489: Was the first major international rugby union tournament and women's world cup held in North America. New Zealand defeated England in the final to win their third successive world cup title. A record four countries expressed interest in hosting the 2010 World Cup. After considering bids from England , Germany , Kazakhstan and South Africa , the IRB announced that the 2010 event would take place in England. The tournament
6084-490: Was the original significant absence of Canterbury, Otago and Southland. The NZRFU joined the IRFB in 1949. There are 26 member unions within New Zealand. Every province also has its own union. In late 2005, New Zealand won the right to host the 2011 World Cup . New Zealand, commonly referred to as the All Blacks, are the most successful team in international rugby. They have a positive winning record against all Test nations, and have
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