The New Zealand All
Blacks:
Rugby, Perfected, Wears Black
Since first beginning over
a century ago, The New Zealand All Blacks have set the standard worldwide, as to what the game of Rugby looks like when perfected ...
In the year 1870, Rugby
Union was first introduced to the Country of New Zealand
by a man named Charles John Monro, the son of Sir David
Monro, a New Zealand politician.
Charles had first
discovered the game whilst attending College in England.
Ecstatic with his newly-found love of the sport, Charles returned home to his native New Zealand,
determined to popularize it there, along with the 1868 Rules of Rugby,
and a recently new-and-improved, rubber-made, oval-shaped ball, manufactured
by William Gilbert ... and so a Nation-wide love affair began.
The Canterbury Rugby
Football Union, New Zealand's first, official Provincial Union, was quickly
formed by 1879; and, by 1882, New Zealand's first Internationals were played
when New South Wales (NSW) toured the Nation, playing
against 7 Provincial, New Zealand Sides (Teams). NSW won 4 of these games, New Zealand winning 3.
Two years later, in 1884,
New Zealand made its very first, overseas exposition, touring NSW in turn ... Of the 8 games played, New Zealand won all.
 |
The team that toured New South Wales (NSW),
Australia, in 1884. |
In 1892, the New
Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) was founded; and
by 1903, New Zealand played what many consider to be its first, true Test
Match: New Zealand vs Australia, at the Sydney
Cricket Ground, on August 15th, 1903. The anticipated Match took
place in front of over 30,000 spectators, and New Zealand won the game in a
glorious 22-3 victory.
In the year 1905, an
International Rugby Team, formed especially with the representation of its
native New Zealand in mind, and Captained by Dave Gallagher,
 |
Dave Gallagher, Captain of the
original All Blacks Team. |
first embarked on a highly-anticipated 35-Match tour of the British
Isles (including England, Wales, Ireland,
and Scotland), France, and North America.
Known as the New
Zealand Footballers, or more simply, the New Zealanders,
and even at certain times as "the Colonials",
expectations for New Zealand's International performance levels were decidedly
low, despite the fact that it had already experienced several times of complete, inarguable, and even noteworthy International success, not
the least of which was its 22-3 win against Australia in 1903.
In fact, in 1904, David
Bedell-Sivright, a respected Captain of the British Isles Team at that time, openly voiced his doubts concerning the success of some of New Zealand's
bigger Test Matches during their Northern Hemisphere tour, before
adding the consoling remark, "I think you will probably win most of the county
Test Matches.".
For their debut game
against Devon, England, on September 16th, 1905, New Zealand won
the match with an impressive and crushing lead of 55-4.
So great was the shock at
this unpredictable turn of events, that some of Britain's Newspapers
actually reported that Devon had scored the 55 points and New Zealand's
representing team had lost with a mere 4 points. The misinformation was
later corrected, allowing New Zealand to finally be greeted by cheering fans
and a brass band.
An international
reputation soon followed, as this "rookie" Team from New
Zealand quickly became known as a force to be reckoned with, when it went on to
win every Test Match of the Tour with the singular exception of a
3-0 loss to Wales. In addition, the loss was a highly controversial one,
with New Zealand actually having scored a Try against Wales that was
subsequently Disallowed. The player that scored, what might of been, a
game changing Try, Robert "Bob" Deans, a Wing
for New Zealand, claimed that the Try in question was indeed successful; but, that he had regrettably withdrawn back over the Try line before the game's
Referee could catch up.
Following a 34-0 win in Middlesex,
The Daily Chronicle stated concerning the All Blacks,
"These New
Zealanders turn defense into attack with such bewildering rapidity as to prove
that scrimmaging is a mere detail. There is nothing in the game at which
they do not excel.".
Legend has it, it was during this first Tour when a London Newspaper observed that New
Zealand's Team played as though they were "all backs". Through
a typographical error, the quote was later thought to have been "All Blacks",
and so Rugby's newest and most intimidating force was given a name.
 |
The Original All Blacks Team
that toured during 1905–06 |
This story has been
presented as truth by William "Billy" Wallace, the
longest living Player (1878-1972 ) from the original, 1905 All Blacks
Team, although there are still many who believe the name "All Blacks"
first hailed from a News Article that was
printed after the All Blacks' win against Devon. ... The Express and Echo, a
News outlet in Devon, has been quoted as saying, "The All Blacks, as they
are styled by reason of sable and unrelieved costume." And then, there are more still who believe that the nickname, "The
Blacks", was, in fact, given to the Team before it ever left New
Zealand.
Whichever the case, The
Original All Blacks, most often and affectionately referred to today as
"The Originals", continued to make Rugby History,
scoring a legendary total of 976 points in their 1905-1906 Tour and
conceding only 59, thereby securing their home Country of New Zealand a "World
Class Rugby Nation" international status.
In the years following
their tour, the All Blacks legacy has passed from generation to generation,
continuing to make or break records and set ever-increasing standards for the
Sport of Rugby, including:
1) Winning over 76%
of their Test Matches played against other Countries.
2) Scoring more Test Match
points than any other Rugby Team.
3) Being the only
International Team in the World to hold a winning record against every Country
they have played.
4) Being named the World
Rugby Team of the Year 7 times since 2005.
5) Having 4 separate players be named the World Rugby Player of the Year:
Richie
McCaw,
 |
| Richie McCaw, All Blacks Captain |
Dan Carter,
 |
| Dan Carter, All Blacks Number 10 |
Kieran Read,
 |
| Kieran Read, All Blacks Number 8 |
and Brodie
Retallick.
 |
| Brodie Retallick, All Blacks Lock |
6) Having 15 Former Team members inducted into the International Rugby Hall Of Fame; and of those, 4 have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall
Of Fame.
7) Achieving a "Grand
Slam" - Against England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales - 4 separate times: 1978, 2005, 2008, and 2010.
8) Winning the Rugby
World Cup, twice (along with South Africa and Australia) since its inauguration in 1987.
9) Having ever
only been beaten by 5 other Nations: South Africa,
England, Wales, France, and Australia.
10) Being the first
Team to win 400 Test Matches.
11) Being the only
Team to have won the Tri Nations - renamed The Rugby Championship in 2012 - Trophy 13 times since
its tournament inauguration 19 years ago.
12) And maintaining
the "Number One" World Ranking longer than all
other Rugby Teams ... combined.
Today, in good keeping
with New Zealand's long-standing tradition of excellence, the modern All Black
squad, coached by Steve Hansen (who was named 2014's Coach
of the Year),
 |
| Steve Hansen, All Blacks Coach |
and Captained by Richie McCaw,
 |
| Richie McCaw, Captain of the All Blacks |
reigns as
the current Rugby World Cup Champions, since 2011, and was named the 2014 World Rugby Team Of the Year.
