Today we're going to talk about (imagine this next line in Keith Jackson's voice, or in Brent Musburger's if you must) "the granddaddy of them all" when it comes to sport in New Zealand. I am of course talking about Rugby.
Rugby is pretty much the defacto national religion in New Zealand. And, in my opinion, it's not too difficult to understand the appeal. While I'm not clear on all of the rules, and have a difficult time understanding all the little intricacies of it's play, rugby is an incredibly fun sport to watch. It's fast-paced and really violent. What's not to love?
A little history.
Rugby started back in England in the 1800s at where else? Rugby School. It's seems one spirited young footballer decided to pick up the football and run with it--ingenious! Over a period of time rules were written governing all aspects of the new sport's play. Then a schism (didn't I tell you it was like a religion) in 1895 seperated the game into two different codes of play: Rugby Union and Rugby League. Both still in existence today.
Of the two, at least in New Zealand, Rugby Union is far and away the most popular. Rugby League is played mostly around the Aukland area, as the country's lone professional team, The Warriors, are based there. The Warriors play in Australia's National Rugby League, and they are the only non Aussie team to do so. The Warriors get little attention in New Zealand in comparison to their Rugby Union counterparts, of which there are five professional teams: the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Hurricanes, and Highlanders. These five teams play in what's known as the Super 14 Union, along with five teams from South Africa and four from Australia. The Super 14 is like the NFL of this part of the world. I went to a preseason match, between the Auckland Blues and the Otago Highlanders, a couple of weeks ago with my new friends Brooke and Aaron, and it was so much fun. I've also watched two other matches on telly at local pubs, and I have to say I'm getting hooked!
The All Blacks
From the five local Super 14 squads, the best of the best are called on to be All Blacks! The All Blacks are New Zealand's National Team. If Rugby is the national religion in NZ, then the All Blacks are its gods. They are easily the biggest celebrities in this country. One guy in particular: Dan Carter. The fellas love Dan Carter because he's considered by many to be the best rugby player in the world. The ladies love Dan Carter because he's really really dreamy, or so I've been told. He apparently does underwear ads for Calvin Klein if that tells you anything.
Their name. Back in the late 1890s, when they were first formed, their uniforms were...can you guess? That's right: green and purple. NO! They were all black, silly. The unofficial moniker stuck and has since become their official name, complete with trademark and copyright protections. I didn't get expressed written consent for this blog entry, so shhhh. Amusingly, New Zealand national teams in most other sports have also adopted all black uniforms and play off of the All Blacks' name. The national field hockey team: The Black Sticks. The national cricket team: The Black Caps. The national junior rugby team: The Small Blacks. And, my favorite, the national basketball team: The Tall Blacks.
The season. All Black play gets underway at the conclusion of the Super 14 Series, sometime in June I believe. Annual matches include play for the Bledisloe Cup against the Australian Nation Team, The Wallabes; and the Tri-Nations Series, against the Wallabes again as well as the South African National Team, The Springboks. Just like the All Blacks, the Wallabes and the Springboks are composed of the best of the best from Australia's and South Africa's Super 14 squads. Think of it as if the NFL had teams from three different regions and each region had its own all-star team. The All Blacks also host matches against several European teams and go on a European tour as well. This year, I believe the All Blacks are hosting matches against France, Italy, and Scotland. One thing I absolutely want to do while I'm here is to see an All Blacks game in person. I'd really like to see them play France--those cheese eating surrender monkeys!
The Haka. Perhaps what the All Blacks are most famous for is their pregame ritual, the Haka. Hakas are traditional war dances originally performed by the indigenous Maori people. The All Blacks perform the Haka known as Ka Mate, and it is a sight to behold. Do a YouTube search with the words All Blacks and Haka and see for yourself. It's pretty intimidating if you ask me, which is precisely the point. It's performed right before the match directly in front of the opposing team, and meant specifically to intimidate them, thus giving our heroes the psychological advantage. I can't imagine standing ten yards in front of such a display without my knees absolutely turning to jelly.
Rugby is pretty much the defacto national religion in New Zealand. And, in my opinion, it's not too difficult to understand the appeal. While I'm not clear on all of the rules, and have a difficult time understanding all the little intricacies of it's play, rugby is an incredibly fun sport to watch. It's fast-paced and really violent. What's not to love?
A little history.
Rugby started back in England in the 1800s at where else? Rugby School. It's seems one spirited young footballer decided to pick up the football and run with it--ingenious! Over a period of time rules were written governing all aspects of the new sport's play. Then a schism (didn't I tell you it was like a religion) in 1895 seperated the game into two different codes of play: Rugby Union and Rugby League. Both still in existence today.
Of the two, at least in New Zealand, Rugby Union is far and away the most popular. Rugby League is played mostly around the Aukland area, as the country's lone professional team, The Warriors, are based there. The Warriors play in Australia's National Rugby League, and they are the only non Aussie team to do so. The Warriors get little attention in New Zealand in comparison to their Rugby Union counterparts, of which there are five professional teams: the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Hurricanes, and Highlanders. These five teams play in what's known as the Super 14 Union, along with five teams from South Africa and four from Australia. The Super 14 is like the NFL of this part of the world. I went to a preseason match, between the Auckland Blues and the Otago Highlanders, a couple of weeks ago with my new friends Brooke and Aaron, and it was so much fun. I've also watched two other matches on telly at local pubs, and I have to say I'm getting hooked!
The All Blacks
From the five local Super 14 squads, the best of the best are called on to be All Blacks! The All Blacks are New Zealand's National Team. If Rugby is the national religion in NZ, then the All Blacks are its gods. They are easily the biggest celebrities in this country. One guy in particular: Dan Carter. The fellas love Dan Carter because he's considered by many to be the best rugby player in the world. The ladies love Dan Carter because he's really really dreamy, or so I've been told. He apparently does underwear ads for Calvin Klein if that tells you anything.
Their name. Back in the late 1890s, when they were first formed, their uniforms were...can you guess? That's right: green and purple. NO! They were all black, silly. The unofficial moniker stuck and has since become their official name, complete with trademark and copyright protections. I didn't get expressed written consent for this blog entry, so shhhh. Amusingly, New Zealand national teams in most other sports have also adopted all black uniforms and play off of the All Blacks' name. The national field hockey team: The Black Sticks. The national cricket team: The Black Caps. The national junior rugby team: The Small Blacks. And, my favorite, the national basketball team: The Tall Blacks.
The season. All Black play gets underway at the conclusion of the Super 14 Series, sometime in June I believe. Annual matches include play for the Bledisloe Cup against the Australian Nation Team, The Wallabes; and the Tri-Nations Series, against the Wallabes again as well as the South African National Team, The Springboks. Just like the All Blacks, the Wallabes and the Springboks are composed of the best of the best from Australia's and South Africa's Super 14 squads. Think of it as if the NFL had teams from three different regions and each region had its own all-star team. The All Blacks also host matches against several European teams and go on a European tour as well. This year, I believe the All Blacks are hosting matches against France, Italy, and Scotland. One thing I absolutely want to do while I'm here is to see an All Blacks game in person. I'd really like to see them play France--those cheese eating surrender monkeys!
The Haka. Perhaps what the All Blacks are most famous for is their pregame ritual, the Haka. Hakas are traditional war dances originally performed by the indigenous Maori people. The All Blacks perform the Haka known as Ka Mate, and it is a sight to behold. Do a YouTube search with the words All Blacks and Haka and see for yourself. It's pretty intimidating if you ask me, which is precisely the point. It's performed right before the match directly in front of the opposing team, and meant specifically to intimidate them, thus giving our heroes the psychological advantage. I can't imagine standing ten yards in front of such a display without my knees absolutely turning to jelly.
Hope all your rucks and scrums go your way.
Cheers!
Cheers!
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