Culture
The British Settlers took Rugby to New Zealand back in the late 1800's. The game grew popularity quickly, and is now the national sport. Rugby is played throughout the country of New Zealand, and unlike many other nations the sport is popular among all layers of society . Ever since the early 1900's the New Zealand rugby team paid special attention to fitness, and technique which allowed the team to lead successful tours of the northern home nations, and instil a sense of pride, and legend in the jersey. The New Zealand rugby team was emphatically named the All Blacks early on uniting the entire country under one banner, nowadays the team not only plays rugby, but also has an important role in community activities featuring in most major advertisements. Similarly to Wales, rugby allows a small nation such as New Zealand to achieve internationally recognition, an example being when AIG chose to sponsor the All Blacks two years ago, their reasoning being that the All Blacks are consistently among the top 7 sports teams in terms of winning percentage, global recognition, and popularity, before the sponsorship AIG had never been in New Zealand.
New Zealand prides itself on its ability to successfully adopt multiple play styles. A lot of attention gets paid to the backs in order to execute impressive attacking plays with impeccable precision, although in recent years more care has been given to the forward pack in order to lay a solid platform, and an effective defensive screen. Despite being best remembered for there prowess with ball in hand, statistically the All Blacks kick the most out of any team in the world, often producing over 30 kicks in play. Under Steve Hansen the All Blacks have adopted a more tactical game whereby pinpoint kicks pressure the opposition, and give the All Blacks territory, however in recent years the team has also worked excessively on developing good counterattack structures in order to keep the opposition guessing. In terms of the set piece the All Black pack has the capability to match any opposition on a good day, but can be a little weak at scrum time when compared to other heavy weights such as South Africa, England, or Argentina who all focus on the scrum scrupulously.
Play Style
Fast Facts:
Players: 149,978
RWC Results: Champions 1987, 2011 Runners up 1995 Third 1991, 2003Fourth 1999 Quarters 2007
IRB World Ranking: 1st with 93.15 points
Best Result 2014: Vs. Australia 51-20
Coach: Steve Hansen Captain: Richie McCaw
Flickr (Tony)