New Zealand national rugby union team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
New Zealand

Nickname(s)	All Blacks
Emblem	Silver-fern frond
Union	New Zealand Rugby
Head coach	Scott Robertson
Captain	Scott Barrett
Most caps	Sam Whitelock (153)
Top scorer	Dan Carter (1,598)
Top try scorer	Doug Howlett (49)
First colours Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current	2 (as of 11 November 2024)
Highest	1 (2003, 2004–2008, 2009–2019, 2021)
Lowest	5 (2022)
First international
Australia 3–22 New Zealand  (Sydney, Australia; 15 August 1903)
Biggest win
New Zealand 145–17 Japan  (Bloemfontein, South Africa; 4 June 1995)
Biggest defeat
South Africa 35–7 New Zealand  (London, England; 25 August 2023)
World Cup
Appearances	10 (First in 1987)
Best result	Champions (1987, 2011, 2015)

The New Zealand national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, plays for New Zealand in international rugby union. Rugby is considered the country's national sport. The All Blacks are famous for their success and are often seen as one of the best sports teams ever.

The team has won the Rugby World Cup three times: in 1987, 2011, and 2015. Only South Africa's Springboks have won more, with four titles. New Zealand was the first country to win the Rugby World Cup twice in a row. Since their first international game in 1903, the All Blacks have played against 19 nations. Twelve of these nations have never won a game against them. New Zealand has won about 80% of their international matches. They have won more games than they have lost against every team they have played.

The All Blacks also play against Argentina, Australia, and South Africa in the Rugby Championship. They have won this trophy twenty times in its 28-year history. The team has achieved a "Grand Slam" four times. This means they beat all four major teams from the UK and Ireland (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales) on a single tour. World Rugby has named New Zealand the World Rugby Team of the Year ten times since 2001. An All Black player has won the World Rugby Player of the Year award ten times in the same period. Nineteen former All Blacks are in the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

The team's first game was in 1884 in New South Wales, Australia. Their first official international match was in 1903 against Australia in Sydney. The next year, New Zealand played their first home game against a British Isles team in Wellington. In 1905, they went on a long tour of Europe and North America. They played 34 games and lost only one, their first international loss, against Wales.

New Zealand's early uniforms were a black jersey with a silver fern and white shorts. By the 1905 tour, they wore all black, except for the silver fern. The name "All Blacks" became popular around this time.

Before every match, the team performs a haka. This is a traditional Māori challenge or dance. The All Blacks usually perform Te Rauparaha's haka Ka Mate. Since 2005, they have also sometimes performed Kapa o Pango.

History of the All Blacks

How Rugby Started in New Zealand

Rugby union, often just called "rugby" in New Zealand, was brought to the country by Charles John Monro in 1870. He learned the sport while studying in England. The first recorded rugby game in New Zealand happened in May 1870 in Nelson. It was played between the Nelson rugby club and Nelson College.

The first group to organize rugby in a region, the Canterbury Rugby Football Union, started in 1879. New Zealand's first international games were in 1882. This was when the "Waratahs" from New South Wales, Australia, toured the country. The Australian team played against seven local New Zealand teams, winning four games and losing three. Two years later, the first New Zealand team traveled overseas to New South Wales. They won all eight of their games.

A British team, which later became the British & Irish Lions, toured New Zealand in 1888. They only played against local teams, not a New Zealand national team.

Starting International Games

In 1892, the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) was formed. The first official New Zealand team toured New South Wales in 1893. This team, led by Thomas Ellison, won nine out of ten matches. The next year, New Zealand played its first home international game, losing to New South Wales.

The team's first true international match was against Australia on August 15, 1903. It took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground with over 30,000 fans watching. New Zealand won the game 22–3.

A New Zealand team first toured the British Isles in 1905. This team is now known as the "Originals". The name "All Blacks" became popular during this tour. Some say a London newspaper mistakenly wrote "All Blacks" when they meant "all backs." However, the team was probably called the "Blacks" before they even left New Zealand because of their black uniforms. The tour certainly made the name famous.

The Originals played 35 matches on their tour. Their only loss was a 0–3 defeat to Wales in Cardiff. This match is famous in both countries because of a debate. It was unclear if All Black Bob Deans had scored a try that would have made the game a 3–3 draw.

The success of the Originals led to some problems for the amateur NZRFU. In 1907, a group of professional players toured the British Isles to play rugby league. This was a new professional version of rugby union. When these players, known as the "All Golds", returned, they started rugby league in New Zealand. Many rugby union players then switched to the professional game.

To promote amateur rugby, an Anglo-Welsh team toured New Zealand in 1908. New Zealand beat them 2–0 in a three-game series.

Building a Legacy

International rugby stopped during the First World War. After the war, a New Zealand Services team played in Europe. They then toured South Africa. This trip led to a South African team touring New Zealand in 1921. The Springboks, as the South African team is called, played New Zealand in a series that ended in a draw. New Zealand toured South Africa in 1928, and that series also ended in a draw.

The 1924 All Blacks who toured the British Isles and France were called "the Invincibles". This was because they won every game. However, they couldn't achieve a "grand slam" (beating all four Home Nations). Scotland refused to play them.

The first British Isles team since 1908 toured New Zealand in 1930. The Lions won the first game, but New Zealand won the series 3–1. New Zealand toured the British Isles again in 1935–36. They lost only three games, including two international matches. In one of these losses, Alexander Obolensky scored two famous tries. This helped England win 13–0, their first win over New Zealand.

In 1937, South Africa toured New Zealand and won the series easily. This 1937 South African team was called the best team ever to leave New Zealand. New Zealand next played the Springboks in 1949 when they toured South Africa. New Zealand lost the series 0–4.

In 1949, while one All Black team was in South Africa, another Australian team toured New Zealand. This happened because Māori players were not allowed to go to South Africa due to apartheid. So, the Australian team played against a New Zealand team made up of Māori and reserve non-Māori players. The South Africans played against the best Pākehā (white) players. On September 3, 1949, New Zealand lost to Australia 6–11 in Wellington. New Zealand then lost their second game 9–16. This gave Australia their first Bledisloe Cup series win in New Zealand. 1949 was a very bad year for the All Blacks. They lost all six of their international matches.

The two losses in a row to South Africa made their 1956 tour of New Zealand highly anticipated. New Zealand won the series 3–1. This was their first series win over the Springboks. It was also the Springboks' first series loss that century. During this series, New Zealand introduced Don Clarke. They also brought back player Kevin Skinner to help win. Skinner, a former boxing champion, had retired from rugby. He was asked to return for the third and fourth games to deal with the strong South African players. Clarke became known as "The Boot" for his great kicking.

New Zealand's 3–1 series win over the Lions in 1959 started a very strong period for the All Blacks. This was followed by the 1963–64 tour to Britain and Ireland. New Zealand almost achieved a Grand Slam, but drew with Scotland. Their only loss on this tour was to Newport RFC. The 1967 team won three international games. They could not play Ireland due to a foot-and-mouth disease scare. This tour was part of New Zealand's longest winning streak, 17 international victories, between 1965 and 1970. This was the longest winning streak by any nation at the time.

New Zealand then lost the 1970 away series in South Africa. The 1966 Lions had lost 0–4 in New Zealand. But five years later, the 1971 Lions, led by Welshman John Dawes, beat New Zealand in a series. This is still the Lions' only series victory in New Zealand.

The 1972–73 tourists almost achieved a Grand Slam, drawing with Ireland. This tour is remembered for player Keith Murdoch being sent home after a fight in a Cardiff hotel.

In 1978, Graham Mourie led New Zealand to their first Grand Slam. This included a 13–12 win over Wales. That game caused debate after New Zealand won due to a late penalty. New Zealand's only loss on the tour was a famous 12–0 defeat by Irish team Munster at Thomond Park.

Controversial Tours

For the 1960 All Blacks tour of South Africa, the South African government insisted that Māori players not be included. This caused a lot of debate. The New Zealand Rugby Union refused to tour South Africa for the next 10 years. The 1970 tour only happened because Māori players were allowed as "honorary whites".

The 1976 All Blacks tour of South Africa, during apartheid, caused much controversy. It led to 33 African nations boycotting the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. This was because the IOC would not ban the New Zealand team. New Zealand again failed to win the series in South Africa. They did not win another series there until 1996, after apartheid ended. The 1976 tour helped lead to the Gleneagles Agreement in 1977. This agreement discouraged sports contact with South Africa.

The 1981 South African tour to New Zealand caused huge protests against South Africa's apartheid policy. The NZRU had invited the Springboks because the government did not want politics in sport. New Zealand won the series, but two games were cancelled. The whole tour was marked by violence and protests. The last game is sometimes called the "Flour Bomb test." An activist in a small plane dropped flour bombs and banners onto Auckland's Eden Park. This tour caused a lot of unrest in New Zealand society.

The 1985 All Blacks tour to South Africa was cancelled after legal action. In 1986, a rebel tour to South Africa happened without NZRU permission. This team, called the Cavaliers, included many All Blacks. Those who went on the tour were banned for two games by the NZRU when they returned.

Early World Cups

New Zealand hosted and won the first World Cup in 1987. They beat France 29–9 in the final. New Zealand let in only 52 points and scored 43 tries in six games. They beat Italy, Fiji, Argentina, Scotland, Wales, and France.

By the 1991 World Cup, New Zealand had an older team. After beating hosts England, they struggled against the United States and Italy. They won their quarter-final against Canada. But they were knocked out by eventual winners Australia 16–6 in the semi-final. After the tournament, many players retired, including coach Alex Wyllie.

Laurie Mains became coach in 1992. His job was to prepare the team for the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. New Zealand was a favorite to win. Their chances looked even better when a young Jonah Lomu scored four tries against England in the 45–29 semi-final win. They took hosts South Africa to extra time in the final, but lost 12–15 to a Joel Stransky drop goal.

Professional Rugby Era

Rugby union became professional in 1995. This was helped by the creation of the SANZAR group (South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia). This group was formed to sell TV rights for two new competitions: the Super 12 (club competition) and the Tri-Nations (international competition). The first Tri-Nations was held in 1996. New Zealand won all four of their games to take the trophy.

After a 1996 Tri-Nations match in South Africa, New Zealand won 29–18. This was followed by a separate three-game series between the two teams. Under new coach John Hart and captain Sean Fitzpatrick, New Zealand won a series in South Africa for the first time. Fitzpatrick said this series win was even better than the 1987 World Cup victory.

The next three seasons had mixed results for New Zealand. They won all their Tri-Nations games in 1997. But they lost the title for the first time in 1998. In 1998, New Zealand lost all five games in the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup series. This was the first time they had lost four games in a row since 1949. The next year, they had their worst loss ever, 7–28 to Australia in Sydney.

At the 1999 World Cup later that year, the All Blacks were strong in their pool. They beat England 30–16 at Twickenham. They beat Scotland 30–18 in the quarter-finals. Then they played France in the semi-final at Twickenham. New Zealand was ahead 17–10 at halftime. But France played an amazing second half and won 43–31. John Hart then resigned as coach.

Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert became co-coaches. Under them, New Zealand finished second in the 2000 and 2001 Tri-Nations. They did not win back the Bledisloe Cup, which they had lost in 1998. Both coaches were replaced by John Mitchell in October 2001. He led New Zealand to win both the 2002 and 2003 Tri-Nations. They also won back the Bledisloe Cup in 2003.

Despite losing to England earlier in the year, the All Blacks were favorites for the 2003 World Cup. They won all their pool games easily. They beat South Africa in their quarter-final 29–9, a team they had never beaten at the World Cup before. But they lost to Australia 10–22 in the semi-final in Sydney. After this, the NZRU ended Mitchell's contract. Graham Henry became the new national coach.

The Henry Era (2004-2011)

Graham Henry's time as coach started with two wins over the 2003 Rugby World Cup winners, England, in 2004. New Zealand won easily, keeping England from scoring any tries. The 2004 Tri-Nations was mixed, with two wins and two losses. New Zealand finished last in a very close competition. The 2004 season ended with three wins in Europe, including a big 45–6 win over France. Tana Umaga was the new captain.

In 2005, New Zealand hosted the British & Irish Lions. The Lions were led by English coach Clive Woodward. New Zealand won all three games easily. A young Dan Carter played brilliantly in the second game. The series had a controversial moment in the first game. Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll was injured after a tackle by Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu. O'Driscoll dislocated his shoulder and missed the rest of the tour. The incident caused a lot of debate.

That same year, New Zealand also won the Tri-Nations. They achieved their second Grand Slam over the Home Nations since 1978. They won many top awards from World Rugby. They were named Team of the Year, Henry was Coach of the Year, and Dan Carter was Player of the Year.

The next year, they won the Tri-Nations Series again. They won their first five games against Australia and South Africa. They lost their last game of the series to South Africa. They also won all their games on their end-of-year tour. They had big away wins over France, England, and Wales. New Zealand was named 2006 IRB Team of the Year. Richie McCaw, the new captain, was named IRB Player of the Year.

The 2007 season began with two wins against France. New Zealand won 42–11 and 61–10. They also beat Canada 64–13. New Zealand's first Tri-Nations game of 2007 was against the Springboks in South Africa. New Zealand scored two tries late in the game to win 26–21. The next week, Australia upset New Zealand 20–15. The All Blacks won their next home games to win the Tri-Nations Series for 2007.

New Zealand went into the 2007 Rugby World Cup as favorites. They won all their pool games by at least 40 points. But they then lost to hosts France in the quarter-finals in Cardiff. After this loss, coach Graham Henry's job was debated, but he was reappointed.

The 2008 season started with three wins against Ireland and England. New Zealand played their first Tri-Nations game against South Africa in Wellington, winning 19–8. But a week later, they lost to South Africa 28–30. This ended a 30-game winning streak at home. New Zealand then lost to Australia 19–34 in Sydney. But a week later, they beat Australia 39–10 in New Zealand. They then beat South Africa 19–0. New Zealand won their final game against Australia 28–24. They kept the Bledisloe Cup and won the Tri-Nations.

The All Blacks started the 2009 season with a 22–27 loss to France. But they beat France 14–10 a week later. They finished second in the Tri-Nations Series, behind South Africa. They ended the series with a 33–6 win over Australia.

In 2010, the All Blacks won the Tri-Nations Series for the tenth time. They won three games in a row against South Africa. They also won the Bledisloe Cup after two wins against Australia. Their winning streak reached 15 games. They lost the 2011 Tri-Nations after a loss to Australia. But they were still favorites for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks won all their pool games. After beating Argentina and Australia, they faced France in the final. New Zealand scored one try and a penalty to win a very close game 8–7. Henry stepped down as coach after the World Cup. His assistant, Steve Hansen, took over.

The Hansen Era (2012-2019)

The Tri-Nations added Argentina in 2012 and was renamed The Rugby Championship. The All Blacks won every game in the first tournament. They were unbeaten all year until their last game, where they lost to England. In 2013, New Zealand hosted France for three games. They won all three. They then won every game in the 2013 Rugby Championship. In November 2013, New Zealand became the first rugby nation to win every game in a calendar year in the professional era.

At the 2014 Rugby Championship, the All Blacks drew with Australia and lost to South Africa away. But they won the other four games and the tournament. In the shorter 2015 Rugby Championship, the All Blacks lost to Australia and finished second. However, they won the second Bledisloe game against Australia to keep the trophy. The team entered the 2015 Rugby World Cup and won all their pool games again. They beat France 62–13 in the quarter-finals. They beat South Africa 20–18 in the semi-finals. They beat Australia 34–17 in the final. This made them the first nation to win the World Cup twice in a row and the first to win it three times.

The All Blacks won every game in the 2016 Rugby Championship. They earned bonus points in each match. Kieran Read was the new captain, and Ben Smith was vice-captain. Smith and Israel Dagg were the top try scorers with five each. Beauden Barrett was the top points scorer with 81. In late 2016, the All Blacks lost to Ireland for the first time ever, 29–40, in Chicago. New Zealand got revenge by beating Ireland 21–9 in Dublin two weeks later.

In 2017, the British & Irish Lions toured New Zealand. The series ended in a 1–1–1 draw. The All Blacks won the first game 30–15. The Lions won the second game 24–21. The final game was a 15–15 draw. This series also had some controversies. Some media said the All Blacks were losing their edge. But they went on to win the Rugby Championship 2017 season. They also kept the Bledisloe Cup by beating Australia twice. In October, New Zealand had a surprise 18–23 loss to Australia. The All Blacks finished 2017 with wins over the Barbarians, France, Scotland, and Wales.

At the start of the 2018 season, the All Blacks beat France 3–0 in a series. They won their first Rugby Championship games against Australia 38–13 and 40–12 to keep the Bledisloe Cup. They easily beat Argentina 46–24. However, the All Blacks then lost at home to South Africa for the first time since 2009, 34–36. They beat Argentina again 35–17. In the return game against South Africa, the All Blacks came back late to win 32–30. They then beat Australia 37–20 to win the Bledisloe Cup completely for the year. A development team beat Japan 69–31. The main team traveled to Europe. That series was tough. They had a close 16–15 win over England. Then they lost to Ireland 9–16 in Dublin. They finished their season with a big 66–3 win over Italy.

2019 was a mixed year. They had a close 16–20 win over Argentina and a 16–16 draw against South Africa. But the next week, they had their joint worst loss ever, 26–47 to Australia. This happened after Scott Barrett was sent off. They got back on track with a 36–0 win over Australia to keep the Bledisloe Cup. They finished their season with a 92–7 win against Tonga.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup saw New Zealand beat South Africa 23–13. They also had big wins over Canada and Namibia. In the quarter-final, they beat Ireland 46–14. But their run ended in the semi-finals with a 7–19 loss to England. This stopped their chance of winning a third World Cup in a row. This was their first World Cup loss in 20 matches over twelve years. New Zealand finished third after beating Wales 40–17. Steve Hansen retired after the World Cup. Many experienced players also retired. Ian Foster became the new All Blacks coach.

The Foster Era (2020-2023)

2020 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Rugby Championship was cancelled. Instead, a Tri-Nations tournament was held. Before that, two Bledisloe Cup warm-up games were played. The first was a 16–16 draw, and the second was a 27–7 win for New Zealand. They then traveled to Australia for the Tri-Nations. They started by winning the Bledisloe Cup with a 43–5 victory over Australia. But they lost to Australia a week later (22–24). The All Blacks then lost to Argentina (15–25) a week later. This was their first ever loss to Argentina. It was also the first time they had lost two international matches in a row since 2011. Two weeks later, a 38–0 win against Argentina helped the All Blacks win the Tri-Nations. They ended the 2020 season with three wins, two losses, and one draw.

2021 The All Blacks started 2021 by easily beating Tonga (102–0). They then had two wins against Fiji (57–23 and 60–13). They began their Bledisloe Cup campaign by beating Australia (33–25). The All Blacks then beat Australia two more times (57–22 and 38–21) to keep the Bledisloe Cup. They beat Argentina twice by large scores. Against South Africa, they won one game (19–17) in their 100th match against each other. But the Springboks won a week later (31–29). They kept the Freedom Cup and won the Rugby Championship with five wins and one loss. On their first tour to the Northern Hemisphere since 2018, the All Blacks played five matches. They won three and lost two. They beat the United States (104–14), Wales (54–16), and Italy (47–9). They then lost two games in a row against Ireland (20–29) and France (25–40). This was the first time since 1998 that they ended their season with two straight losses in consecutive weeks.

2022 In July 2022, the All Blacks hosted Ireland for a three-game series. New Zealand won the first game (42–19). But they lost the second (12–23) and third (22–32) games. This was the first time Ireland had beaten the All Blacks at home twice in a row and won a series against them. This also marked the third season in a row that the All Blacks lost two international matches back-to-back. This led to changes in their coaching staff. They started their Rugby Championship campaign with a loss to South Africa (10–26). This was their third loss in a row. But they came back the next week with a win (35–23) to keep the Freedom Cup. They lost to Argentina (18–25) for the first time in New Zealand. But they bounced back with a 53–3 victory a week later. They then beat Australia in a close game (39–37), keeping the Bledisloe Cup. The All Blacks beat Australia again (40–14) in Auckland. On their end-of-year tour, they beat Japan (38–31), Wales (55–23), Scotland (31–23), but drew against England (25–25). The All Blacks finished with eight wins, four losses, and one draw. This was their worst win/loss record since 1998.

2023 In 2023, the All Blacks won the shorter Rugby Championship. They beat Argentina (41–12), South Africa (35–20), and Australia (38–7). They also kept the Freedom Cup and the Bledisloe Cup. In a warm-up game in London, the All Blacks lost to South Africa (7–35). This was their worst ever defeat in their 120-year history. At the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks lost their first ever pool stage game. They were beaten by hosts France (13–27). But they beat all other teams in their pool: Namibia (71–3), Italy (96–17), and Uruguay (73–0). They qualified for the quarter-finals. They beat Ireland in the quarters (28–24). They beat Argentina (44–6) in the semi-final. But they lost to the Springboks (11–12) in the final. South Africa became the first nation to win four World Cups. New Zealand ended their season with nine wins and three losses. This was the end of the Ian Foster era.

The Robertson Era (2024-Present)

After the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Scott Robertson became the head coach on November 1, 2023. Robertson's first game as head coach was against England in 2024. Robertson's All Blacks team beat England 16–15 in Dunedin.

Uniform

The current New Zealand jersey is tight-fitting and all black. It has sponsors' logos and the NZRU silver fern on the chest. But black was not always New Zealand's color. During the 1884 tour of Australia, the team wore a dark blue jersey with a gold fern. In 1893, the New Zealand Rugby Union said the uniform would be a black jersey with a silver fern and white shorts. By 1901, the team wore an all-black uniform for the first time. This included a black jersey with no collar and black shorts.

In 2006, New Zealand wore a remembrance poppy on their jersey sleeve. This was when they played France during their end-of-year tour. The poppy honors the ANZAC soldiers who died in war. Captain Richie McCaw said, "We want to honor the overseas service of New Zealanders. It is an important part of our history as a country and a team."

During the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the Webb Ellis Cup was sewn onto the sleeve of the All Blacks' jerseys. The year '1987' was below it, showing their past World Cup win. All four teams that had won the cup before had this detail on their jerseys.

Kit Suppliers

Canterbury supplied kits to New Zealand from 1924 to 1999. Then, Adidas paid $70 million to supply clothes and shoes for five years. In 2003, Adidas renewed this contract for $200 million over nine years. They expected New Zealand to win about 75% of their games. This deal was extended to 2019 and then again to 2023.

Period	Kit manufacturer
1924–1999	Canterbury
1999–present	Adidas

Kit Sponsors

Steinlager was the first sponsor on the All Blacks' jersey, from 1994 to 1999. In 2012, AIG became the first sponsor on the center-front of the jersey. This deal was worth about $80 million over five years. AIG extended this sponsorship to 2021. After AIG left, the Altrad Group [fr] became the new main sponsor from 2022. This six-year deal is reportedly worth over $120 million.

Haka

The All Blacks perform a haka (a Māori challenge dance) before every international match. This tradition has been linked to New Zealand rugby since the New Zealand Natives toured in 1888 and 1889. The 1888–89 team used Ake Ake Kia Kaha. The 1903 team used a mocking haka, Tupoto koe, Kangaru!. In 1905, the All Blacks started using Ka Mate. This haka was created in the 19th century by Te Rauparaha, a leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe. The 1924 All Blacks used a special haka, Ko Niu Tireni, but later teams went back to Ka Mate.

In August 2005, before a game against South Africa, the All Blacks performed a new haka, Kapa o Pango. This haka was created by Derek Lardelli. It was meant to show the many cultures in New Zealand today, especially the Polynesian influence. Kapa o Pango was not meant to replace Ka Mate. It was only for special occasions.

In November 2006, in Wales, the All Blacks performed the haka in their changing room. This was instead of on the field before the game. It happened after a disagreement with the Welsh Rugby Union. They wanted Wales to sing their national anthem right after the haka. In 2008, New Zealand played Munster. Before the game, Munster's four New Zealand players did their own haka before the All Blacks started theirs. On the same tour, Wales stood silently after New Zealand's haka. The two teams stared at each other until the referee made them start the game.

Team Record

Overall Performance

Men's World Rugby Rankings
Top 20 rankings as of 12 July, 2021
Rank	Change*	Team	Points
1		South Africa	094.20
2		New Zealand	088.95
3		England	085.44
4		Ireland	084.85
5	2	Australia	083.90
6	1	France	083.45
7	1	Wales	082.82
8		Scotland	082.02
9		Argentina	080.92
10		Japan	079.13
11		Fiji	076.87
12		Georgia	073.73
13	1	Samoa	071.88
14	1	Italy	070.65
15	2	Tonga	070.28
16		United States	068.10
17		Uruguay	067.02
18		Romania	066.22
19		Spain	064.82
20	1	Portugal	063.90
21	1	Russia	062.71
22		Hong Kong	061.23
23		Canada	061.11
24		Netherlands	059.30
25		Namibia	059.04
26		Brazil	056.32
27		Belgium	056.16
28	1	Chile	055.20
28	1	Switzerland	054.12
30		Germany	053.13
*Change from the previous week
New Zealand's historical rankings
Source: World Rugby - Graph updated to 19 July 2021

New Zealand has only been beaten by seven other national teams. They have also drawn with Scotland. They are the only international team to have a winning record against every nation they have played. They have won 498 out of 650 international matches (about 76.6% wins). They have lost at home only 43 times. Since World Rankings started in October 2003, New Zealand has been ranked number one for most of the time. From 2000 to 2009, New Zealand won 100 international games (92% of their total games).

New Zealand's longest winning streak is 18 international victories. This is a world record for top-tier teams. They achieved this between 2015 and 2016. In 2013, they won every international game they played in a year. The All Blacks hold the record for most consecutive international wins at home, with 47 wins between 2009 and 2017. Their longest unbeaten streak is 23 games (from 1987 to 1990), with one game being a draw.

Their total points in international games are 18,568 scored and 8,933 against (as of November 16, 2024). Many national rugby teams have had their biggest losses when playing against New Zealand. These include Argentina (91–8), Fiji (91–0), France (61–10), Ireland (60–0), Japan (145–17), Portugal (108–13), Samoa (101–14), South Africa (57–0), Tonga (102–0, twice), and the British and Irish Lions (38–6). The All Blacks' biggest win was 145–17 against Japan in 1995. Their heaviest loss was 7–35 to the Springboks in 2023.

Rugby World Cup Performance

Rugby World Cup
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	Squad
1987	Champions	6	6	0	0	298	52	Squad
1991	Third place	6	5	0	1	143	74	Squad
1995	Runners-up	6	5	0	1	327	119	Squad
1999	Fourth place	6	4	0	2	255	111	Squad
2003	Third place	7	6	0	1	361	101	Squad
2007	Quarter-finals	5	4	0	1	327	55	Squad
2011	Champions	7	7	0	0	301	72	Squad
2015	Champions	7	7	0	0	290	97	Squad
2019	Third place	6	5	0	1	250	72	Squad
2023
Total	Champions	56	49	0	7	2552	753
Champions       Runners-up       Third place       Fourth place Home venue

New Zealand has won the World Cup three times. They won the first World Cup in 1987, beating France. They beat France again in the 2011 final, which was also in New Zealand. Most recently, they beat Australia in England in 2015. This made them the first team to win the World Cup two times in a row. They are also the first to win it three times.

In 1991, they lost their semi-final to Australia. They then won the game for third place. In 1995, they reached the final but lost in extra time to hosts South Africa. They finished fourth in 1999 after losing their semi-final and the third-place game. In 2003, Australia knocked New Zealand out in the semi-final. New Zealand finished third. The 2007 World Cup was their worst tournament. They were knocked out in the quarter-finals by hosts France. Before this, they were the only team to have reached the semi-finals of every tournament.

In 2019, they lost in the semi-finals to England (7–19). They finished third after beating Wales (40–17). In 2023, the All Blacks lost to the Springboks (11–12) in the final. The All Blacks had won every World Cup pool game they played until September 8, 2023. That's when they lost their first ever pool game in the opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup against hosts France. They have finished top of their pool in 9 out of 10 tournaments.

New Zealand holds several World Cup records:

• Most World Cup matches played (63).
• Most points in one match (145 against Japan in 1995).
• Most total points over all World Cups (2,888).
• Most tries overall (396).
• Most conversions (289).
• Most points scored in the first half of a knockout game (29, against France 2015).
• Largest knockout win margin (49) in the same match.
• Most consecutive wins at a World Cup, with 18 straight wins (from 2011 to 2019).

Several individual players also hold World Cup records:

• Jonah Lomu for most World Cup tries (15 over two World Cups), tied with South Africa's Bryan Habana.
• Marc Ellis with most tries in a match (6 against Japan in 1995).
• Grant Fox with most points in one tournament (126 in 1987).
• Simon Culhane with most points in a single game (45 against Japan in 1995).

Tri Nations and The Rugby Championship

New Zealand's main yearly tournament is against other top teams from the Southern Hemisphere. From 1996 to 2011, they played in the Tri Nations against Australia and South Africa. In 2012, Argentina joined, and the competition was renamed The Rugby Championship. New Zealand has won this tournament 20 times (most recently in 2023). They have won 103 matches, which is more than any other team. The Bledisloe Cup is played between New Zealand and Australia. The Freedom Cup is played between New Zealand and South Africa. Both are part of the Tri Nations and The Rugby Championship.

Tri Nations (1996–2011; 2020)
Nation	Matches				Points			Bonus points	Table points	Titles won
	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD
New Zealand	76	52	0	24	2,054	1,449	+605	35	243	11
Australia	76	30	3	43	1,591	1,817	−226	34	160	3
South Africa	72	28	1	43	1,480	1,831	−351	24	138	3
Argentina	4	1	2	1	56	84	–28	0	8	0
Source:  lassen.co.nz – Tri-Nations, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa Bonus points given by T – 4W − 2D, for T table points, W games won and D games drawn.

Rugby Championship (since 2012)
Nation	Matches				Points			Bonus points	Table points	Titles won
	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD
New Zealand	54	45	2	7	1,865	1,020	+876	34	219	8
Australia	54	25	3	26	1,254	1,445	−183	12	126	1
South Africa	54	26	4	24	1,364	1,221	+163	25	137	1
Argentina	54	7	1	46	969	1,774	−828	11	42	0
Updated: 25 September 2022 Source:  lassen.co.nz – TRC, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa Bonus points given by T – 4W − 2D, for T table points, W games won and D games drawn.

All-time Tri Nations and Rugby Championship Table (since 1996)
Nation	Matches				Points			Bonus points	Table points	Titles won
	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD
New Zealand	130	97	2	31	3,919	2,469	+1,481	69	462	19
Australia	130	55	6	69	2,845	3,262	−409	46	286	4
South Africa	126	54	5	67	2,844	3,052	−514	49	275	4
Argentina	58	8	3	47	1,025	1,858	−856	11	50	0
Updated: 25 September 2022 Bonus points given by T – 4W − 2D, for T table points, W games won and D games drawn.

Players

Current Squad

On October 7, 2024, New Zealand announced their 36-player squad for the Northern tour. On October 16, 2024, Peter Lakai and Josh Lord joined the squad due to injuries to other players. On November 4, 2024, Brodie McAlister and Harry Plummer were called into the squad for injury cover. Billy Proctor returned to New Zealand for family reasons.

Head Coach: Scott Robertson

• Caps updated to: November 23, 2024

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Franchise / province
Aumua, AsafoAsafo Aumua	Hooker	(1997-05-05) 5 May 1997 (age 28)	20	Hurricanes / Wellington
Bell, GeorgeGeorge Bell	Hooker	(2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 (age 23)	3	Crusaders / Canterbury
McAlister, BrodieBrodie McAlister	Hooker	(1997-06-17) 17 June 1997 (age 28)	0	Crusaders / Canterbury
Taylor, CodieCodie Taylor	Hooker	(1991-03-31) 31 March 1991 (age 34)	96	Crusaders / Canterbury
de Groot, EthanEthan de Groot	Prop	(1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 (age 26)	29	Highlanders / Southland
Lomax, TyrelTyrel Lomax	Prop	(1996-03-16) 16 March 1996 (age 29)	44	Hurricanes / Tasman
Newell, FletcherFletcher Newell	Prop	(2000-02-01) 1 February 2000 (age 25)	22	Crusaders / Canterbury
Tosi, PasilioPasilio Tosi	Prop	(1998-07-18) 18 July 1998 (age 26)	7	Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty
Tuʻungafasi, OfaOfa Tuʻungafasi	Prop	(1992-04-19) 19 April 1992 (age 33)	68	Blues / Northland
Williams, TamaitiTamaiti Williams	Prop	(2000-08-10) 10 August 2000 (age 24)	18	Crusaders / Canterbury
Barrett, ScottScott Barrett (c)	Lock	(1993-11-20) 20 November 1993 (age 31)	80	Crusaders / Taranaki
Darry, SamSam Darry	Lock	(2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 24)	6	Blues / Canterbury
Lord, JoshJosh Lord	Lock	(2001-01-17) 17 January 2001 (age 24)	7	Chiefs / Taranaki
Tuipulotu, PatrickPatrick Tuipulotu	Lock	(1993-01-23) 23 January 1993 (age 32)	51	Blues / Auckland
Vaa'i, TupouTupou Vaa'i	Lock	(2000-01-27) 27 January 2000 (age 25)	38	Chiefs / Taranaki
Cane, SamSam Cane	Loose forward	(1992-01-13) 13 January 1992 (age 33)	104	Chiefs / Bay of Plenty
Finau, SamipeniSamipeni Finau	Loose forward	(1999-05-10) 10 May 1999 (age 26)	8	Chiefs / Waikato
Savea, ArdieArdie Savea	Loose forward	(1993-10-14) 14 October 1993 (age 31)	93	Hurricanes / Wellington
Lakai, PeterPeter Lakai	Loose forward	(2003-03-04) 4 March 2003 (age 22)	3	Hurricanes / Wellington
Sititi, WallaceWallace Sititi	Loose forward	(2002-09-07) 7 September 2002 (age 22)	10	Chiefs / North Harbour
Perenara, TJTJ Perenara	Half-back	(1992-01-23) 23 January 1992 (age 33)	89	Hurricanes / Wellington
Roigard, CamCam Roigard	Half-back	(2000-11-16) 16 November 2000 (age 24)	10	Hurricanes / Counties Manukau
Ratima, CortezCortez Ratima	Half-back	(2001-03-22) 22 March 2001 (age 24)	11	Chiefs / Waikato
Barrett, BeaudenBeauden Barrett	First five-eighth	(1991-05-27) 27 May 1991 (age 34)	134	Blues / Taranaki
McKenzie, DamianDamian McKenzie	First five-eighth	(1995-04-20) 20 April 1995 (age 30)	61	Chiefs / Waikato
Plummer, HarryHarry Plummer	First five-eighth	(1998-06-19) 19 June 1998 (age 27)	1	Blues / Auckland
Barrett, JordieJordie Barrett	Centre	(1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 28)	68	Hurricanes / Taranaki
Havili, DavidDavid Havili	Centre	(1994-12-23) 23 December 1994 (age 30)	30	Crusaders / Tasman
Ioane, RiekoRieko Ioane	Centre	(1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 (age 28)	81	Blues / Auckland
Lienert-Brown, AntonAnton Lienert-Brown	Centre	(1995-04-15) 15 April 1995 (age 30)	83	Chiefs / Waikato
Clarke, CalebCaleb Clarke	Wing	(1999-03-29) 29 March 1999 (age 26)	28	Blues / Auckland
Reece, SevuSevu Reece	Wing	(1997-02-13) 13 February 1997 (age 28)	32	Crusaders / Southland
Tele'a, MarkMark Tele'a	Wing	(1996-12-06) 6 December 1996 (age 28)	19	Blues / North Harbour
Jordan, WillWill Jordan	Fullback	(1998-02-24) 24 February 1998 (age 27)	41	Crusaders / Tasman
Love, RubenRuben Love	Fullback	(2001-04-28) 28 April 2001 (age 24)	1	Hurricanes / Wellington
Perofeta, StephenStephen Perofeta	Fullback	(1997-03-12) 12 March 1997 (age 28)	6	Blues / Taranaki

Famous Players

Nineteen former All Blacks are in the World Rugby Hall of Fame. These include Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, and Jonah Lomu.

Joe Warbrick played for New Zealand in 1884. He is best known for leading the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team. This team played 107 games and was the first New Zealand team to wear black uniforms and perform a haka.

Dave Gallaher played in New Zealand's first international game in 1903. He also captained the 1905 Originals. George Nēpia, at only 19, played in all 30 games of the "Invincibles" tour in 1924–25.

Sir Fred Allen captained all 21 of his games for New Zealand between 1946 and 1949. He later coached New Zealand from 1966 to 1968. New Zealand won all 14 of their international matches with Allen as coach.

Five Hall of Fame players, including the first New Zealander inducted, played in the 1960s. Don Clarke played from 1956 to 1964. He broke the record for All Black international points at the time. Sir Wilson Whineray played 32 international games, captaining 30 of them. New Zealand lost only four of their 30 international games with Whineray as captain. In 2007, Whineray was the first New Zealander to join the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

Colin Meads, nicknamed Pinetree, played 133 games for New Zealand, including 55 international matches. In 1999, a magazine named Meads the New Zealand player of the century. Ian Kirkpatrick played 39 international games, scoring 16 tries.

Graham Mourie captained 19 of his 21 international games. In 1978, he led the first All Blacks team to complete a Grand Slam.

The 1987 World Cup champions were coached by Sir Brian Lochore. He played for New Zealand in 25 international games. He was knighted in 1999 for his work in rugby. Four players from his 1987 World Cup team are also in the Hall of Fame. Sir John Kirwan played 63 international games, scoring 35 tries. In the 1987 World Cup opener, Kirwan scored a famous 90-meter try against Italy.

Grant Fox played from 1984 to 1993. He was one of New Zealand's best point-scorers with 1067 points. Fox played 46 international games, including the 1987 World Cup final. Michael Jones was a great player. He played 55 international games for New Zealand. Due to his Christian faith, Jones never played rugby on Sundays. This meant he missed the 1991 World Cup semi-final.

For many years, Sean Fitzpatrick was the most capped All Black, with 92 appearances. He played in the 1987 World Cup. He became All Blacks captain in 1992 and retired in 1997.

Jonah Lomu is often called the first true global superstar of rugby union. He was the youngest player to play an international game for the All Blacks, at 19 years old in 1994. Lomu was very tall and heavy for a back player, but he could run 100 meters very fast. He became famous at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, scoring seven tries. Four of those tries were in the semi-final win over England. He scored eight more tries in the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Lomu played most of his career with a serious kidney problem. This ended his international career in 2002. Even with his health issues, he scored 37 tries in 63 international games.

Player Records

The record for most international points for any nation is held by Dan Carter. He scored 1,598 points in 112 international games. He passed Andrew Mehrtens' All Black record of 967 points in 2009. Carter also holds the record for points against Australia with 366.

The All Blacks' record international try scorer is Doug Howlett with 49 tries. He passed Christian Cullen's 46 tries during the 2007 World Cup. The world record for tries in a calendar year is held by Joe Rokocoko, with 17 tries in 2003. He was also the first All Black to score ten tries in his first five international games.

The most capped All Black in international matches is Sam Whitelock with 153 caps. The record for most international games as captain is held by Richie McCaw with 110. The youngest All Black in an international match was Jonah Lomu, at 19 years and 45 days old. The oldest international player was Ned Hughes at 40 years and 123 days.

Award Winners

The following New Zealand players have won awards at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:

• Dan Carter: World Rugby Player of the Year (2005, 2012, 2015).
• Richie McCaw: World Rugby Player of the Year (2006, 2009, 2010).
• Kieran Read: World Rugby Player of the Year (2013).
• Brodie Retallick: World Rugby Player of the Year (2014).
• Beauden Barrett: World Rugby Player of the Year (2016, 2017).
• Ardie Savea: World Rugby Player of the Year (2023).
• Nehe Milner-Skudder: World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year (2015).
• Rieko Ioane: World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year (2017).
• Will Jordan: World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year (2021).
• Mark Tele'a: World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year (2023).
• Beauden Barrett: World Rugby Try of the Year (2013).
• Julian Savea: World Rugby Try of the Year (2015).
• Brodie Retallick: World Rugby Try of the Year (2018).
• TJ Perenara: World Rugby Try of the Year (2019).

Coaches

The table below lists every head coach of the All Blacks from 1949 to today. All All Black head coaches have been from New Zealand. Scott Robertson is the current head coach, starting in 2024.

Name	Years	Tests	Won	Lost	Draw	Win %	All Black No.
Alex McDonald	1949	4	0	4	0	0%	128
Tom Morrison	1950, 55–56	12	8	3	1	66.7%	441
Len Clode	1951	3	3	0	0	100%	-
Arthur Marslin	1953–1954	5	3	2	0	60%	-
Dick Everest	1957	2	2	0	0	100%	-
Jack Sullivan	1958–1960	11	6	4	1	54.5%	428
Neil McPhail	1961–1965	20	16	2	2	80%	-
Ron Bush	1962	2	2	0	0	100%	-
Fred Allen	1966–1968	14	14	0	0	100%	449
Ivan Vodanovich	1969–1971	10	4	5	1	40%	568
Bob Duff	1972–1973	8	6	1	1	75%	523
JJ Stewart	1974–1976	11	6	4	1	54.5%	-
Jack Gleeson	1977–1978	13	10	3	0	76.9%	-
Eric Watson	1979–1980	9	5	4	0	55.6%	-
Peter Burke	1981–1982	11	9	2	0	81.8%	534
Bryce Rope	1983–1984	12	9	2	1	75%	-
Brian Lochore	1985–1987	18	14	3	1	77.8%	637
Alex Wyllie	1988–1991	29	25	3	1	86.2%	688
Laurie Mains	1992–1995	34	23	10	1	67.6%	697
John Hart	1996–1999	41	31	9	1	75.6%	-
Wayne Smith	2000–2001	17	12	5	0	70.6%	806
John Mitchell	2002–2003	28	23	4	1	82.1%	940
Graham Henry	2004–2011	103	88	15	0	85.4%	-
Steve Hansen	2012–2019	107	93	10	4	86.9%	-
Ian Foster	2020–2023	46	32	12	2	69.6%	-
Scott Robertson	2024–	13	9	4	0	69.2%	974

Award Winners

The following All Blacks head coaches have won awards at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:

• Graham Henry: World Rugby Coach of the Year (2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011).
• Steve Hansen: World Rugby Coach of the Year (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016).

Home Grounds

Like other big rugby nations, New Zealand does not have one official stadium for its national team. Instead, the All Blacks play their international games at many different stadiums across New Zealand.

Before Westpac Stadium was built in 1999, Wellington's main stadium was Athletic Park. This was where the first All Blacks international game in New Zealand was played in 1904. The first home international game played outside the main cities (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, or Wellington) was in 1996 at McLean Park in Napier.

Eden Park and Lancaster Park were updated for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. By then, the NZRU decided Carisbrook was not suitable for international games. A new covered stadium, Forsyth Barr Stadium, was built in Dunedin as a replacement.

Ground	First Test	Last Test	Tests Held	Win%	Last Loss
Athletic Park, Wellington, North Island	1904 v British Lions	1999 v France	42	72%	25 July 1998
Tahuna Park, Dunedin, South Island	1905 v Australia	(1905)	1	100%	N/A
Potter's Park, Auckland, North Island	1908 v British Lions	(1908)	1	100%	N/A
Carisbrook, Dunedin, South Island	1908 v British Lions	2011 v Fiji	38	85%	13 June 2009
Lancaster Park, Christchurch, South Island	1913 v Australia	2010 v Australia	48	81%	1 August 1998
Christchurch Stadium, Christchurch, South Island	2012 v Ireland	2022 v Argentina	5	80%	27 August 2022
Eden Park, Auckland, North Island	1921 v South Africa	2024 v Argentina	93	87%	3 July 1994
Epsom Showgrounds, Auckland, North Island	1958 v Australia	(1958)	1	100%	N/A
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, South Island	2012 v South Africa	2024 v England	10	90%	9 July 2022
McLean Park, Napier, North Island	1996 v Western Samoa	2014 v Argentina	2	100%	N/A
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, North Island	2021 v Tonga	2023 v South Africa	2	100%	N/A
North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, North Island	1997 v Fiji	2017 v South Africa	7	100%	N/A
Rugby Park, Hamilton, North Island	1997 v Argentina	(1997)	1	100%	N/A
Sky Stadium, Wellington, North Island	2000 v Australia	2024 v Australia	29	75%	10 August 2024
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, North Island	2002 v Italy	2022 v Argentina	15	93%	12 October 2009
Taranaki Stadium, New Plymouth, North Island	2008 v Samoa	2017 v Argentina	4	100%	N/A
Trafalgar Park, Nelson, South Island	2018 v Argentina	(2018)	1	100%	N/A
Total			300	84.1%

Images for kids

• 

  Police outside Eden Park prior to a New Zealand match during the 1981 Springbok tour.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de rugby de Nueva Zelanda para niños