rugby

Natives' Rugby Tour, 1888-89

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  The title of 'The Originals' was bestowed on the next New Zealand rugby team to tour Britain, that of 1905-6, but even though it was soon forgotten, the Natives' tour was to have enduring significance for New Zealand rugby and society.

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• Page 2 – Rugby in 1888

  The rugby played by the Natives was different from the game we know today.

• Page 3 – Maori and rugby

  In 1872, 'Wirihana' became the first recorded Maori rugby player when he turned out for Wanganui

• Page 4 – Preparations

  In the absence of any body regulating the game in New Zealand, Eyton was free to promote a tour of Britain as a private venture

• Page 5 – The 'Noble Maori' arrive

  After playing nine matches in New Zealand and two in Melbourne in the southern winter of 1888 (with only two losses), the Natives set off for Britain by steamer.

• Page 6 – Daily routines

  Between their first and last matches in Britain, the Natives played on average every 2.3 days.

• Page 7 – Unsporting behaviour?

  Although hacking and tripping had been banned in the 1870s to make the game safe enough to appeal to gentlemen, rugby remained dangerous.

• Page 8 – Natives and northerners

  In 1888 the gentlemen who ran the Rugby Union (and the Empire) were based in southern England, and the England test was played in London. Yet the playing strength of the

• Page 9 – Rugby and society

  What effect did the Natives' tour have on rugby and wider New Zealand society? It showed that New Zealanders could compete on equal terms with representatives of the imperial

• Page 10 – Matches played

  Games and scores Total (rugby games only): played 107: won 78, drew 6, lost 23 Points for: 772; Points against: 305 In Britain: played 74: W49, D5, L20 Points for: 394; Points

• Page 11 – Further information

  This web feature was written by David Green and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team. Books

Sport, 1940-1960

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  The mid-century decades brought more mass participation in sport, the consolidation of many national competitions, and greater achievement at international level.

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• Page 1 - Sport in New Zealand 1940-1960 The mid-century decades brought more mass participation in sport, the consolidation of many national competitions, and greater achievement at international

1981 Springbok tour

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  For 56 days in July, August and September 1981, New Zealanders were divided against each other in the largest civil disturbance seen since the 1951 waterfront dispute. The cause of this was the visit of the South African rugby team – the Springboks.

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• Page 2 – All Blacks versus Springboks

  Since rugby went professional in 1995 countries like Australia, England and France have challenged New Zealand and South Africa's claims to be the two powerhouses of world

• Page 3 – Politics and sport

  South Africa's apartheid policies and attitudes created obvious problems for New Zealand rugby, given the prominence of Māori in the sport.

• Page 4 – Stopping the 1973 tour

  Keeping sport and politics separate was becoming increasingly difficult. In July 1969 HART (Halt All Racist Tours) was founded by University of Auckland students with the

• Page 5 – Gleneagles Agreement

  The All Blacks accepted an invitation to tour South Africa in 1976, when world attention was fixed on the republic because of the Soweto riots.

• Page 6 – Battle lines are drawn

  Tour supporters were determined that the first Springbok visit to New Zealand since 1965 would not be spoiled. The anti-tour movement was equally determined to show its

• Page 7 – Tour diary

  Select itinerary of the 1981 tour by the Springbok rugby team.

• Page 8 – Impact

  In Hamilton the protesters occupying the pitch had chanted 'The whole world is watching'. The same applied to New Zealand as a nation. Some believed the tour was an opportunity

1987 Rugby World Cup

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  In a country where rugby became a surrogate for religion, hosting and then winning the first Rugby World Cup was a big deal. The story of how the tournament came about mixes the worlds of sport, politics and money.

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• Page 2 – Origins of international rugby

  Before the 1987 Rugby World Cup and the professional era, rugby prided itself on extolling the virtues of friendly rivalry.

• Page 3 – The long road to the cup

  There were many obstacles along the road to the first Rugby World Cup.

• Page 4 – Organising the tournament

  The Rugby World Cup was set to take place in May or June 1987, and two venues in Australia and eight in New Zealand would hold games.

• Page 5 – A world cup at last

  With the staging of the Rugby World Cup, rugby had established itself as a commercial market, and the financial viability of the world cup concept was assured.

• Page 6 – Further information

  This web feature was written by David Green and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team. Links The 1987 Rugby World Cup includes match statistics for all games

Regional rugby

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  The passion and parochialism of provincial rugby helped give the game a special place in New Zealand’s social and sporting history. Read brief histories, highlights and quirky facts about each of New Zealand's 26 regional rugby teams.

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• Page 2 – Overview

  General overview of regional rugby in New Zealand, including timeline and table showing changes in scoring values

• Page 3 – Provincial competitions

  Overview of the Ranfurly Shield, the National Provincial Championship and other regional rugby competitions

• Page 4 – Northland rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Northland region

• Page 5 – North Harbour rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the North Harbour region

• Page 6 – Auckland rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Auckland region

• Page 7 – Counties Manukau rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Counties Manukau region

• Page 8 – Waikato rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Waikato region

• Page 9 – Thames Valley rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Thames valley region

• Page 11 – King Country rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the King Country region

• Page 12 – Taranaki rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Taranaki region

• Page 13 – East Coast rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the East Coast region

• Page 14 – Poverty Bay rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Poverty Bay region

• Page 16 – Whanganui rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Whanganui region

• Page 18 – Horowhenua Kapiti rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Horowhenua region

• Page 19 – Wairarapa Bush rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Wairarapa region

• Page 20 – Wellington rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Wellington region

• Page 22 – Tasman rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Tasman region

• Page 21 – Buller rugby

  Highlights from Buller rugby history

• Page 23 – West Coast rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the West Coast region

• Page 24 – Canterbury rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Canterbury region

• Page 25 – Mid Canterbury rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Mid Canterbury region

• Page 26 – South Canterbury rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the South Canterbury region

• Page 27 – North Otago rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the North Otago region

• Page 28 – Otago rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Otago region

• Page 29 – Southland rugby

  History and highlights of rugby in the Southland region

• Page 30 – Best year ever?

  Join the debate about the best year in the history of your region's rugby team

• Page 31 – Further information

  Further reading about New Zealand's regional rugby history

Māori rugby timeline

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  This timeline covers some of the key events and major players in the history of Māori rugby. It was compiled to mark the centenary of the first official New Zealand Māori team.

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• Page 2 – Further information

  Links and books for further reading about Maori rugby

Life in the 20th century

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  Exploration of everyday life in New Zealand from 1900 to the mid-1980s

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• Page 6 - AppearancesWe present ourselves to the world by the way we dress and wear our hair. Whether we have carefully selected from a full wardrobe or simply grabbed the first thing at hand, our