When you visit New Zealand and wish to play some sports, ensure you’re trained in rugby. New Zealand is home to rugby lovers; kids and adults play the sport at local parks and fields on weekends. The ones who do not play wear black shirts to support the game and cheer their team during the match.
Rugby is both a national identity and a national sport of New Zealand. According to Ian Jones, who is a former All-Black, Rugby is a way of life in the country.
Early History of Rugby in New Zealand
After the country was colonized in 1840, the British settled and brought the sport to New Zealand. Before Rugby’s introduction, the Maori played a game called Ki-o-Rahi with a woven flax ball. Aussie rules applied this game before the settlers arrived in New Zealand and adopted a different way of playing the game and named it rugby. However, once rugby was introduced, people played it every day after a hard day’s work. Since the game is similar to Ki-o-Rahi, it was well-received by the lot.
The first official rugby game was played in May 1870 in Nelson, which is a provincial city on the South Island. The rugby balls were initially made of inflated pig bladders, which is why they have distinctive oval shapes. However, over the years, the materials have improved and been replaced with polyester or rubber compounds. The balls for practice matches and training are generally made of a rubber mix, while they prefer a polyester substitute during international matches.
In 1884, the official rugby team of New Zealand toured New South Wales and won eight matches straight. The team mainly consisted of native Maori players who first turned to Britain and Australia between 1888 and 1889.
New Zealand’s rugby team was also the first to perform a haka and wear black jerseys, representing the team. The country gained worldwide popularity for rugby after 78 wins out of 107 matches.
Importance of ruby in New Zealand’s culture
The sport is an essential part of New Zealand’s Kiwi culture. The Europeans play soccer, the US plays gridiron, Japan plays baseball, and New Zealand plays rugby. The game is also the third biggest in the world.
Despite having a small population of 4.4 million, New Zealand is still one of the most popular countries to excel in the sport, both in male and female leagues. This is especially important for the players and the country because they have a friendly rivalry with the Australians, who are the national leaders of rugby. Hence, they started gaining immense popularity, which also paved their path to worldwide success. While the entire country has a hint of rugby in its blood, the non-players support the game as well.