(NEW ZEALAND IS THE FIRST NATION TO WIN 400 TEST MATCHES)
(THE ALL BLACKS 7S HAVE WON THE WORLD SERIES 12 TIMES)
(FIVE TIMES COMMONWEALTH GAMES 7S CHAMPIONS IN SIX ATTEMPTS)
(THE ALL BLACKS ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL)
(INTERNATIONAL RUGBY TEAM BY FAR)
(LAND OF LEGENDS)
(NEW ZEALAND, POPULATION - 4.8 MILLION)
(MAJORITY OF NEW ZEALANDERS ARE OF EUROPEAN DESCENT)
(AND THE INDIGENOUS MAORI)
(ARE THE SECOND LARGEST ETHNIC GROUP)
The Maori and Polynesian influence on the game of
rugby, not only in New Zealand but worldwide is huge
and I think that it's a game that really suits
their natural skills and abilities
and something they really take to,
They love the physical contact,
it's something that comes natural to them.
I think there's a stereotype
that Maori and Pacific are warrior people
but if you think about the British who came to New Zealand
to colonise it,
they could also be equally conceptualised as
a warrior people
because they were going out all over the world, attempting
to dominate other cultures.
So I think that stereotype, we need to set aside.
What we do know from research that's been done
is that Maori took to rugby in large part
because it was one activity that was available to them.
So, the missionaries and the early colonisers
in many ways squashed some of the indigenous games
and activities people were involved in,
but rugby and sport provided a way for Maori to retain
their tribal identities,
their regional identities, and continued to compete
but in a way that didn't look like it was doing that.
If you look at the history of the All Blacks,
right back through 100 years,
it is absolutely entwined with different cultures
playing in that team.
We even have a New Zealand Maori team which dates back
to the same period, 100 and something years.
You can't have one without the other
and I don't think that any New Zealand rugby fan
would even be happy at the fact
that there would be one without the other.
I think rugby became important
to New Zealand for a lot of different reasons
and not the least of which was
it was one of the few places
in which we could kind of place our mark on the world stage.
And, so, the early development of rugby was a way for us
to show the mother country
that we were equal, if not better,
than the men in the home nations.
So, the success of the early All Blacks teams
certainly perhaps planted the first stake in the ground
about this was a sport around which we might be able to
develop a sense of what a New Zealand identity would be.
The Invincibles Tour in the early 1900s was a huge moment.
It was one of the first places around which
this sort of emergent national identity could develop.
So I think that tour was really important in terms of
New Zealand nationalism as a whole.
It could have been something else but it was rugby.
So, that started rugby becoming a point around which
we could feel that we were New Zealanders,
as opposed to British citizens living in New Zealand.
It is part of the fabric
of our world, of our society, of our life.
I think, generationally, it always has been.
And I think it's because it's one of those things that,
if you go to Australia, you'll find that kids run around,
playing cricket, knocking a cricket ball.
If you go to England, they'll be kicking a football.
If you come to New Zealand, kids in the back yard
or on the beach throw a rugby ball around.
I don't think there's many people in New Zealand
who haven't been exposed to rugby.
And certainly if you grew up in the country,
that the rugby club and the rugby clubrooms were usually
the centre of the community.
It's not just about the guys, it's...
a thing that covers both sexes
so it's your whole sort of socio groups
that are into rugby. Mums make the decision
about which sports their sons play a lot of the time
and so if they're into rugby, that's going
to mean more young kids playing rugby.
You also can't deny that as a kid,
if you are out in the backyard
and you've got a rugby ball and you're thinking
you're Aaron Smith, or Beaudy Barrett,
or DJ Forbes, or whoever it might be,
it doesn't have a bit of an influence on it.
So we've got great role models,
we've got great players for these kids to aspire to be.
But if it's not fun and enjoyable when they're 8, 9
or 10, it doesn't matter how good these guys are,
they won't play down there.
(75,000 CHILDREN UNDER 12 PLAY RUGBY IN NEW ZEALAND)
If we go back a long time, rugby was
almost part of the school curriculum.
It was accessibility, almost an expectation.
I know at this school, you know, there was
an expectation to play rugby. They played a lot of sports
here, a big part of the ethos of the school
but rugby just probably sat on top of that.
There were great First XV competitions,
no doubt about that, parents and teachers coaching,
people wanting to be involved in the game.
Mums who probably know more about the game
than a lot of the men, you know? It's just what
we're brought up with, it's infused.
I wouldn't call it a religion,
but it's inherently part of our lifestyle.
High school's really important in New Zealand.
The college system, especially in the big cities,
it's now really about recruiting players
and offering them scholarships
and about taking them into other aspects
of their education and life.
It's enormous. The First XV thing in New Zealand now
is just growing and growing, especially now that
it's live on TV. When I was at school, even back then,
the First XV was considered
the upper echelon of the school.
Most of them got their UE accredited,
most of them had tickets to ride in all kinds
of other aspects of the school. So, yeah, it plays a huge part.
Then you go to structured competitions.
We've had strong club rugby competitions,
strong provincial competitions,
then along came Super Rugby that added another layer,
professionalised the game,
then you go to an international level.
And then you make sure that at all those levels,
you've got leadership right, because if you haven't got
the leadership right, you're not going to get anything right
and I think that New Zealand rugby, for all its history,
with rare exceptions, has been incredibly well led.
And we've got a talent pool here.
We're very lucky, we've got a deep talent pool
because playing for the All Blacks
is something that rugby players aspire to here.
We're expecting an uplift in popularity
for the game and the 7s game
coming off the back of the Olympics,
and having rippa rugby and quick rip
in the secondary schools environment
will be a big part of the options
we can put in front of kids to start
to get involved in the game that ultimately might
end up with them playing at an Olympic Games
sometime in the future.
Sport doesn't necessarily
have an impact on economies, or social,
or whatever, but actually it does because it can inspire
somebody out of a particular socioeconomic group.
It gives you an opportunity.
It can have an impact on health -
these fit rugby players,
other kids want to be like that. They do exercise
and, obviously, it's a great export for our country.
So New Zealand is interlaced with the success
of the All Blacks, so they better keep winning.
Takes more than one to tackle him!
Takes more than two.
Takes more than three!
Took them over the line.
Kelly Brazier there with the long pass off the right hand.
McAlister had the option.
We'd often talk about the legacy of the team
and the legacy's about its history,
and those who have gone before who've built this up,
have proudly worn it, then it's someone else's turn,
then someone else's turn again, so you're only passing through
the jersey and all you want to do is leave it better
than you found it, if you can possibly can,
try and enhance the legacy.
So that's what drives these guys,
they know it's not permanent - yeah,
once an All Black always an All Black
and you will have that title, I suppose, in New Zealand
for the rest of your days,
but enhancing the legacy is critically important.
The mystique around the All Blacks is
all about why they win and how they win.
Winning breeds success and it's a habit
and I think if you're winning,
everyone's trying to knock you off.
But to still to be standing here for this long
and still be the benchmark after so many decades
is a testament to the guys
that have set the platform in the All Blacks jersey
and a big pat on the back for the guys that are still
coming in, adding their legacy to that jersey.
(LAND OF LEGENDS)