Rugby

Rugby is the favourite sport of New Zealand. The All Blacks, national team are the heroes of every kiwi, male or female, youngsters in kindergarten or senior in the rest home.

The first recognised game of rugby played in New Zealand took place on Saturday, May 14, 1870 between a Nelson College side and the Nelson Football Club. A crowd of around 200, including “a fair sprinkling of ladies and a goodly number of the opposite sex,” gathered at the botanics to watch a new version of football, brought to New Zealand by a Charles Monro.

The New Zealand national rugby union team is called the All Blacks. New Zealand competes annually with Australia and South Africa in the Tri Nations Series, and are currently champions for the tenth time in the tournament’s 15-year history.

The team’s early uniforms consisted of a black jersey with a silver fern and white knickerbockers. By their 1905 tour New Zealand were wearing all black, except for the silver fern, and their All Black name dates from this time. New Zealand traditionally performs a Haka (Maori: challenge) before each match.

If you plan to visit New Zealand during any great sports event you should probably book a room soon. To do so you can visit the national MANZ website and find great motel accommodation.

Or book direct at the Harbourside Lodge, your motel accommodation in Nelson.


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