Rugby football was introduced into New Zealand by Charles John Monro, son of the then speaker of the
New Zealand House of Representatives, Sir David Monro. He had been sent to Christ's College, East Finchley in north London, where he became an enthusiastic convert to the new code. He brought the game back to his native Nelson, and arranged the first rugby match between Nelson College and Nelson Football Club, played on 14 May 1870. When New Zealand's national rugby team (the
All Blacks) toured Britain in 1905 they witnessed the growing popularity of the breakaway non-amateur
Northern Union's games. On his return in 1906, All Black
George William Smith met the Australian entrepreneur
J J Giltinan to discuss the potential of professional rugby in
Australasia. The first New Zealand team to play professional rugby was known as the All Blacks. To avoid confusion, the terms professional All Blacks or All Golds are used.
The professional All Blacks . In the meantime, a lesser known New Zealand rugby player,
Albert Henry Baskerville (or Baskiville) was ready to recruit a group of players for a Great Britain pro tour. It is believed that Baskerville became aware of the profits to be made from such a venture while he was working at the
Wellington Post Office in 1906. A colleague had a coughing fit and dropped a British newspaper. Baskerville picked it up and noticed a report about a Northern Union (NU) match that over 40,000 people had attended. Baskerville wrote to the NRFU asking if they would host a New Zealand touring party. The 1905 All Blacks tour was still fresh in English minds, thus the NU saw the upcoming competitive New Zealand tour as exceptional opportunity to raise the profile and finances of the NU game. The NU agreed to the tour provided that some of those original All Blacks were included in the New Zealand team. George Smith arrived back in New Zealand and after learning of Baskerville's plans, the two teamed up and began signing players. The
New Zealand Rugby Union became aware of the tour and promptly applied pressure to any All Black or New Zealand representative player it suspected of involvement. They had the New Zealand Government's Agent General in London deliver a statement to the British press in an effort to undermine the tour's credibility. This had little effect and by that time the professional All Blacks were already sailing across the Tasman to give Australia its first taste of professional rugby.
The All Golds It was during this time that references to the professional All Blacks as the All Golds first appeared. Clearly, "All Golds" was a play on the amateur "All Blacks" name but it was also an insult to the players, criticising the arrangement where they would each share in the wealth of the tour. The name "All Golds" is now thought to have originated in a New Zealand newspaper in May/June 1907 (see panel below), amidst editorial arguments over whether it was honourable for the proposed "professional All Blacks" team to be paid. The first documented use in Australia was in a headline in the
Sydney Morning Herald (7 August), just before Baskerville's team arrived. Those same
Herald articles also had a tag for those who supported the amateur rugby union calling them the "Lily Whites" (who were clean, pure, and repelled the evils of professionalism).
The first tour Professional rugby in the southern hemisphere kicked off with the professional All Blacks playing a professional rebel
New South Wales team organised by Smith's contact, James Giltinan. The games drew little interest to start with, but were a major success for the rugby rebels of Australia, as they finally had the money to start the first professional Rugby Football League and hence change the face of rugby in Australia. New Zealand made it to Great Britain in 1907. They included Australian
Dally Messenger in their party. He missed the first Test defeat, but played in the two Tests which the All Golds won. At this time professional rugby, under the banner of the Northern Union, was not played by the RFU rules which was all the All Golds knew. The All Golds took on a week of intensive training after which they started the tour. From a New Zealander's point of view, the tour may not have been successful, but to the All Gold's credit they performed well considering they only had a week to learn the rules. However, from the NU's point of view the tour would have been a godsend, because professional rugby was left in a better state than when they arrived. The tour's results were seen the following year when the NRFU clubs more than doubled their membership numbers. The tour had obviously excited the public, raised the profile of their game as well as the game's finances. During their return voyage from England, the All Golds made a stop-over in Australia where they discovered that professional rugby was being played with Northern Union rules, under the banner of the
New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL). The All Golds played another 10 games in Australia, boosting the finances of the fledgling
NSWRFL premiership; making the All Golds tour one of the most significant contributions to the sport of rugby league in Australia. The All Golds were
Hercules Richard "Bumper" Wright (captain),
George William Smith (vice-captain),
Albert Baskirville (secretary),
Herbert Turtill,
Harold Rowe,
Duncan McGregor, Dally Messenger,
Edgar Wrigley,
Joseph Lavery,
Richard Wynyard,
William Wynyard,
Lance Todd,
Edward Tyne,
William Tyler,
Arthur Kelly,
Tom "Angry" Cross,
William Massa Johnston,
Eric Watkins,
Conrad Byrne,
Adam Lile,
Daniel Gilchrist,
Arthur Callam,
Charles Pearce,
William Trevarthen,
Charles Dunning,
William Mackrell,
Daniel Fraser (assistant manager),
Jim Gleeson (treasurer), and H.J. Palmer (financial manager).
The Kiwis Prime Minister 1935–40 was the patron of NZ Rugby League. The
1910 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand saw the Kiwis' first ever test on home soil, with the British side proving too strong. In 1911 the New Zealand national team toured Australia. 1920 represented a high point for New Zealand rugby league (and sport in that country) with two matches against the touring British Lions rugby league team drawing 40,000 fans each in Auckland's Domain. The NZRU was able to control a lot of what the
New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) was able to get its hands on. In 1926, the Union took legal action, trying to stop the League from using the name, the "All Blacks" as their touring name. The NZRL felt that they had equal ownership to the name and were not ready to relinquish it. However, by this time the press had already nicknamed the team 'the Kiwis', because of the badge included on their jerseys. Despite the League trying to discourage its usage, the name has stuck ever since. The 1926–27 New Zealand tour of Britain involved several skirmishes within the Kiwi party.
Post-war In 1947 at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford in England, a crowd of 42,680 saw New Zealand play, setting a new record for the team on British soil. but again went down to the Kangaroos 40–12.
Gary Freeman coached New Zealand from 2001 to 2002. Beginning in 2002, a 'New Zealand A' team was selected from players in the domestic New Zealand competition. New Zealand A toured France and the United States in 2002, and the United Kingdom in 2003. In 2004 they hosted New South Wales Country. In 2003 the Kiwis played their 100th international against Australia.
Brian McClennan was appointed national coach of New Zealand in June 2005. His appointment was controversial, mainly because he had no professional coaching experience. 2005 would be considered one of the Kiwis greatest years, as they captured the
2005 Tri-Nations title, effectively becoming "de facto" World champions as the three best countries competed in that competition. In the course of winning the Tri-Nations the Kiwis defeated
Australia in Sydney for the first time in half a century. In London, the Kiwis posted their highest score ever against
Great Britain and, in winning the final, posted the first shut out of Australia in 20 years. The 24–0 result at
Elland Road,
Leeds equalled the Kiwis' biggest ever win against Australia – a 49–25 win in Brisbane almost 50 years previously. It was Australia's first defeat in a series or tournament since 1978. In New Zealand, Brian McClennan earned praise from the press and signed an extension to his coaching tenure with the Kiwis. In 2006 the Kiwis lost both mid-season tests to the
Kangaroos and
Lions. The
2006 Tri-nations brought controversy when New Zealand fielded an ineligible player,
Nathan Fien, against Great Britain and were later stripped of the two points earned from their 18–14 win. In July 2007, the
Leeds Rhinos announced that Brian McClennan would be joining the club as Head Coach on a two-year contract from 1 December 2007. McClennan subsequently resigned as national coach and his position was taken up by
Gary Kemble in August 2007.
All-Golds revival against New Zealand, played at Wigan RLFC's DW stadium in 2007 Under
Gary Kemble the Kiwis went on to lose the first of their three test series against Great Britain going down 14–20 against the Lions at
Huddersfield on 27 October 2007. Following the loss an Australian newspaper reported that former Kiwi captain
Hugh McGahan was concerned at Kemble's poor start and suggested that former Australian and current
Brisbane Broncos coach
Wayne Bennett should be pursued for the role. McGahan later claimed that his comments had been grossly misreported by the journalist. In the second test of the series on 3 November 2007, Kemble returned to
KC Stadium, the ground on which he had spent a large portion of his playing days with
Hull F.C. It was to be a disastrous homecoming, however, as the Kiwis suffered their second humiliating defeat under Kemble when beaten 44–0 by an inspired Great Britain. The win gave Great Britain an unassailable series lead leaving the Kiwis with only pride to play for in the final test at
JJB Stadium in
Wigan. Intense criticism followed the second test loss, some of it directed at the players, some of it toward the management of the
NZRL. However, Kemble also copped severe criticism from some quarters with one commentator suggesting that Kemble
"must be sacked at the series-end" and describing him as a
"captain of calamity". Following the loss, Kiwi's captain
Roy Asotasi hinted at the possibility of internal issues for the players in adjusting to Kemble's coaching style when he compared Kemble's approach with that of his predecessor
McClennan describing them as
"very different" and reporting that the group was
"still trying to gel". Following the loss Kemble acknowledged that he was contemplating resigning from his post if the Kiwis were whitewashed 3–0 by Great Britain. Despite a far more spirited performance in the third test the Kiwis were unable to prevent the whitewash losing 22–28 after leading 12–0 early in the match. Kemble was forthright in expressing his desire to remain Kiwi coach following the loss with the general feeling being that the loss was "close enough" for him to retain the position. Kemble was the subject of some ridicule for post-match comments which suggested that the Kiwis "almost won the test series" despite an aggregate score of 92–36 across the three tests. In December 2007 the NZRL held its annual awards dinner. Being one hundred years since the inception of rugby league in New Zealand, a 13-man New Zealand team of the century was named on the evening, with
Cliff Johnson named at captain.
Mark Graham was named in the second-row and was also honoured as the greatest Kiwi player of the century. Kemble resigned as head coach after captain Roy Asotasi and
David Kidwell both publicly said that they had no confidence in his coaching abilities. Subsequently, former Kiwi, Stephen Kearney was appointed coach with Wayne Bennett given a role as an advisor. The All Golds were revived again in 2008 as a testimonial match for Ruben Wiki, where they defeated the
New Zealand Maori team 44–10 at
Yarrow Stadium in
New Plymouth.
Kearney's Kiwis Stephen Kearney's first match as New Zealand coach was against Australia in the
2008 Centenary Test. The match celebrated 100 years since the first Trans-Tasman clash began. Later on in that year, the
2008 World Cup kicked off. Wayne Bennett assisted Kearney in the competition. Kearney's Kiwis advanced from the group stage in second position which saw them face England for a second time in the tournament, this time in the semi-final. In the group stage, the Kiwis were at one point trailing 24–8 before scoring 26 consecutive points and keep the Poms scoreless in the second half to go on to win 36–24. The Kiwis didn't have to recover a deficit in the semi-final as they went on to another World Cup final meeting with Australia. In a see-saw like battle, the Kiwis created history after full-time when they won the final 34–20. This was New Zealand's first ever World Cup title, as well as the Australian team's first loss since Great Britain defeated them in November 2006 and their first loss to New Zealand since November 2005. It was also their first loss in a World Cup match since 1995 and in a final since 1972. At the end of the 2010 domestic season, New Zealand played in the
2010 Four Nations. During the Round-robin fixtures, New Zealand produced their biggest win on home soil with a 64-point win over Papua New Guinea. The Kiwis qualified for the final where they played Australia at the same venue as the 2008 World Cup final. The Kiwis won at
Lang Park once again after a try in the final seconds of the game sealed the low scoring game, and 2010 Four Nations title, for the Kiwis, winning 16–12. In 2013 New Zealand headed into the
World Cup as defending champions for the first time. The Kiwis advanced out of their group with ease despite suffering a scare against Samoa in their opening game. Kearney's men then advanced to the semi-finals, courtesy of a win over Scotland, where they then met hosts England at Wembley. It was a see-saw affair which saw the Kiwis trailing 18–14 with one minute on the clock remaining until star play-maker
Shaun Johnson produced a magical moment to level the scores and then convert his try after the siren to win the match and make the Kiwis advance to a third consecutive World Cup final. The win also made the Kiwis equal their best winning streak record of five games. In the final, watched by a record international attendance of 74,468, they were outclassed at 'The Theatre of Dreams' as Australia earned revenge for their 2008 final defeat. After the World Cup Kearney was put under pressure after it was found out players were mixing sleeping pills and energy drinks during the tournament which affected performances. He had to reapply for his job and was only given a two-year contract, unlike the usual one that would end after the next World Cup, which the NZRL said was because he needed to "re-establish the culture at the Kiwis which was damaged so badly at the World Cup". Kearney immediately took action, naming six debutantes for the
first test-match of 2014. At the end of the 2014 club season New Zealand played in the
2014 Four Nations. In the first game they continued their good record against Australia at the
'Cauldron' with another win setting the record at 3 wins in the past 4 meetings against the Kangaroos at the venue. In the second game the Kiwis faced another scare against Samoa when they were on the verge of a 12–10 defeat with just minutes remaining before Kearney's men scored near full-time to avoid the shock result. After defeating England in their final game they qualified for the final held in Wellington where they'd face Australia again. New Zealand won the match 22–18 and therefore the Four Nations, their second tournament title. This was their first win over Australia on home soil since 2003 where they beat the Aussies at North Harbour Stadium. In the final, winger
Manu Vatuvei scored two tries to become New Zealand's top try-scorer after tallying his 20th try during the match to beat a record that's been held by Nigel Vagana since 2006. This was the first time New Zealand went through an entire tournament unbeaten. In March 2015, Kearney's successful management saw the NZRL announce an extension to his contract until the end of the 2017 World Cup. This win also meant New Zealand equaled their best winning streak record once again just like they did after the 2013 World Cup semi-final. On 15 May 2015, the new RLIF World Rankings were announced and it read that, for just the second time, New Zealand were officially the best team in the World. New Zealand were last ranked World number one back in 2008 after their World Cup success. At the end of the year New Zealand were unable to beat their winning record after losing the
Baskerville Series to England. At the conclusion of that series, it was revealed that Kearney had the best record out of any New Zealand coach to date as he was involved in the most matches (41), won the most matches (23), and won the most matches against Australia (5). He also revealed that despite the defeat to England he wanted the Kiwis to 'dominate the next decade of international rugby league'. Before the
2016 Anzac Test, controversy had occurred when regular New Zealand players Manu Vatuvei and
Ben Matulino were caught partying and mixing energy drinks with prescription drugs. Kearney toughened his stance and announced he'd not be selecting them for the test-match in a decision which saw commends from fellow New Zealand internationals. These players were just two of ten regular name players missing from the New Zealand side for the fixture, with others missing through injury or private issues. New Zealand lost the match 16–0 and in the process ended their winning streak against Australia. This was also the first time New Zealand scored zero points in a test match since 2007. In September 2016, Kearney left New Zealand after accepting an offer to coach New Zealand's only
NRL team.
Kidwell's Kiwis David Kidwell's
first match as New Zealand coach was against Australia in Perth. This was the first time an international rugby league game was held in Western Australia. In the
2016 Four Nations, New Zealand beat England for the first time on English soil since the tournament was introduced in 2009. In New Zealand's last round-robin fixture, they drew with Scotland and, in the process, gave the 'fourth nation' their first ever point in the tournament's history. Despite the shock result, New Zealand still managed to qualify for a rematch with Trans-Tasman rivals, Australia, in the final. After losing by just 6 points in the round-robin stage meeting, the Kiwis were thrashed by the Kangaroos in the final 34–8. After the final
Anzac Test fixture was played, Kidwell spoke on behalf of the NZRL to announce that captain
Jesse Bromwich, and
Kevin Proctor were suspended from playing in the
World Cup after they were caught buying cocaine from a stranger after the test-match. Controversy occurred before the 2017 World Cup, after star forward,
Jason Taumalolo, decided to switch allegiances after choosing to play for Tonga at the World Cup rather than his country of birth.
David Fusitu'a,
Sio Siua Taukeiaho and
Manu Ma'u, who were all in contention for World Cup selection, also followed Taumololo's lead. Australian forward
Andrew Fifita did likewise, after initially being selected in the Australian team, making Tonga one of the tournament favourites. It was at first believed, Taumalolo switched to play for Tonga in protest for the NZRL's decision to suspend Bromwich and Proctor from playing in the World Cup. However, it was later confirmed he just wanted to play for his family, and grow the game in the Pacific Island nation. Former New Zealand coach,
Graham Lowe, and former New Zealand captain,
Benji Marshall, hit out at Taumalolo for his decision. New Zealand began the World Cup with convincing victories over both Samoa, and Scotland. In their final pool match, they took on the 'most-talked about team of the tournament', Tonga. After leading 16–2 at halftime, New Zealand created unwanted history, becoming the first tier-1 nation to lose to a tier-2 nation in a World Cup match. New Zealand then took on Fiji in the quarter-final. Kidwell's side went on to create back-to-back defeats to tier-2 nations and therefore be eliminated in the quarterfinals. This was the lowest ever finish the Kiwis created in a World Cup tournament. After the match, critics and media were hitting out at Kidwell and his players with the way they handled the defeat. After the Kiwis' most embarrassing World Cup performance in history, pressure was put on Kidwell to leave. ==Team image==