Rugby

The national sport in New Zealand is the rough and tumble game rugby. For the people living in New Zealand rugby is not only a sport, it is also an important part of their culture.

Rugby is a very harsh sport and injuries occur frequently. There are two teams playing against each other, 15 players on each team. The main goal is to get as many points as possible by carrying, passing, kicking and grounding the ball over the opponent’s line.


The first rugby match played in New Zealand, took place in Nelson in May 1870. Since then the game has spread throughout the whole country and today New Zealand is the leading country when it comes to rugby. The national team is called The All Blacks and it is ranked as the number 1 rugby team in the whole world! The colors on the jerseys are not the colors of the flag, which other national teams prefer. The All Blacks jerseys are black, embroidered with a poppy on their jersey sleeve when playing. The poppy symbolize the soldiers who died in the battlefields of Europe.


Before every international match The All Blacks perform a haka. A haka is a form of dance that originally was used before the Mãoris were going into a battle. The haka involves loud chanting, aggressive body movements and fierce facial expressions. On this YouTube video you’ll see a real haka, preformed by The All Blacks:






Soruces:
- allblacks.com
- newzealandrugbyinfo.co.nz