Rugby Union is considered by most New Zealanders as an important part of the culture and is the country's national sport – so it is not surprising that the national team, the All Blacks, are currently the world’s top ranked international team having achieved a winning record against all other competing nations.
The list of accolades for the New Zealand national team is long and includes being awarded as the Team of the Year by the International Rugby Board (IRB) as well as having no less than twelve former All Blacks inducted into the illustrious International Rugby Hall of Fame.
The New Zealand All Blacks compete annually with the Australian rugby team, the Wallabies, and the South African rugby team, the Springboks, in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with Australia. They have had incredible success and have been Tri-Nations champions seven times in the tournament's eleven-year history, twice completing a Grand Slam.
When the Rugby World Cup tournament first kicked off, New Zealand was the country selected to host it and it will also be hosting the 2011 tournament. As well as all the international competitions, New Zealand’s national rugby tournaments include the Air New Zealand Cup, amateur Heartland Championship and the Super 14, in which New Zealand has five franchises.
Before each match The All Blacks traditionally perform a Maori posture dance known as the haka, a sight that has become synonymous with New Zealand Rugby. To see New Zealand, tickets are available here at Zippy Tickets.