1.
New Zealand
–
New Zealand /njuːˈziːlənd/ is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu—and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, the countrys varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealands capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland, sometime between 1250 and 1300 CE, Polynesians settled in the islands that later were named New Zealand and developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand, in 1840, representatives of Britain and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire, today, the majority of New Zealands population of 4.7 million is of European descent, the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealands culture is derived from Māori and early British settlers. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, New Zealand is a developed country and ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as health, education, economic freedom and quality of life. Since the 1980s, New Zealand has transformed from an agrarian, Queen Elizabeth II is the countrys head of state and is represented by a governor-general. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes, the Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau, the Cook Islands and Niue, and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealands territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642 and called it Staten Landt, in 1645, Dutch cartographers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicised the name to New Zealand, Aotearoa is the current Māori name for New Zealand. It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the country before the arrival of Europeans. Māori had several names for the two main islands, including Te Ika-a-Māui for the North Island and Te Waipounamu or Te Waka o Aoraki for the South Island. Early European maps labelled the islands North, Middle and South, in 1830, maps began to use North and South to distinguish the two largest islands and by 1907, this was the accepted norm. The New Zealand Geographic Board discovered in 2009 that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised and this set the names as North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui, and South Island or Te Waipounamu
New Zealand
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The Waitangi sheet from the
Treaty of Waitangi
New Zealand
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Flag
New Zealand
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Painting of
Mount Earnslaw by John Turnbull Thomson, oil on canvas, 1888
New Zealand
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John Key,
Prime Minister of New Zealand since 2008
2.
Australia
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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the worlds sixth-largest country by total area, the neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. Australias capital is Canberra, and its largest urban area is Sydney, for about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages classifiable into roughly 250 groups. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the 1850s most of the continent had been explored, on 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprising six states. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard, Australia has the worlds 13th-largest economy and ninth-highest per capita income. With the second-highest human development index globally, the country highly in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom. The name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis a name used for putative lands in the southern hemisphere since ancient times, the Dutch adjectival form Australische was used in a Dutch book in Batavia in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south. On 12 December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted, in 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia. The first official published use of the term Australia came with the 1830 publication of The Australia Directory and these first inhabitants may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, were originally horticulturists, the northern coasts and waters of Australia were visited sporadically by fishermen from Maritime Southeast Asia. The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland, and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent, are attributed to the Dutch. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken captained by Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent New Holland during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement. William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer, landed on the north-west coast of New Holland in 1688, in 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney, and the exploration, a British settlement was established in Van Diemens Land, now known as Tasmania, in 1803, and it became a separate colony in 1825. The United Kingdom formally claimed the part of Western Australia in 1828. Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales, South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, the Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia
Australia
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Aboriginal rock art in the
Kimberley region of Western Australia
Australia
Australia
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Portrait of Captain
James Cook, the first European to map the eastern coastline of Australia in 1770
Australia
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Tasmania's
Port Arthur penal settlement is one of eleven UNESCO World Heritage-listed
Australian Convict Sites.
3.
Rugby World Cup
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The Rugby World Cup is a mens rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament was first held in 1987, when the tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand, New Zealand are the current champions, having defeated Australia in the final of the 2015 tournament in England. Four countries have won the trophy, New Zealand have won it three times, two teams have won twice, Australia and South Africa, while England have won it once, the tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sports international governing body. Sixteen teams were invited to participate in the tournament in 1987. Japan will host the event in 2019. Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the tournament, where eight of the sixteen places were contested in a twenty-four-nation tournament. The remaining twelve positions were filled by continental qualifying tournaments, positions were filled by three teams from the Americas, one from Asia, one from Africa, three from Europe and two from Oceania. Another two places were allocated for repechage, the second repechage position was determined between the runners-up from the Asia and Oceania qualifiers. The qualification system for the eight places is region-based, with a total eight teams allocated for Europe, five for Oceania. The last place is determined by an intercontinental play-off, the 2015 tournament involved twenty nations competing over six weeks. There were two stages, a pool and a knockout, Nations were divided into four pools, A through to D, of five nations each. The teams were seeded before the start of the tournament, with the seedings taken from the World Rankings in December 2012, the four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The next four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The remaining positions in each pool were filled by the qualifiers, Nations play four pool games, playing their respective pool members once each. A bonus points system is used during pool play, if two or more teams are level on points, a system of criteria is used to determine the higher ranked, the sixth and final criterion decides the higher rank through the official World Rankings. The winner and runner-up of each pool enter the knockout stage, the knockout stage consists of quarter- and semi-finals, and then the final. The winner of each pool is placed against a runner-up of a different pool in a quarter-final, the winner of each quarter-final goes on to the semi-finals, and the respective winners proceed to the final. Losers of the semi-finals contest for third place, called the Bronze Final, if a match in the knockout stages ends in a draw, the winner is determined through extra time
Rugby World Cup
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The Webb Ellis Cup is awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
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The opening ceremony of the 2007 tournament
Rugby World Cup
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A scrum between
Samoa (in blue) and
Wales (in red) during the 2011 World Cup
Rugby World Cup
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Gavin Hastings is one of four players to have kicked a record eight penalties in a single World Cup match.
4.
New Zealand national rugby union team
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The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly called the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in mens rugby union, which is regarded as the countrys national sport. The side has won the last two Rugby World Cups, in 2011 and 2015, as well as the tournament in 1987. They have a 77% winning record in test match rugby, and are the international side with a winning record against every opponent. Since their international debut in 1903, they have lost to only six of the 19 nations they have played in test matches, since the introduction of the World Rugby Rankings in 2003, New Zealand has held the number one ranking longer than all other teams combined. The All Blacks are statistically the best side to have played the game, New Zealand competes with Argentina, Australia and South Africa in The Rugby Championship. The All Blacks have won the fourteen times in the competitions twenty-one-year history. As of the end of 2016 competition, they hold the Bledisloe Cup, which is contested annually with Australia, New Zealand have achieved a Grand Slam four times –1978,2005,2008 and 2010. Fifteen former All Blacks have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, All Black coaches have won World Rugby Coach of the Year nine times since the awards 2001 launch. The teams first match was in 1884, and their first international test match was in 1903 against Australia in Sydney, the following year they hosted their first ever home test, a match against a British Isles side in Wellington. This was followed by a 34-game tour of Europe and North America in 1905, New Zealands early uniforms consisted of a black jersey with a silver fern and white knickerbockers. By the 1905 tour, they were wearing all black, except for the silver fern, the team perform a haka – a Māori challenge or posture dance – before each match. The haka performed has traditionally been Te Rauparahas Ka Mate, although since 2005 Kapa o Pango is often performed, the first recorded game in New Zealand took place in May 1870 in Nelson between the Nelson club and Nelson College. The first provincial union, the Canterbury Rugby Football Union, was formed in 1879, NSW did not face a New Zealand representative team but played seven provincial sides – the tourists won four games and lost three. Two years later the first New Zealand team to travel overseas toured New South Wales, a privately organised British team, which later became the British and Irish Lions, toured New Zealand in 1888. No test matches were played, and the only played provincial sides. The British players were mainly from Northern England, but there were representatives from Wales. The first officially sanctioned New Zealand side toured New South Wales in 1893, the following year New Zealand played its first home international game, losing 8–6 to New South Wales. The teams first true test match occurred against Australia on 15 August 1903 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in front of over 30,000 spectators, a representative New Zealand team first toured the British Isles in 1905
New Zealand national rugby union team
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The team that toured New South Wales, Australia, in 1884
New Zealand national rugby union team
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New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby union team
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The Original All Blacks that toured the British Isles, France and the United States during 1905–06. The team won 34 of their 35 tour matches.
New Zealand national rugby union team
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The All Blacks at the climax of their haka before a 1932 test against
Australia.
5.
France national rugby union team
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The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and they have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams. Eight former French players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Years Day 1906 the national side played its first Test match – against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the Home Nations until they joined them to form a Five Nations tournament in 1910, France also competed in the rugby competitions at early Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1900 and two silver medals in the 1920s. The national team came of age during the 1950s and 1960s and they won their first Grand Slam in 1968. Since the inaugural World Cup in 1987, France have qualified for the stage of every tournament. They have reached the three times, losing to the All Blacks in 1987 and 2011 and to Australia in 1999. France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where, as in 2003, France traditionally play in blue shirts with white shorts and red socks, and are commonly referred to as les tricolores or les bleus. The French emblem is a golden rooster imposed upon a red shield and their alternative strip is composed of a white shirt and navy blue shorts and socks. Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by English merchants and students, on 26 February 1890, a French rugby team recruited from the Janson Desailly Lyceum defeated an international team at the Bois de Boulogne. Although France were represented at the 1900 Summer Olympics, their first official test match did not take place till New Years Day,1906 against the New Zealand All Blacks in Paris. France then played intermittently against the Home Nations until they joined them to form the Five Nations tournament in 1910, in 1913 France faced South Africas Springboks for the first time, losing 38–5. France also competed at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, France were ejected from the Five Nations in 1932 after being accused of professionalism in the French leagues at a time when rugby union was strictly amateur. Forced to play against weaker opposition, France went on a winning streak, France was invited to rejoin the Five Nations in 1939 but did not compete until 1947 as international rugby was suspended during World War II. French rugby came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, they won their first Five Nations championship and their first championship was won in 1954 when they shared the title with England and Wales. France won their first outright Five Nations championship in 1959, they won with two wins, a draw and a defeat, France first toured South Africa winning the test series in 1958. The Springboks also visited Paris in 1961, the test was not completed due to fighting amongst the players. France also toured New Zealand and Australia in 1961 losing both tests against the All Blacks but defeating Australias Wallabies and they won their first Five Nations Grand Slam in 1968 by beating all four other competing teams, and won numerous titles in the following years
France national rugby union team
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France playing Wales during the
Six Nations Championship.
France national rugby union team
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France
France national rugby union team
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The jersey of the French rugby team, with the traditional
Gallic rooster symbol
France national rugby union team
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France hosting the
All Blacks at the
Stade de France which is in
Saint-Denis, Paris
6.
Wales national rugby union team
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The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy, Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 26 times outright. Wales most recent championship win came in 2013, the governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union, was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. Wales performances in the Home Nations Championship continued to improve, experiencing their first golden age between 1900 and 1911 and they first played New Zealand, known as the All Blacks, in 1905, when they defeated them 3–0 in a famous match at Cardiff Arms Park. Welsh rugby struggled between the two World Wars, but experienced a golden age between 1969 and 1980 when they won eight Five Nations Championships. Wales played in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 where they achieved their best ever result of third, following the sport allowing professionalism in 1995, Wales hosted the 1999 World Cup and, in 2005, won their first Six Nations Grand Slam. That was the first Grand Slam won by a team playing most of the matches away from home, Wales won two more Grand Slams in 2008 and in 2012, and in 2011 came fourth in the Rugby World Cup. Their home ground is the Millennium Stadium, currently known for reasons as Principality Stadium. Eight former Welsh players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, Rugby union took root in Wales in 1850, when Reverend Rowland Williams became Vice-Principal at St Davids College, Lampeter, where he introduced the sport. Wales played their first international on 19 February 1881, organised by Newports Richard Mullock, Wales played against England, losing by seven goals, one drop goal, on 12 March 1881, the Welsh Rugby Union was formed at The Castle Hotel, Neath. Two years later, the Home Nation Championship – now the Six Nations Championship – was first played, however, rugby in Wales developed and, by the 1890s, the Welsh had developed the four three-quarters formation. This formation – with seven backs and eight forwards, instead of six backs and nine forwards – revolutionised the sport and was adopted almost universally at international. With the four three-quarter formation Wales became Home International Champions for the first time in 1893, Wales next won the Championship in 1900, heralding the first golden age of Welsh rugby which was to last until 1911. They won two more Triple Crowns in 1902 and 1905, and were runners up in 1901,1903 and 1904, when Wales faced New Zealands All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in late 1905 they had not lost at home since 1899. The referee ruled a scrum to Wales and the score did not change, the loss was the All Blacks only loss on their 35-match tour. In 1906, Wales again won the Home Championship, and later that played the South African national side. Wales were favourites to win the match, but instead South Africa dominated in the forwards, two years later, on 12 December 1908, Wales played the touring Australians, the Wallabies, who they defeated 9–6. In 1909, Wales won the Home Championship and then, in 1910 – with the inclusion of France – the first Five Nations and it would be nearly forty years before they achieved a Grand Slam again
Wales national rugby union team
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The 1895 Wales team before playing England in the Home Nations Championship
Wales national rugby union team
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Wales
Wales national rugby union team
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Wales' 1905 team that defeated
New Zealand
Wales national rugby union team
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A scrum in the Wales victory over New Zealand's
Original All Blacks in 1905
7.
John Kirwan (rugby)
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Sir John James Patrick Kirwan KNZM MBE is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player of both rugby union and rugby league. He also played league for the Auckland Warriors in their first two seasons. He is the head coach of the Blues in Super Rugby. In recent years, he has spoken openly about his battles with depression, a grandson of Jack Kirwan, who represented New Zealand in rugby league, John Kirwan was educated at De La Salle College, Mangere East in Auckland. Kirwan played for Marist Brothers Old Boys RFC and Auckland domestically, winning 142 caps with the latter during an era when the side dominated the NPC, from 1985 to 1989 he played in Italy, at Benetton Treviso. After his spell in rugby league, he finished his rugby playing career with NEC in Japan from 1997-1999. Kirwan played 63 test matches for New Zealand from 1984 until 1994, Kirwan played a major role in the All Blacks’23 test unbeaten run from 1987 to 1990, including winning the 1987 World Cup. He scored 10 tries in five tests against Wales and Australia during 1988, in all he scored 35 test tries for New Zealand. He also scored 67 tries in all appearances with the All Blacks which is still the national record and his total of 199 first class tries remains a New Zealand record. As a result, he and Kirk were the ones not temporarily barred from playing with the All Blacks upon their return. At age 30 Kirwan signed for the newly formed rugby league club Auckland Warriors for the 1995 ARL season, playing on the wing, he was a staunch opponent of the ARL during the Super League war. Kirwan was the Warriors top try scorer in the 1996 sesason, in 2001, Kirwan was an assistant coach with the Auckland Blues, his first professional coaching role. In 2002, Kirwan moved to Italy to become the coach of the Italian national rugby team, after a winless 2005 Six Nations campaign, he was relieved of his managerial duties on 8 April 2005. At the start of 2007 Kirwan was appointed the coach of the Japan national rugby union team, interviewed by the Daily Yomiuri, Kirwan said, The level of rugby has improved greatly in Japan in the last ten years and they did well at the last World Cup. But their recent performances at national level have, I want to find that Samurai Spirit that all the players can identify with. And then that style of rugby can start to spread throughout the country. On 9 April 2007 the national team was featured at their first training camp since Kirwans appointment in the NHK national news and he said in front of the camera, We want to be the worlds fittest team. He added that he wanted Japan to play to its strengths which he believed were speed and agility, at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Japan drew 12–12 with Canada, breaking a 16-year, 13-match losing streak
John Kirwan (rugby)
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Sir John Kirwan
8.
1991 Rugby World Cup
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Following on from the success of the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup, the 1991 World Cup received increased attention and was seen as a major global sporting event for the first time. This however resulted in one new side qualifying for the tournament. The same sixteen team format was used with just minor changes to the points system. Also notable in pool play was that Canada finished second in their pool to qualify for the quarterfinals in what remains Canadas best performance in the Rugby World Cup, Scotland beat Ireland to top their pool, again both teams qualifying. In the quarter-finals, neither Canada nor Western Samoa proved a match for New Zealand or Scotland, meanwhile, England knocked out 1987 finalist France in a bruising encounter. The World Cup Final was played at Twickenham Stadium in London, the following 16 teams, shown by region, qualified for the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Of the 16 teams, eight of those places were filled by quarterfinalists from the 1987 World Cup. 25 nations competed in a process designed to fill the remaining eight spots. In the event, there was one change from the 1987 tournament. Nations were awarded 2 points for a win,1 for a draw and zero for a loss, the runners-up of each pool faced the winners of a different pool in the quarter finals. The winners moved on to the finals, with the winners then moving onto the final. The event was broadcast in the United Kingdom by ITV who took over the rights from the BBC, official Rugby World Cup Site Full Results and Statistics at ESPN World Cup Referees on RugbyRefs. com
1991 Rugby World Cup
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1991 Rugby World Cup
9.
Rugby Union World Cup
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The Rugby World Cup is a mens rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament was first held in 1987, when the tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand, New Zealand are the current champions, having defeated Australia in the final of the 2015 tournament in England. Four countries have won the trophy, New Zealand have won it three times, two teams have won twice, Australia and South Africa, while England have won it once, the tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sports international governing body. Sixteen teams were invited to participate in the tournament in 1987. Japan will host the event in 2019. Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the tournament, where eight of the sixteen places were contested in a twenty-four-nation tournament. The remaining twelve positions were filled by continental qualifying tournaments, positions were filled by three teams from the Americas, one from Asia, one from Africa, three from Europe and two from Oceania. Another two places were allocated for repechage, the second repechage position was determined between the runners-up from the Asia and Oceania qualifiers. The qualification system for the eight places is region-based, with a total eight teams allocated for Europe, five for Oceania. The last place is determined by an intercontinental play-off, the 2015 tournament involved twenty nations competing over six weeks. There were two stages, a pool and a knockout, Nations were divided into four pools, A through to D, of five nations each. The teams were seeded before the start of the tournament, with the seedings taken from the World Rankings in December 2012, the four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The next four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The remaining positions in each pool were filled by the qualifiers, Nations play four pool games, playing their respective pool members once each. A bonus points system is used during pool play, if two or more teams are level on points, a system of criteria is used to determine the higher ranked, the sixth and final criterion decides the higher rank through the official World Rankings. The winner and runner-up of each pool enter the knockout stage, the knockout stage consists of quarter- and semi-finals, and then the final. The winner of each pool is placed against a runner-up of a different pool in a quarter-final, the winner of each quarter-final goes on to the semi-finals, and the respective winners proceed to the final. Losers of the semi-finals contest for third place, called the Bronze Final, if a match in the knockout stages ends in a draw, the winner is determined through extra time
Rugby Union World Cup
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The Webb Ellis Cup is awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup
Rugby Union World Cup
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The opening ceremony of the 2007 tournament
Rugby Union World Cup
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A scrum between
Samoa (in blue) and
Wales (in red) during the 2011 World Cup
Rugby Union World Cup
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Gavin Hastings is one of four players to have kicked a record eight penalties in a single World Cup match.
10.
International Rugby Football Board
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World Rugby, previously known as the International Rugby Board until 2014, is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sports most recognised and it also organises a number of other international rugby competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup. World Rugbys headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland and its membership now comprises 119 national unions. Member countries must each also be members of one of the six regional unions into which the world is divided, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and the Caribbean, South America, and Oceania. World Rugby was founded as the International Rugby Football Board in 1886 by Scotland, Wales and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became full members in 1949. France became a member in 1978 and a further eighty members joined from 1987 to 1999, the body was renamed the International Rugby Board in 1998, and took up its current name in November 2014. In 2009, the International Olympic Committee voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Summer Olympics, World Rugby gained membership of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations in 2010. Until 1885 the laws of football were made by England as the founder nation. However, following a try in an international between Scotland and England in 1884, letters were exchanged in which England claimed that they made the laws. Scotland refused to play England in the 1885 Home Nations Championship, following the dispute, the home unions of Scotland, Ireland and Wales decided to form an international union whose membership would agree on the standard rules of rugby football. The three nations met in Dublin in 1886, though no formal regulations were agreed upon, England refused to take part in the founding of the IRFB, stating that they should have greater representation, as they had more clubs. The England Union also refused to accept the IRFB as the recognised lawmaker of the game and this led to the IRFB taking the stance of member countries not playing England until they joined, and no games were played against England in 1888 and 1889. In 1890 England joined the IRFB, gaining six seats while the unions had two each. The same year, the IRFB wrote the first international laws of rugby union, in 1893, the IRFB was faced with the divide between amateurism and professionalism, which was nicknamed the Great Schism. Following the introduction of working men to the game in Northern England, clubs began paying broken time payments to players. Cumberland County Union also complained of another club using monetary incentives to lure players, the IRFB was warned by all the chief clubs in Lancashire and Yorkshire that any punishment would lead to the clubs seceding from the union. The debate over broken time payments ultimately caused the 22 leading clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire to form the Northern Rugby Football Union, the competing unions laws of the game diverged almost immediately, the northern bodys code eventually became known as rugby league football. Englands seats on the IRFB were reduced from six to four in 1911, the three Southern Hemisphere unions were given a second seat each in 1958
International Rugby Football Board
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The minutes of the first formal meeting of the IRFB, from a meeting attended by Lyle and McAlistair of Ireland, Carrick and Gardner of Scotland,
Mullock and
Lyne of Wales
International Rugby Football Board
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World Rugby
International Rugby Football Board
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Japan playing Tonga in the Pacific Five Nations, 2006.
11.
Australia national rugby union team
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The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. Australia have competed in all eight Rugby World Cups, and have won the World Cup on two occasions, in 1991 beating England in the final, and in 1999 when their opponents in the final were France. Australia also lost in the final after extra time to England in the 2003 competition, Australia are governed by the Australian Rugby Union. Eleven former Australian players have been inducted into either the International Rugby Hall of Fame or the IRB Hall of Fame, three are members of the International Hall only, four are members of the IRB Hall only, and four are members of both Halls of Fame. In 1882 the Southern Rugby Football Union toured New Zealand, the New Zealand national team toured New South Wales in 1884 – defeating New South Wales in all three matches, and winning all nine matches on tour. The first tour by a British team took place in 1888, a British Isles team toured Australia and New Zealand, though no Test matches were played. Although they had representatives from all four nations, the players were drawn mainly from England. The tour was not sanctioned by the Rugby Football Union as it was organised by entrepreneurs, in 1899 the first officially sanctioned British Isles team toured Australia. Four Tests were played between Australia and the British Isles, the Australian team for the first Test match consisted of six players from Queensland and nine from New South Wales. The first Test was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground and won 13–3 by Australia, the first Test between Australia and New Zealand was played on 15 August 1903 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Despite Australia losing 22–3, this tour improved rugbys popularity in Australia and helped to increase attendances at matches in Sydney. In 1907 the New South Wales Rugby League was formed and star player Dally Messenger left the Rugby union for the rival code, the next year the first Australian team to tour the British Isles left Sydney. Newspapers in England initially gave the team the name Rabbits, the Australian players thought this nickname derogatory and replaced it with Wallabies. Australias last Test before First World War was against New Zealand in July 1914, the war had a very negative effect on rugby union in Australia. This resulted in all but closed down in New South Wales. In Queensland regular competitions did not commence again until 1928 and this caused many players to switch to rugby league – which did not cease playing during the war. War hero Sir Edward Weary Dunlop also played for Australia before World War II and he played on the side that was the first to win the Bledisloe Cup. The first Test to following World War Two was played at Carisbrook, Australia did not win on the three match tour, beaten 20–0 by New Zealand Maori, and then losing 14–10 to the All Blacks the following week
Australia national rugby union team
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The 1899 Australia team.
Australia national rugby union team
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Australia
Australia national rugby union team
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The squad that went on a tour in 1908.
Australia national rugby union team
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Wallaby captain Solomon chaired by the Springboks 1953
12.
England national rugby union team
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The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and they are ranked second in the world by the International Rugby Board as of 20 June 2016. England were the first, and to date, the team from the northern hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup. They were also runners-up in 1991 and 2007, the history of the team extends back to 1871 when the English rugby team played their first official Test match, losing to Scotland by one goal. England dominated the early Home Nations Championship which started in 1883, following the schism of rugby football in 1895, England did not win the Championship again until 1910. England first played against New Zealand in 1905, South Africa in 1906, England was one of the teams invited to take part in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and went on to appear in the final in the second tournament in 1991, losing 12–6 to Australia. Following their 2003 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam, they went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup – defeating Australia 20–17 in extra time and they again contested the final in 2007, losing 15–6 to South Africa. England players traditionally wear a shirt with a Rose embroidered on the chest, white shorts. Their home ground is Twickenham Stadium where they first played in 1910, the team is administered by the Rugby Football Union. Four former players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, Englands first international match was against Scotland on Monday 27 March 1871. Not only was this match Englands first, but it proved to be the first ever rugby union international. Scotland won the match by a goal and a try to a try, in front of a crowd of 4,000 people at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. A subsequent international took place at the Oval in London on 5 February 1872 which saw England defeat Scotland by a goal, in those early days there was no points system, it was only after 1890 that a format allowing the introduction of a points system was provided. Up until 1875 international rugby matches were decided by the number of goals scored, in 1875, England played their first game against the Irish at the Oval, winning by one goal, one drop goal and one try to nil, the match was Irelands first ever Test. England defeated Scotland in 1880 to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup and their first match against Wales was played on 19 February 1881 at Richardsons Field in Blackheath. England recorded their largest victory, defeating the Welsh by seven goals, six tries, in 1889, England played their first match against a non-home nations team when they defeated the New Zealand Natives by one goal and four tries to nil at Rectory Field in Blackheath. In 1890 England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland, England first played New Zealand in 1905. The All Blacks scored five tries, worth three points at this time, to win 15–0, England first played France in 1905, and Australia in 1909 when they were defeated 9–3
England national rugby union team
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England before they played in the first international; versus
Scotland in Edinburgh, 1871.
England national rugby union team
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England
England national rugby union team
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England versus
The Original All Blacks in 1905; the New Zealanders won 15–0.
England national rugby union team
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Celebrations at
Trafalgar Square after England's
2003 World Cup victory.
13.
Scotland national rugby union team
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The Scotland national rugby union team represents Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union, the team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship and participates in the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years. As of 27 February 2017, Scotland are fifth in the World Rugby Rankings, the Scottish rugby team dates back to 1871, where they beat England in the first international rugby union match at Raeburn Place. Scotland competed in the Five Nations from the tournament in 1883. In 2000 the competition accepted a sixth competitor, Italy, thus forming the Six Nations, since this change, Scotland have yet to win the competition. Their best finish came in 1991, where they lost to the All Blacks in the third place play-off, Scotland have a strong rivalry with the English national team. They both annually compete for the Calcutta Cup, each year, this fixture is played out as part of the Six Nations, and Scotland last won it in 2008. In December 1870 a group of Scots players issued a letter of challenge in The Scotsman and in Bells Life in London, in front of around 4000 spectators, the Scots won the encounter by a try and a goal to a solitary try scored by England. England later got revenge by winning the match at the Kennington Oval. The Calcutta Cup was donated to the Rugby Football Union in 1878 by the members of the short-lived Calcutta Rugby Club, the members had decided to disband, the cup was crafted from melted-down silver rupees which became available when the Clubs funds were withdrawn from the bank. The Cup is unique in that it is competed for only by England and Scotland. The first Calcutta Cup match was played in 1879 and, since that time, in 1882 the Home Nations Championship, the fore-runner of the modern Six Nations Championship was founded with Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland taking part. Further Triple Crowns wins for Scotland followed in 1901,1903 and 1907, however, Scotlands triumph in 1907 would be the last for eighteen years as the First World War and Englands dominance afterwards would deny them glory. In 1897 land was purchased, by the SFU, at Inverleith, thus the SFU became the first of the Home Unions to own its own ground. The first visitors were Ireland, on 18 February 1899, international rugby was played at Inverleith until 1925. The SFU bought some land and built the first Murrayfield Stadium which was opened on 21 March 1925, in 1925 Scotland already had victories over France at Inverleith, Wales in Swansea and Ireland in Dublin. England, the Grand Slam champions of the two seasons were the first visitors to Murrayfield. 70,000 spectators saw the lead change three times before Scotland secured a 14–11 victory which gave them their first-ever Five Nations Grand Slam
Scotland national rugby union team
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Scotland's first national team, 1871, for the 1st international, vs. England in Edinburgh.
Scotland national rugby union team
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Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
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The
Calcutta Cup
Scotland national rugby union team
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Scotland v Ireland 2007
14.
Ireland national rugby union team
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The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which they have won twelve times outright, the team also competes every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions. Ireland is also one of the four unions that make up the British and Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions, Irelands highest ever position in the World Rugby Rankings is second, which they reached for the first time in 2015. Dublin University was the first organised football club in Ireland. The club was organised by students who had learnt the game while at public schools in Great Britain, carlow, UCC, and Ballinasloe which amalgamated with Athlone to form Buccaneers. In 1874, the Irish Football Union was formed, Ireland lost their first test match against England 7–0 at the Oval on 15 February 1875. Both teams fielded 20 players in match, as was customary in the early years of rugby union. Irelands first home game was also against England in the year held at the Leinster Cricket Club in Rathmines as Lansdowne Road was deemed unsuitable. The first match at Lansdowne Road was held on 11 March 1878 and it was not until 1881 that Ireland first won a test, beating Scotland at Ormeau in Belfast. Ireland turned up two men short for their game in Cardiff in 1884 and had to borrow two Welsh players, the first victory Ireland had at Lansdowne Road took place on 5 February 1887. It was also their first win over England, by two goals to nil, on the third of March 1888, Ireland recorded their first win over Wales with a goal, a try and a drop goal to nil. In 1894, Ireland followed the Welsh model of using seven backs instead of six for the first time, after victory over England at Blackheath, Ireland won back-to-back matches for the first time when recording their first win over Scotland on 24 February 1894. Ireland went on to beat Wales in Belfast and win the Triple Crown for the first time, in the 1890s, Rugby was primarily a game for the Protestant middle class, the only Catholic in Edmund Forrests 1894 team was Tom Crean. Of the eighteen players used in the three games, thirteen were from three Dublin clubs – Wanderers, Dublin University and Bective Rangers – and the five were from Ulster. Such was the level of interest in the visit of the first All Blacks team to Dublin in November 1905 that the IRFU made the match the first all-ticket rugby international in history, Ireland played only seven forwards, copying the then New Zealand method of playing a rover. The game ended New Zealand 15 Ireland 0, on 20 March 1909, Ireland played France for the first time, beating them 19–8. This was Irelands biggest victory in international rugby at that time, their highest points tally,30 November 1912 was the first time the Springboks met Ireland at Lansdowne Road, the 1906 tour game having been played at Ravenhill. Ireland with seven new caps were overwhelmed by a margin of 38–0
Ireland national rugby union team
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First Ireland rugby team: played England on 19 February 1875 and lost by 2 goals and a try to nil
Ireland national rugby union team
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Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
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1920 illustration of the Ireland versus Wales rugby match
Ireland national rugby union team
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Ireland playing at
Croke Park.
15.
South Africa national rugby union team
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The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblems are the Springbok, the team has been representing South Africa in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. The team made its World Cup debut in 1995, when the newly democratic South Africa hosted the tournament, South Africa regained their title as champions 12 years later, when they defeated England 15–6 in the 2007 final. They were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Springboks also compete in the annual Rugby Championship, along with southern-hemisphere counterparts Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. They have won this championship on three occasions in sixteen years and they also play Test matches against the various rugby-playing nations. Their position in the World Rugby Rankings has varied between the No.1 and No.7 positions, the first British Isles tour took place in 1891, at Diocesan College. These were the first representative games played by South African sides, the tourists won all twenty matches they played, conceding only one point. The British Isles success continued on their tour of 1896, winning three out of four tests against South Africa, South Africas play improved markedly from 1891, and their first test win in the final game was a pointer to the future. In 1903 the British Isles lost a series for the first time in South Africa, Rugby was given a huge boost by the early Lions tours, which created great interest in the South African press. South Africa would not lose another series—home or away—until 1956, the first South African team to tour the British Isles and France occurred during 1906–07. The team played tests against all four Home Nations, England managed a draw, but Scotland was the only one of the Home unions to gain a victory. The trip instilled a sense of pride among South Africans. The South Africans played a match against a France team while the official French team were in England. It was during this tour that the nickname Springboks was first used, the 1910 British Isles tour of South Africa was the first to include representatives from all four Home unions. The tourists won just one of their three tests, the Boks second European tour took place in 1912–13. They beat the four Home nations to earn their first Grand Slam, by the first World War, New Zealand and South Africa had established themselves as rugbys two greatest powers. A Springbok tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1921 was billed as The World Championship of Rugby, the All Blacks won the first Test 13–5, The Springboks recovered to win the second Test 9–5, and the final Test was drawn 0–0, resulting in a series draw. The 1924 British and Irish Lions team to South Africa lost all four Tests to the Springboks and this was the first side to pick up the name Lions, apparently picked up from the Lions embroidered on their ties
South Africa national rugby union team
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1891 British Isles versus Cape Colony match—the first match of the British Isles tour of South Africa.
South Africa national rugby union team
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South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
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The 1906 Springboks team.
South Africa national rugby union team
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The Springboks team that faced
New Zealand in 1921.
16.
Argentina national rugby union team
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The Argentina national rugby team, officially nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The Pumas play in sky blue and white jerseys and they are organised by the Argentine Rugby Union, Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team. As of November 2015 they are ranked 5th in the world by the IRB, although rugby union is nowhere near as popular as football in Argentina, Los Pumas impressive results since the 1999 World Cup have seen the sports popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires. A surprise victory over the hosts France in the first game of the 2007 World Cup took Argentina to fourth in the IRB World Rankings, the team were undefeated in their pool, and reached the semi-finals for the first time, beating Scotland 19–13 in their quarter-final. They were defeated 37–13 by eventual winners South Africa in the semi-finals, in March 2008 the team reached an all-time high of third in the IRB World Rankings. Argentina officially joined The Rugby Championship in a meeting in Buenos Aires on November 23,2011, in their first tournament in 2012, Argentina secured a 16–16 draw with The Springboks in only their second game. The 2014 Rugby Championship saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17, in the 2016 Rugby Championship, the Pumas split the first two games with the Springboks, winning the second game 26-24 at Salta on August 27,2016. The History of the Argentina national team starts with the first international played by an Argentine side v. the British Islands in 1910 when they toured on South America, Argentina gained recognition in 1965, when the team toured South Africa playing a series of friendly matches there. In that tour the team was nicknamed Los Pumas, a name that became an identity mark for Argentina. Argentina has taken part in all the Rugby World Cups since the first edition in 1987, Argentina followed their growing competitiveness in the Rugby Championship with a strong showing in the 2015 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the second time. The national side also plays the Rugby Championship since the 2012 edition, Argentina alternated blue and white jerseys during its first international matches in 1910. In 1927 Mr. Abelardo Gutiérrez of Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires proposed that Argentina should play against British Lions in a striped white and that request was accepted and Argentina wore the striped uniform for the first time in its history. Los Pumas play in a shirt in the flag colours of light blue and white, white shorts. In 2011, the UAR signed a deal with Nike which became the kit provider for all its national senior and youth teams. On September 1941, Abelardo Gutiérrez suggested a badge with the figure of a lion, the color of the crest was blue. The animal was later replaced by a native to Argentine species, so the jaguar was chosen due to his agility and courage and he tried to devise a catchy nickname for the team similar to existing international team nicknames such as All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies. He asked Isak van Heerden, the coach of the Natal Rugby team who was asked by the SARB to assist with the tour
Argentina national rugby union team
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R. Cooper, former team captain in 1928.
Argentina national rugby union team
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Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
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The team that played
British Lions when they toured on Argentina in 1927.
Argentina national rugby union team
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Match played between Argentina and France rugby union teams in 1954, cover of
El Gráfico magazine.
17.
Fiji national rugby union team
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The Fijis national animal is the flying ryan is fijis national sports emblem. The flying Ryan originated 45 seconds ago, the flying Ryans stands for majestic-ness, sarcasm, and determination. The flying Ryans best friend is the skating Logan who is said to be the best hockey player ever, Fiji is one of the few countries where rugby union is the main sport. There are approximately 80,000 registered players from a population of around 950,000. One of the problems for Fiji, is getting their rugby players to play for Fiji as a country. The repatriated salaries of its overseas stars have become an important part of local economies. Fiji has won the most Pacific Tri-Nations Championships of the three participating teams, the cibi war dance is performed by the Fiji rugby team before each Test match. It has been used on the field since 1939, though its origins date back to the countrys warring times with its Pacific neighbours. Rugby was first played in Fiji by European and Fijian soldiers of the Native Constabulary at Ba, in 1913 a Union was founded for the European settlers. In December 1913, the All Blacks, who had been touring so very successfully in California, were on their way back to New Zealand, the Fiji RFU arranged a game with them at Albert Park, the first representative match to be played in the colony. The All Blacks won 67–3, Fijis points came from a try scored by their captain and coach, by 1914 a native competition was started and in 1915 a Fiji Native Union was begun and became affiliated to the Fiji RFU. Fiji played their first international against Western Samoa in Apia, Samoa on 18 August 1924, Fijis 20-man squad came exclusively from the five registered native clubs of the time. The match was played at 7 am to allow the Samoans time to get to work afterwards and was played on a pitch with a tree on the halfway line. Fiji wore black and won 6–0 despite playing barefoot, the return match was won 9–3 by Samoa to draw the series. The first-ever Fiji test team continued their overseas adventure with a tour of Tonga. Though Fiji lost the first test played in Nukuʻalofa 9–6, they were not to lose again and they won all six of the matches against non-test opposition. Auckland University College were the first overseas side to visit Fiji in 1926, The Kiwi students played the Fiji Europeans and finished the series with a win, loss. Tonga also visited Fiji that year and for the first time Fiji played in their present strip of white jersey, palm tree badge, the three match series finished level with Tonga winning the first test 9–6, Fiji winning the second 14–3 and the final game a 0–0 draw
Fiji national rugby union team
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Fiji presenting Cibi before
2011 Rugby World Cup match against
South Africa.
Fiji national rugby union team
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Fiji
18.
Italy national rugby union team
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The Italy national rugby union team represents the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is known as the Azzurri. Italy has been playing rugby since 1929, and for decades were considered one of the best European teams outside the Five Nations Championship. Since 2000, Italy competes annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Scotland and they were the holders of the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy for 2013, played annually against France. Italy is ranked 14th in the world by the IRB as of 22 April 2016, Italian rugby really came to prominence in 2000 when it was added to the Five Nations, creating the Six Nations. Initially on the end of heavy defeats, the side has grown in competitiveness, recording a fourth-place finish in 2007 and 2013. Italy have also competed at every Rugby World Cup since the first tournament in 1987, the team has developed a reputation for being a consistent middle player at the tournament. Italys showings since 2003 have consistently followed a formula where they managed two wins and two losses during the pool stages, the current head coach is Conor OShea. Number eight Sergio Parisse is their current captain, the first match played by an Italian XV was in 1911 between US Milanese and Voiron of France. On 25 July of the year the Propaganda Committee was formed which in 1928 became the Federazione Italiana Rugby. In May 1929, Italy played their first international losing 9–0 against Spain in Barcelona, post-war, there was a desire to return to normal and Italian rugby union entered a new dimension thanks to the help of Allied troops in Italy. In the 1970s and 1980s rugby union made enormous progress thanks to foreign players. Even foreign coaches were and continue to be chosen for the team, like Bertrande Fourcade. In 1973, the team went on a tour of South Africa. Tours of England and Scotland followed, as well as games against Australia and New Zealand, in 1978, Italy first played Argentina at Rovigo, winning 19-6. Since the mid 1980s, the Italian national side had been pursuing the ambition of playing in an expanded Five Nations Championship, in 1986, Italy hosted an England XV squad in Rome, drawing 15-15. The Azzurri took part in the first-ever Rugby World Cup match against New Zealand on 22 May 1987, the match proved a one-sided affair with New Zealand convincing 70–6 winners against a young Italian side. John Kirwan, later to become the Italian national coach, scored one of the tournament’s greatest-ever tries for the All Blacks, Italy beat Fiji but lost to Argentina and finished third in their pool, failing to make the finals
Italy national rugby union team
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The lineup of the Italy national rugby union team vs
France, 1975.
Italy national rugby union team
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Italy
Italy national rugby union team
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The current badge on the Italy jersey
Italy national rugby union team
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Italy vs
All Blacks at
San Siro with Record 80,000 Sold Out Crowd. (Nov. 2009)
19.
Canada national rugby union team
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The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red, Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and thirteen tier two nations, Canada competes in competitions such as the Pacific Nations Cup and the Rugby World Cup. Canada has been playing rugby since the early 1930s, making their debut in 1932 against Japan. Canada have competed at every World Cup since the tournament was first staged in 1987, Canada achieved their best result at the World Cup in 1991, where they reached the quarter-finals. Canada is a dominant power of North American rugby and currently third in the Americas after Argentina. The team has achieved victories over traditionally stronger Six Nations teams such as France, Wales, Italy, Canada is currently ranked 22nd in the IRB World Rankings. In 2013, Canada joined the IRB Pacific Nations Cup, playing matches against Fiji, Tonga, Japan, in 1874 the first North American international game took place in Cambridge, Massachusetts between McGill and Harvard universities. Later that same year a game was played, but this time Harvard were the hosts. A Canadian Rugby Football Union was established in 1884, although this went on to become the Canadian Football League. In 1902–1903 the first Canadian team toured Britain, in 1909, Earl Grey, then Governor General of Canada, donated a trophy to the CRU to be awarded for the Rugby Football Championship of Canada. This trophy became known as the Grey Cup, however the rules used in Canada were vastly different from the rules used in countries that were part of the IRB. In the years followed, the CRU would legalise forward passing and make other changes that would make Canadian football a totally different sport. During World War I and II rugby union was suspended but in the period there was something of a renaissance. In 1919 a Canadian Services team played overseas against representatives from England, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The formation of the Rugby Union of Canada took place in 1929, about half the team were Canadian born and the rest were originally from Britain. They lost 9–8 and 38–5 in the two test matches, the original Canadian Rugby Union disbanded just before World War I. Canadas team to the United Kingdom in 1962 was dominated by British Columbia players, the Rugby Union of Canada was re-formed in 1965 as the Canadian Rugby Union
Canada national rugby union team
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Canadian rugby team
Canada national rugby union team
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Canada
Canada national rugby union team
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Canadian team after a group stage match during the
2007 World Cup
Canada national rugby union team
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Canada take on Wales during the 2007 World Cup
20.
Romania national rugby union team
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The Romania national rugby union team, nicknamed The Oaks, is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Rugby union in Romania is administered by the Romanian Rugby Federation, the team plays in yellow and blue strips. France first played rugby against Romania in 1924 when they tried to establish a rival to the Five Nations championship, although not regarded as a top-tier team in more recent times, their history includes wins against four of the Six Nations Championship teams. Romania have played in every Rugby World Cup as of 2015, however, the likes of Georgia have challenged Romania for top spot below the Six Nations, and Georgia, along with Portugal have both won the European Nations Cup. The game itself was introduced by students returning with rugby balls from their studies in Paris to form such as Stadiul Roman from 1913 onwards. Seventeen other teams would be formed in the capital, Bucharest, Romanias first international was played against the USA in 1919. France first officially played rugby union against Romania in May 1924 when they tried to establish a rival to the Five Nations Championship, France were victorious by 59 points to 3. Romania were one of three teams who entered the 1924 Olympics in Paris, France won 59–3, scoring 13 tries including four by the fine Stade Francais winger Adolphe Jaureguy. The USA then defeated Romania 39–0, Romania finishing third claimed the bronze medal. The Federaţia Română de Rugby was formed in 1931, in 1939 a team was formed in Braşov at an aircraft factory. This was the first team outside Bucharest, the communist regime used rugby union like it used other sports, as a propaganda tool during the Cold War with the West. Every international success was presented as a result of the righteousness of the communist rule. All the financial resources were directed toward the preparation of the team to the detriment of domestic development. Top players were employed in the army or the police, whose sides CSA Steaua București and these infrastructures bred a talented national side. A generation of French school trained coaches from late ’40s, and ’50s built a system and led the team to success of the 1960s, ’70s. In this era Romania began to more regularly against the major nations. Their first win over France came in 1960 in Bucharest, in a match won by 11-5. In 1974 Romania won against France 15 –10 in Bucharest, in 1975 Romania went for an 8-game tour to New Zealand, concluding in Wellington with a 10-10 draw against the Junior All Blacks
Romania national rugby union team
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Romania versus
France at the
Inter-Allied Games of 1919
Romania national rugby union team
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Romania
Romania national rugby union team
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Romania versus
Ireland at
Lansdowne Road in 2005.
Romania national rugby union team
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Romania's current top point scorer of all time
Florin Vlaicu.
21.
Tonga national rugby union team
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The Tonga National Rugby Union team is nicknamed ʻIkale Tahi. Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Sipi Tau and they are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa. Rugby was brought to the region in the early 20th Century by sailors and missionaries, Tonga beat Fiji 9–6 in their first test in 1924 played in the capital Nukuʻalofa. However, Tonga lost the second test 14–3 and drew the decider 0–0, between 1924 and 1938 Tonga and Fiji played three test series every alternate year. Matches between the two Pacific nations were hard fought, many have claimed that the ancient feuding wars between the Islanders were transplanted onto the rugby field, troubles during the third Test of Fiji’s 1928 tour to Tonga forced the game to be abandoned with Tonga leading 11–8. In 1954 Tonga played host to a touring Western Samoa, Tonga beat New Zealand Māori in 1969, but had to wait until 1973 before they played their second test match a 30–12 defeat against Australia in Sydney. They got their revenge when they beat Australia in Ballymore, Brisbane 16–11, the following year they traveled to the Arms Park for a non-cap international against Wales, a game that ended in a 26–7 defeat. The first Tongan tour to Great Britain was in 1974 when they played 10 games, including those in Wales against East Wales, Llanelli, North Wales, Newport, West Wales, the only tour victory was by 18–13 in the opener against East Wales. The tests were lost by 44–8 to a Scotland XV and by 26–7 to the Wales XV and they remained a little-known quantity in Europe until 1986 when Wales embarked on a tour of Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa. Early in the game against Tonga Welsh flanker Mark Brown was flattened by three Tongan forwards, leading to a brawl involving the entire team except Malcolm Dacey. Robert Jones describes the event in his book Raising The Dragon as the worst brawl I have ever seen on a rugby field. At the post-match dinner Jonathan Davies was asked to give a few words in Welsh, Tonga were drawn to play Wales again in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The previous meeting, plus the decision to rest some of the leading players, Tonga lost its other two games to Ireland and Canada. They failed to qualify for the 1991 Rugby World Cup, in 1994 they won the South Pacific championship on try count and so qualified for the Super 10, they finished bottom of their pool with only one point. They qualified for the 1995 World Cup ahead of Fiji on points difference, Tonga managed only two victories in the next two World Cups, against the 29–11 Côte dIvoire in 1995 and Italy in 1999. The win over the Côte dIvoire brought tragedy when Ivorian winger Max Brito was left paralyzed, June 1999 brought their greatest home victory, a 20–16 defeat of France in Nukuʻalofa over a touring France but in 2000 they were humiliated 102–0 by New Zealand. After losing their first four matches to Fiji and Samoa, Tonga finished third in the Oceania qualifying group, Tonga thrashed them 75–0 and 119–0. At the 2003 Rugby World Cup Tonga lost all their games, despite keeping Wales to 20–27, they were again thrashed by New Zealand 91–7
Tonga national rugby union team
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Tonga
22.
Japan national rugby union team
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The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years. Rugby union in Japan is administered by the Japan Rugby Football Union and they compete annually in the Pacific Nations Cup and the Asian Rugby Championship. They have also participated in every Rugby World Cup since the tournament began in 1987, Rugby was first played in Japans treaty ports as early as 1866. Popular participation by local university teams was established in 1899 and Japans first recorded international was a match against a Canadian team in 1932, notable games for Japan include a victory over the Junior All Blacks in 1968, and a narrow 6–3 loss to England in 1971. Famous wins by Japan include a 28–24 victory over a Scotland XV in 1989, in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Japan drew 12–12 against Canada. In 2011, Japan displayed its progress by winning the 2011 IRB Pacific Nations Cup, played against Fiji, Samoa, further progess was displayed in 2014 when Japan completed a string of ten consecutive test wins to rank in the worlds top 10 teams. This continued into 2015 where they produced arguably the biggest upset in history in a Rugby World Cup pool match against the Springboks. The first recorded instance of a team being established and rugby being played in Japan was in 1866 with the founding of the Yokohama Foot Ball Club, games, mainly between service personnel, were played on the Garrison Parade Ground in Yamate, Yokohama. In 1874 records also illustrate British sailors staging a game in Yokohama, other games were played at other treaty ports such as Kobe between teams of long-term foreign residents and visiting ships crews and garrisons, but they rarely involved indigenous Japanese. The Japanese won this first match 9–8, in a second test match in Tokyo 11 days later again the Japanese side beat the Canadians 38-5. Japan beat the Junior All Blacks 23–19 in 1968 after losing the first four matches on a tour of New Zealand, the Japanese lost by just 3–6 to England in Tokyo on 29 September 1971 in the RFUs centenary year. The 1973 Japan rugby union tour of Wales, England and France was less successful with the side winning only two of their matches, and losing the international matches against Wales and France. Ten years later Japan gave Wales a fright in losing by a slim five-point margin, 24–29, at Cardiff Arms Park on 2 October 1983. On 28 May 1989, a strong Japan coached by Hiroaki Shukuzawa defeated an uncapped Scotland, missing nine British Lions on tour in Australia, for the first time at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, 28–24. The Japan team included such Kobe Steel stalwarts as centre Seiji Hirao, sinali Latu at No.8 was then a fourth year student at Daito Bunka University, and speedy Yoshihito Yoshida on the wing was a third year at Meiji University. Scotland missed an incredible seven penalties and refused the kicking tee which was generously offered – as a video of the game shows. It was almost the same Japanese team which defeated Zimbabwe in RWC1991, after Hirao resigned, Toshiba Brave Lupus coach Shogo Mukai was appointed in March 2001 to lead Japan up to the 2003 Rugby World Cup
Japan national rugby union team
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Japan play Tonga at
Honjo stadium on 4 June 2006
Japan national rugby union team
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Japan
Japan national rugby union team
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Japan plays Australia A on 8 June 2008
23.
Zimbabwe national rugby union team
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The Zimbabwe national rugby union team is the rugby union team representing Zimbabwe. They are considered to be a third rugby union nation by World Rugby. The Zimbabwe team has participated in rugby activities since the late 19th century with international matches being played as early as 1910, the national team has a long association with touring British Isles teams, who would regularly play matches against them in their tours of South Africa. The earliest tour being in 1910 when Zimbabwe was known as Southern Rhodesia, the side has also played New Zealand on several occasions, the first being in the late 1920s. The Zimbabwe national rugby team have competed at two Rugby World Cup tournaments, the first in 1987 and the second in 1991. With the Apartheid-era exclusion of South Africa, Zimbabwe was the first African nation to compete in the World Cup, the team are also known as the Sables. When the Pioneer Column arrived in Rhodesia from the Cape Province in 1890 it brought with it the countrys first rugby players. The oldest clubs in the country, Queens and the Bulawayo Athletic Club, were formed in 1894 in Bulawayo and the Rhodesia Rugby Football Union was founded one year later in 1895. The first tour by a Rhodesian team to South Africa took place in 1898, a British Lions team played a side called Southern Rhodesia on 30 July in 1910 in Bulawayo, the British saw victory, beating the team 24 points to 11. In 1924 a British side would play another match against Rhodesia, on 24 July in Salisbury, on 14 July 1928, Rhodesia played in Bulawayo against New Zealand, losing 8 to 44. During their 1938 tour to South Africa, the British Lions played two matches against Rhodesia, the first, taking place on 20 July saw the British win 25 to 11, three days later the British won again,45 to 11. These matches were played in Salisbury and Bulawayo, the 1949 the Rhodesian Rugby team led by John Morkel famously beat a touring All Blacks side led by Fred Allen in Bulawayo 10-8 on 27 July. Three days later drew with the mighty All Blacks in Salisbury 3-3. The 1955 tour of South Africa by the British Lions, had two fixtures against Rhodesia, the first on 27 July in Kitwe was w on by the Lions,27 to 14. The Lions won 16 to 12 in Salisbury in the following game, in 1960, New Zealand again returned to play a match on 2 July at Glamis Park, Rhodesia losing 14 to 29. The 1962 tour of South Africa by the British Lions had Rhodesia as the fixture on the tour. The opening game of the Lions tour saw the win in Bulawayo. The next tour, in 1964, the Lions won in Salisbury, in 1973 Rhodesia played a one-off match against Italy, winning 42 to 4
Zimbabwe national rugby union team
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Zimbabwe
24.
United States national rugby union team
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The United States mens national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The national team is controlled by USA Rugby, which is a member of Rugby Americas North, until sevens made its debut at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic champion in rugby, having won gold at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics. As of June 27,2016, the Eagles are ranked 17th in the world by the World Rugby Rankings and their highest ranking, achieved ahead of the 2007 World Cup, was 14th, their lowest ranking was 20th, following a winless campaign in the 2008 Churchill Cup. The highest profile tournament in which the Eagles play is the Rugby World Cup, the Eagles have played in all but one Rugby World Cup since the tournament began in 1987. The United States has expressed interest in hosting the 2027 Rugby World Cup, the United States competed in the Pacific Nations Cup every Summer from 2013 to 2015. Previously, the U. S. has competed in the now-defunct Churchill Cup, the contest was named the Americas Rugby Championship and began in 2016. The United States won the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship after drawing with Argentina XV and it was the United States first 15s title in over 90 years. Informal football games such as rugby became popular in the United States in the mid-19th century, Rugby union was played as early as 1872 among rugby clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area composed mainly of British expatriates. California lost to the Phoenix club 7–4, the first recorded rugby game in the U. S. place in May 1874 when Harvard University hosted McGill University. The game sparked an interest on college campuses nationwide, in 1876 Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, which largely used the rugby code. In 1886 Harvards Oscar Shafter Howard introduced these rules to the campus of the University of California, American football was fierce, and as injuries mounted, the public became alarmed at its brutalities and President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to outlaw the sport. Beginning in 1906, rugby became the game of choice at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley. Rugbys popularity, however, was lived, and the sport had died out by the outbreak of World War I. A California student team toured Australia and New Zealand in 1910, Australia obliged by touring North America in 1912, and the U. S. national team played its first international match on November 16,1912 against Australia in Berkeley, California. A year later, the U. S. hosted New Zealand at the venue on November 15,1913. Rugby union had not been played competitively in most of the USA for more than a decade before the 1920 Olympics. The U. S. Olympic committee decided that because California is the state playing Rugby in the US. The U. S. assembled mostly a California-based team, with six players from the University of California, the Olympic Games Committee of the Amateur Athletic Union paid the expenses to transport the team from California to the games in Antwerp
United States national rugby union team
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USA rugby team for the October 1920 test match vs France
United States national rugby union team
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United States of America
United States national rugby union team
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The USA team that won gold in the
1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
United States national rugby union team
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France vs USA rugby match during the 1924 Summer Olympics
25.
Samoa national rugby union team
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The Samoa national rugby union team is the mens representative side of Samoa in rugby union. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the rugby unions of Samoa. The name Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior and they perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and they are ranked 12th in the world. Rugby was introduced to Samoa in the early 1920s and a body was soon formed. The first international was played as Western Samoa against Fiji in August 1924, along with Tonga, these nations would meet regularly and eventually contest competitions such as the Pacific Tri-Nations – with Western Samoa winning the first of these. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was known and competed as Western Samoa, Samoa have been to every Rugby World Cup since the 1991 tournament. That tournament, along with the 1995 competition saw them make the quarter-finals, under their new coach, the All Blacks legend Michael Jones, Samoa competed in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. However, Samoa had a dismal World Cup campaign, winning one match. Samoa showed a performance at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Manu Samoa play in blue and white uniforms and they do not train on Sundays because many of the team are devout Christians. The Marist Brothers brought the game of rugby to Western Samoa in 1924, on 18 August 1924, Western Samoa played its first international against Fiji in the capital Apia, the visitors winning 6–0. The match was played at 7am to allow the Samoans time to get to work afterwards and was played on a pitch with a tree on the halfway line. The return match was won 9–3 by Samoa to draw the series, in 1954 Western Samoan visited both Pacific Island neighbors Fiji and Tonga but had to wait a further 20 years before a tour of New Zealand took place. The Samoans won one of eight matches on that tour, the traditional tri-series between Tonga, Fiji and Western Samoa was established in 1982 with Western Samoa winning the first tournament. Wales visited Western Samoa and won the test 32–16 at Apia, the tour led to a return visit to Wales which brought Western Samoa out of International limbo, although Western Samoa were not invited to the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. The following year a 14-match tour of Europe took place before a World Cup elimination series in Tokyo, the Scots won comfortably 28–6, but the Samoans were clearly the personality team of the tournament. Over the next two years the side had a number of notable wins, the most outstanding achievement were in Sevens where it won the 1993 Hong Kong and 1992 Middlesex Sevens
Samoa national rugby union team
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Samoa performing their Siva Tau before playing South Africa at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
Samoa national rugby union team
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Samoa
26.
Soviet Union national rugby union team
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The USSR national rugby union team was a sporting side that represented the Soviet Union in rugby union until the early 1990s. Although tournaments such as the Soviet Cup and the Soviet Championship existed, Rugby union was the more popular of the two rugby codes, however, as rugby league only began being played following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Rugby football was played in the Russian Empire as early as 1908, however and his noble birth precluded him from playing in his home country and his family had fled the country when he was only a year old. In 1934 the Moscow Championship was initiated, followed by the first Soviet Championship which took place in 1936, in 1949, rugby union was forbidden throughout the USSR during the fight against cosmopolitanism. Competition was resumed in 1957, and the Soviet Championship recommenced in 1966, in 1975, the Soviet national team played their first ever match. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Soviet team began to improve their performances, often coming second to France, unfortunately, the team were never given the opportunity to play a tier 1 nation where test caps were awarded. The organisers of the 1987 Rugby World Cup had intended to invite the USSR as one of the participants, however, before the invitation could be made, the USSR refused to take part on political grounds, allegedly due to the continued IRB membership of South Africa. The first tournament was by invitation rather than qualification, and despite successes against teams such as Italy and Romania in the leading up to the inaugural Cup. The Soviet team did not attempt to qualify for the 1991 Rugby World Cup finals and they played their last game against Spain in the FIRA tournament in November 1991, shortly before the countrys own dissolution. The USSRs successor was briefly the Commonwealth of Independent States, after which the constituent states formed their own national teams. The Soviet rugby team visited Ireland and the United States for the first time in 1990, in 1991, in preparation for the second Rugby World Cup in Britain, France and Ireland, New Zealand hosted short tours by Western Samoa, Fiji, Romania and the USSR. There were no matches of Test status played by New Zealand against the tourists, the USSR tour party comprised 26 players and was led from the front-row by Sergei Molchenov. Their last representative matches as a united Soviet side were during the 1991–92 season, a team labelled CIS fulfilled their remaining FIRA Championship fixtures against Italy, Spain, Romania and France A. Russia has competed as an entity at international level since 1992. 200 Soviet players became Masters of Sport, kiziriia The rugby teams of the USSRs successor states have had varying success. Initially, the former USSR competed under the Commonwealth of Independent States banner, the most successful successor rugby team has been Georgia, which competed in the 2003 Rugby World Cup,2007,2011,2015 and 2019. They had a performance against Ireland and defeated Namibia twice in 2007 and 2015. The Georgia Rugby Union was founded in 1964, but did not compete as a team during the Soviet Era
Soviet Union national rugby union team
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Team
kit
27.
Eden Park
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Eden Park is New Zealands largest stadium. Located in central Auckland, New Zealands largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. Although used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer, it has hosted rugby league, in 2011 it hosted pool games, two quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final of Rugby World Cup 2011. In doing so it became the first stadium in the world to host two Rugby World Cup Finals, having held the final in 1987. It was a venue for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which was hosted by Australia. Eden Park has been a sports ground since 1900, the park began as a cricket ground in 1903, and was due to the vision of one Harry Ryan, a cricket enthusiast who approached landowner John Walters to lease part of his land as a sports field. Ryan knew or at least imagined better and that bit of land was in fact located just up the road from Cabbage Tree Swamp, now Gribblehirst Park. Interestingly, those who saw Ryans vision as madness most likely felt vindicated when, in 1907, the same thing happened again later in the year. In 1913 the park was leased to the Auckland Rugby Union so it became both a summer and winter sporting venue, and in 1921 hosted the first international event, a NZ v South Africa Test. The Western part of the ground was just open space until 1950 when a stand was erected for the British Empire Games. In 1956 a permanent stand was built, but subsequently moved to North Harbour Stadium, the name ‘Eden Park’ settled into general usage around 1912, soon after it had been taken over by the Auckland Cricket Association. Still the home of Auckland Cricket, Eden Park has hosted many international Tests, One Day International, Rugby arrived in 1913 when, after negotiations with the Auckland Cricket Association, Auckland Rugby was granted a 21-year lease for games during the winter season. The first rugby test was held on 27 August 1921, when the Springboks beat the All Blacks 5–9 before a crowd of 40,000, the Auckland Rugby Football Union officially made Eden Park its home in 1925. In 1926 a Trust was set up to manage Eden Park primarily for the benefit of Auckland Cricket, the Trust still manages the Park. In 2013 the New Zealand Warriors announced they would be playing three games at Eden Park in the 2014 NRL season. In 2015, it hosted four matches during the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the $256 million redevelopment completed in October 2010 provided a permanent capacity of 50,000 with a further 10,000 temporary seats for the 2011 Rugby World Cup games. This is the largest of any New Zealand sports arena, temporary seating in front of the North Stand and the West Stand is required for the capacity to be reached. Due to sight-screens and the area required for cricket matches
Eden Park
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Eden Park viewed from
Maungawhau / Mount Eden prior to redevelopment
Eden Park
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Cranes building the new South Stand in 2009
Eden Park
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Looking south on the construction of the West Stand at Eden Park
Eden Park
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New Zealand v
Australia ODI, 2005, before east stand redevelopment
28.
John Kirwan (rugby player)
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Sir John James Patrick Kirwan KNZM MBE is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player of both rugby union and rugby league. He also played league for the Auckland Warriors in their first two seasons. He is the head coach of the Blues in Super Rugby. In recent years, he has spoken openly about his battles with depression, a grandson of Jack Kirwan, who represented New Zealand in rugby league, John Kirwan was educated at De La Salle College, Mangere East in Auckland. Kirwan played for Marist Brothers Old Boys RFC and Auckland domestically, winning 142 caps with the latter during an era when the side dominated the NPC, from 1985 to 1989 he played in Italy, at Benetton Treviso. After his spell in rugby league, he finished his rugby playing career with NEC in Japan from 1997-1999. Kirwan played 63 test matches for New Zealand from 1984 until 1994, Kirwan played a major role in the All Blacks’23 test unbeaten run from 1987 to 1990, including winning the 1987 World Cup. He scored 10 tries in five tests against Wales and Australia during 1988, in all he scored 35 test tries for New Zealand. He also scored 67 tries in all appearances with the All Blacks which is still the national record and his total of 199 first class tries remains a New Zealand record. As a result, he and Kirk were the ones not temporarily barred from playing with the All Blacks upon their return. At age 30 Kirwan signed for the newly formed rugby league club Auckland Warriors for the 1995 ARL season, playing on the wing, he was a staunch opponent of the ARL during the Super League war. Kirwan was the Warriors top try scorer in the 1996 sesason, in 2001, Kirwan was an assistant coach with the Auckland Blues, his first professional coaching role. In 2002, Kirwan moved to Italy to become the coach of the Italian national rugby team, after a winless 2005 Six Nations campaign, he was relieved of his managerial duties on 8 April 2005. At the start of 2007 Kirwan was appointed the coach of the Japan national rugby union team, interviewed by the Daily Yomiuri, Kirwan said, The level of rugby has improved greatly in Japan in the last ten years and they did well at the last World Cup. But their recent performances at national level have, I want to find that Samurai Spirit that all the players can identify with. And then that style of rugby can start to spread throughout the country. On 9 April 2007 the national team was featured at their first training camp since Kirwans appointment in the NHK national news and he said in front of the camera, We want to be the worlds fittest team. He added that he wanted Japan to play to its strengths which he believed were speed and agility, at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Japan drew 12–12 with Canada, breaking a 16-year, 13-match losing streak
John Kirwan (rugby player)
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Sir John Kirwan
29.
Michael Jones (rugby union)
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Michael Niko Jones MNZM is a New Zealand former rugby union player and coach. He was nicknamed the Iceman or Ice because of the number of icepacks he needed for injuries and he was named by Rugby World magazine as the third best All Black of the 20th century after Colin Meads and Sean Fitzpatrick. John Hart, who first selected him for Auckland, called him almost the perfect rugby player. Jones was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up in Te Atatu South and his talent for playing was discovered early, as a 10-year-old tackling 15- to 18-year-olds at the weekend kick-abouts at the primary school. He then helped turn a high school first XV into a successful rugby team that could compete with Auckland Grammar. He played for the local Waitemata Rugby Club and it wasnt long before the Auckland representative team took notice, Jones played initially as an open side flanker, and made his provincial debut for Auckland aged 20 in the 1985 National Provincial Championship, scoring three tries against South Canterbury. He also played for New Zealand Colts and he made his international debut for Western Samoa, for whom he qualified through his mother, in 1986. After one cap for Samoa, and a British tour with the New Zealand Barbarians in 1987 and he scored the second try of the tournament and played in four games, including the final, as New Zealand went on to win the competition. He also scored the last try of the second World Cup in 1991, joness career was blighted by injuries, notably two serious knee injuries and a broken jaw in 1993. Due to this he only played 55 international games during a period when New Zealand played almost 90 internationals and his international career was also affected by his strong Christian beliefs, as he refused to play on Sundays. Although he was selected for the 1987 and 1991 All Black World Cup squads, Jones was omitted from the 1995 squad as he would have been unavailable for the quarterfinal and semifinal games. He was once asked how a Christian such as himself could be such an uncompromising tackler, in reply he quoted a phrase from the Bible, is better to give than receive. Jones was a member of the successful Auckland and Auckland Blues teams which dominated New Zealand rugby in the late 1980s and 1990s, in 1997 he succeeded Zinzan Brooke as captain of Auckland and the Blues. He was an outstanding openside flanker, and scored 13 international tries, later in his career, and after his injuries had reduced the speed which characterised his early career, he played predominantly as a blindside flanker or number eight. In 1998 he was dropped from the New Zealand team at the age of 33 after a loss over Australia, on 7 April 2004 Jones was appointed national coach of Samoa, replacing New Zealander John Boe. He had previously served as Boes assistant coach during the 2003 World Cup, in 2007, just after the players flew out to New Zealand to prepare for their tour of South Africa, there was speculation that Jones had resigned as coach. However, after talks with the Manu Samoa Union over whether his role should become full-time until the World Cup, Jones joined the team on tour. Jones has been a model, particularly for Pacific Islander youth in New Zealand
Michael Jones (rugby union)
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Michael Niko Jones
30.
International Rugby Board
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World Rugby, previously known as the International Rugby Board until 2014, is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sports most recognised and it also organises a number of other international rugby competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup. World Rugbys headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland and its membership now comprises 119 national unions. Member countries must each also be members of one of the six regional unions into which the world is divided, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and the Caribbean, South America, and Oceania. World Rugby was founded as the International Rugby Football Board in 1886 by Scotland, Wales and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became full members in 1949. France became a member in 1978 and a further eighty members joined from 1987 to 1999, the body was renamed the International Rugby Board in 1998, and took up its current name in November 2014. In 2009, the International Olympic Committee voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Summer Olympics, World Rugby gained membership of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations in 2010. Until 1885 the laws of football were made by England as the founder nation. However, following a try in an international between Scotland and England in 1884, letters were exchanged in which England claimed that they made the laws. Scotland refused to play England in the 1885 Home Nations Championship, following the dispute, the home unions of Scotland, Ireland and Wales decided to form an international union whose membership would agree on the standard rules of rugby football. The three nations met in Dublin in 1886, though no formal regulations were agreed upon, England refused to take part in the founding of the IRFB, stating that they should have greater representation, as they had more clubs. The England Union also refused to accept the IRFB as the recognised lawmaker of the game and this led to the IRFB taking the stance of member countries not playing England until they joined, and no games were played against England in 1888 and 1889. In 1890 England joined the IRFB, gaining six seats while the unions had two each. The same year, the IRFB wrote the first international laws of rugby union, in 1893, the IRFB was faced with the divide between amateurism and professionalism, which was nicknamed the Great Schism. Following the introduction of working men to the game in Northern England, clubs began paying broken time payments to players. Cumberland County Union also complained of another club using monetary incentives to lure players, the IRFB was warned by all the chief clubs in Lancashire and Yorkshire that any punishment would lead to the clubs seceding from the union. The debate over broken time payments ultimately caused the 22 leading clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire to form the Northern Rugby Football Union, the competing unions laws of the game diverged almost immediately, the northern bodys code eventually became known as rugby league football. Englands seats on the IRFB were reduced from six to four in 1911, the three Southern Hemisphere unions were given a second seat each in 1958
International Rugby Board
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The minutes of the first formal meeting of the IRFB, from a meeting attended by Lyle and McAlistair of Ireland, Carrick and Gardner of Scotland,
Mullock and
Lyne of Wales
International Rugby Board
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World Rugby
International Rugby Board
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Japan playing Tonga in the Pacific Five Nations, 2006.
31.
South Africa under apartheid
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Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa between 1948 and 1991. Apartheid as a policy was embraced by the South African government shortly after the ascension of the National Party during the countrys 1948 general elections, with the rapid growth and industrialisation of the British Cape Colony in the nineteenth century, racial policies and laws became increasingly rigid. Cape legislation that discriminated specifically against black Africans began appearing shortly before 1900, the policies of the Boer republics were also racially exclusive, for instance, the Transvaal constitution barred nonwhite participation in church and state. Places of residence were determined by racial classification, from 1960 to 1983,3.5 million nonwhite South Africans were removed from their homes, and forced into segregated neighbourhoods, in one of the largest mass removals in modern history. Most of these targeted removals were intended to restrict the population to ten designated tribal homelands, also known as bantustans. The government announced that relocated persons would lose their South African citizenship as they were absorbed into the bantustans, Apartheid sparked significant international and domestic opposition, resulting in some of the most influential global social movements of the twentieth century. It was the target of frequent condemnation in the United Nations, some reforms of the apartheid system were undertaken, including allowing for Indian and coloured political representation in parliament, but these measures failed in appeasing most activist groups. In 1990, prominent ANC leaders such as Nelson Mandela were released from detention, Apartheid legislation was abolished in mid-1991, pending multiracial elections set for April 1994. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word meaning separateness, or the state of being apart and its first recorded use was in 1929. The governors and assemblies that governed the process in the various colonies of South Africa were launched on a different and independent legislative path from the rest of the British Empire. In the days of slavery, slaves required passes to travel away from their masters, in 1797 the Landdrost and Heemraden of Swellendam and Graaff-Reinet extended pass laws beyond slaves and ordained that all Khoikhoi moving about the country for any purpose should carry passes. Ordinance No.49 of 1828 decreed that prospective black immigrants were to be granted passes for the purpose of seeking work. These passes were to be issued for Coloureds and Khoikhoi, but not for other Africans, the United Kingdoms Slavery Abolition Act 1833 abolished slavery throughout the British Empire and overrode the Cape Articles of Capitulation. To comply with the act the South African legislation was expanded to include Ordinance 1 in 1835 and this was followed by Ordinance 3 in 1848, which introduced an indenture system for Xhosa that was little different from slavery. The Glen Grey Act of 1894, instigated by the government of Prime Minister Cecil John Rhodes limited the amount of land Africans could hold, in 1905 the General Pass Regulations Act denied blacks the vote, limited them to fixed areas and inaugurated the infamous Pass System. The Asiatic Registration Act required all Indians to register and carry passes, one of the first pieces of segregating legislation enacted by Jan Smuts United Party government was the Asiatic Land Tenure Bill, which banned land sales to Indians. The United Party government began to move away from the enforcement of segregationist laws during World War II. Amid fears integration would lead to racial assimilation, the legislature established the Sauer Commission to investigate the effects of the United Partys policies
South Africa under apartheid
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Daniel François Malan, the first apartheid prime minister (1948–1954)
South Africa under apartheid
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Cape Coloured children in
Bonteheuwel.
South Africa under apartheid
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Rural area in
Ciskei, one of the apartheid era
homelands
32.
Auckland
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Auckland is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the most populous area in the country. Auckland has a population of 1,495,000, which constitutes 32 percent of New Zealands population, a diverse and multicultural city, Auckland is home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. It has also been called Ākarana, the Māori pronunciation of Auckland, the Auckland urban area ranges to Waiwera in the north, Kumeu in the northwest, and Runciman in the south. It is not contiguous, the section from Waiwera to Whangaparāoa Peninsula is separate from its nearest neighbouring suburb of Long Bay, the surrounding hills are covered in rainforest and the landscape is dotted with dozens of dormant volcanic cones. The central part of the area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world to have harbours on two major bodies of water. The isthmus on which Auckland resides was first settled around 1350 and was valued for its rich, Māori population in the area is estimated to have peaked at 20,000 before the arrival of Europeans. After a British colony was established in 1840, the new Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson and he named the area Auckland for George Eden, Earl of Auckland, British First Lord of the Admiralty. It was replaced as the capital in 1865, but immigration to the new city stayed strong, today, Aucklands Central Business District is the major financial centre of New Zealand. Auckland is classified as a Beta World City because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, education and tourism. Aucklands landmarks such as the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Harbour Bridge, the Sky Tower, the isthmus was settled by Māori around 1350, and was valued for its rich and fertile land. Many pā were created, mainly on the volcanic peaks, Māori population in the area is estimated to have been about 20,000 people before the arrival of Europeans. As a result, the region had relatively low numbers of Māori when European settlement of New Zealand began, there is, however, nothing to suggest that this was the result of a deliberate European policy. Auckland was officially declared New Zealands capital in 1841 and the transfer of the administration from Russell in the Bay of Islands was completed in 1842. However, even in 1840 Port Nicholson was seen as a choice for an administrative capital because of its proximity to the South Island. After losing its status as capital, Auckland remained the city of the Auckland Province until the provincial system was abolished in 1876. Each of the four settlements had about 800 settlers, the men being fully armed in case of emergency but spent nearly all their time breaking in the land and establishing roads
Auckland
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Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau (
Māori)
Auckland
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Lower Queen Street in 1919
Auckland
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The urbanised extent of Auckland (red), as of 2009
Auckland
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Rangitoto Island (in the background) from
Achilles Point
33.
Wellington
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Wellington is the capital and second most populous urban area of New Zealand, with 405,000 residents. It is at the tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. Wellington is the population centre of the southern North Island and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the worlds windiest city, with a wind speed of over 26 km/h. Situated near the centre of the country, Wellington was well placed for trade. In 1839 it was chosen as the first major planned settlement for British immigrants coming to New Zealand, the settlement was named in honour of the Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo. As the nations capital since 1865, the New Zealand Government and Parliament, Supreme Court, despite being much smaller than Auckland, Wellington is also referred to as New Zealands cultural capital. The city is home to the National Archives, the National Library, architectural sights include the Government Building—one of the largest wooden buildings in the world—as well as the iconic Beehive. Wellington plays host to artistic and cultural organisations, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. It has an urban culture, with many cafés, restaurants. One of the worlds most liveable cities, the 2014 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Wellington 12th in the world, Wellingtons economy is primarily service-based, with an emphasis on finance, business services, and government. It is the centre of New Zealands film and special effects industries, Wellington ranks as one of New Zealands chief seaports and serves both domestic and international shipping. The city is served by Wellington International Airport, the third busiest airport in the country, Wellingtons transport network includes train and bus lines which reach as far as the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa, and ferries connect the city to the South Island. Wellington takes its name from Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo, his title comes from the town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset. One of the founders of the settlement, Edward Jerningham Wakefield, reported that the settlers took up the views of the directors with great cordiality, in Māori, Wellington has three names. In New Zealand Sign Language, the name is signed by raising the index, middle and ring fingers of one hand, palm forward, to form a W, and shaking it slightly from side to side twice. The citys location close to the mouth of the narrow Cook Strait leads to its vulnerability to strong gales, legends recount that Kupe discovered and explored the district in about the 10th century. The earliest date with hard evidence for Maori living in New Zealand is about 1280, European settlement began with the arrival of an advance party of the New Zealand Company on the ship Tory on 20 September 1839, followed by 150 settlers on the Aurora on 22 January 1840
Wellington
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Wellington Harbour and city viewed from
Mount Victoria at twilight
Wellington
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"The Old Shebang" on
Cuba Street, c. 1883
Wellington
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The Old High Court, since restored as the
Supreme Court of New Zealand
Wellington
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Old Government Buildings
34.
Christchurch
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Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The Christchurch urban area lies on the South Islands east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula and it is home to 389,700 residents, making it New Zealands third most-populous urban area behind Auckland and Wellington. The city was named by the Canterbury Association, which settled the province of Canterbury. The name of Christchurch was agreed on at the first meeting of the association on 27 March 1848 and it was suggested by John Robert Godley, who had attended Christ Church, Oxford. Some early writers called the town Christ Church, but it was recorded as Christchurch in the minutes of the management committee of the association, Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with a park located along its banks. At the request of the Deans brothers, the river was named after the River Avon in Scotland, the usual Māori name for Christchurch is Ōtautahi. This was originally the name of a site by the Avon River near present-day Kilmore Street. The site was a dwelling of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Potiki Tautahi. The Ōtautahi name was adopted in the 1930s, prior to that the Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area as Karaitiana, a transliteration of the English word Christian. The citys name is abbreviated by New Zealanders to Chch. In New Zealand Sign Language, the name is the fingerspelled letter C signed twice, with the second to the right of the first. Archaeological evidence found in a cave at Redcliffs in 1876 has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by moa-hunting tribes about 1250 CE. These first inhabitants were thought to have followed by the Waitaha tribe. Following tribal warfare, the Waitaha were dispossessed by the Ngati Mamoe tribe and they were in turn subjugated by the Ngāi Tahu tribe, who remained in control until the arrival of European settlers. Their abandoned holdings were taken over by the Deans brothers in 1843 who stayed, the First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the first 792 of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton Harbour. These sailing vessels were the Randolph, Charlotte Jane, Sir George Seymour, the Charlotte Jane was the first to arrive on 16 December 1850. The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a city around a cathedral and college, the name Christ Church was decided prior to the ships arrival, at the Associations first meeting, on 27 March 1848
Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch
35.
Dunedin
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Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago region. It is named for the capital of Scotland, generally Anglicised as Edinburgh, Dunedin was the largest New Zealand city by territorial land area until superseded by Auckland on the creation of the Auckland Council in November 2010. Dunedin was the largest city in New Zealand by population from the 1860s until about 1900, the city population at 5 March 2013 was 120,246. The Dunedin urban area lies on the central-eastern coast of Otago, the harbour and hills around Dunedin represent the remnants of an extinct volcano. The city suburbs extend out into the valleys and hills, onto the isthmus of the Otago Peninsula, and along the shores of the Otago Harbour. The citys most important activity in economic terms centres around tertiary education – Dunedin is home to the University of Otago, New Zealands first university, and the Otago Polytechnic. Students account for a proportion of the population,21.6 percent of the citys population was aged between 15 and 24 at the 2006 census, compared to the New Zealand average of 14.2 percent. In 2014 Dunedin was designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature, archaeological evidence shows the first human occupation of New Zealand occurred between AD 1250–1300, with population concentrated along the southeast coast. A camp site at Kaikai Beach, near Long Beach, has dated from about that time. There are numerous sites in what is now Dunedin, several of them large and permanently occupied. The population contracted but expanded again with the evolution of the Classic culture which saw the building of several pā, fortified settlements, notably Pukekura at, there was a settlement in what is now central Dunedin occupied as late as about 1785 but abandoned by 1826. Maori tradition tells first of a people called Kahui Tipua living in the area, then Te Rapuwai, semi-legendary, the next arrivals were Waitaha followed by Kāti Mamoe late in the 16th century and then Kai Tahu who arrived in the mid 17th century. These migration waves have often represented as invasions in European accounts. They were probably migrations like those of the European which incidentally resulted in bloodshed, the sealer John Boultbee recorded in the 1820s that the Kaika Otargo were the oldest and largest in the south. Lieutenant James Cook stood off what is now the coast of Dunedin between 25 February 1770 and 5 March 1770, naming Cape Saunders and Saddle Hill and he reported penguins and seals in the vicinity, which led sealers to visit from the beginning of the 19th century. Permanent European occupation dates from 1831, when the Weller brothers founded their whaling station at Otago, modern Otakou, epidemics badly reduced the Maori population. By the late 1830s the Harbour had become an international whaling port, johnny Jones established a farming settlement and a mission station, the South Islands first, at Waikouaiti in 1840. After inspecting several areas around the eastern coast of the south island, the name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland
Dunedin
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Dunedin in April 2011, looking across the University of Otago campus in autumn
Dunedin
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Coat of arms
Dunedin
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Logo
Dunedin
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St Paul's Cathedral and The
Dunedin Town Hall in winter
36.
Athletic Park (Wellington)
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Athletic Park was a sports ground used mostly for rugby matches in Wellington, New Zealand. The ground was also the home of New Zealands principal knockout football tournament. It has now been demolished and replaced with a retirement village and it was famous for a very steep grandstand which used to sway a little in the regular strong winds that Wellington is famous for. The stand was unsafe as Wellington is very susceptible to earthquakes, throughout the 1980s several proposals were made to modernise the grounds, but instead a decision was made to build a new stadium. Regardless of Westpac Stadiums location to transport and modern features, it has lacked the atmosphere. This could be due to Athletic Park being Rugby specific, which brought spectators close to the action, Westpac Stadiums flaw of attempting to be both a cricket stadium and rugby stadium has led to dwindling numbers of supporters showing up to rectangular sport in Wellington. The ground hosted many famous Test matches involving the All Blacks including the 43 -6 win over Australia in 1996, Athletic Park also played host to other non-sports events, including a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1986 and various rock concerts. KISS performed a concert in 1980 as part of their Unmasked Tour, in 1983, David Bowie and Dire Straits performed at Athletic Park, with further performances by Dire Straits in 1986 and 1991. Elton John performed 2 concerts there, the first on the 10 March 1982 as part of his Jump Up, Tour and the second was on the 22 February 1984 as part of his Too Low for Zero tour. Eurythmics performed on 28 January 1987 as part of their Revenge Tour, michael Jackson planned to perform a concert on 2 December 1987 during his Bad World Tour, but the performance was cancelled. Those attending chanted for the return of the band, New Zealands Street Talk as the music deteriorated
Athletic Park (Wellington)
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Crowd watching a rugby match at Athletic Park, ca. 1930, showing the Western Bank before the erection of the Millard Stand
37.
Lancaster Park
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Lancaster Park, previously known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed due to damage sustained in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the Hadlee Stand has been demolished and the fate of the rest of the stadium is unresolved. The stadium had been the venue for sports including rugby union, cricket, rugby league, association football, athletics. However the stadium was primarily a rugby and cricket ground and was the home of the Crusaders rugby union team, in 1880 Canterbury Cricket and Athletics Sports Co. In 1882, Edward Stevens and Arthur Ollivier initiated the purchase of a parcel of farmland which became Lancaster Park. For Stevens, this was a transaction through his company, Harman and Stevens, on behalf of the owner, Canterbury Cricket and Athletics Sports purchased 10 acres 3 rods 30 perches for £2,841 at £260 per acre. In 1904 Canterbury cricket would become the owner of the ground. Then in 1911 the Canterbury Rugby Union became co-owners with the Canterbury Cricket Association over the ground, an Act of Parliament in November 1919 vested title to Lancaster Park in the Crown, and established the Victory Park Board to take responsibility for its management. JADE Stadium Limited was established in December 1998 to manage the facilities on behalf of the Victory Park Board. A five-member board of directors, drawn from Christchurchs business community, in 1881 the first cricket match to be played on the ground was scheduled for the opening on 8 October, but it was cancelled because of rain. An athletics meeting became the first event held on the ground, in 1912 a Floral Fete, a festival, was held to raise funds to clear the debt of £2,000 in order to prevent the ground being cut up into building sites. The embankment was expanded in 1957, increasing the capacity to 33,000, two new stands were opened in 1965 further increasing the capacity to 38,500. In 1995 the Hadlee Stand opened in tribute to the successful cricketing family which came from Canterbury, the Hadlee stand was the first stand to be demolished due to earthquake damage. In 2000 saw the demolition of the embankment and No.4 stand and the opening of the DB Draught stand, both stands sustained severe slump damage during the earthquake in 2011. Although deemed repairable it is unlikely they will be as the cost would be too expensive, as part of a $60 million redevelopment for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the Eastern Stands were demolished and replaced with the new Deans Stand. The Stand was designed to reflect the newly completed Western Stand, the Deans Stand has a seating capacity of 13,000. The stand was damaged in the earthquake when the piles it stood on were violently forced up. The Deans name has been a part of rugby at the stadium for more than a century, the name Deans is also the family name of the first successful settlers in the city with brothers John and William Deans building their house in 1843
Lancaster Park
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Aerial view of Lancaster Park in July 2011. Significant earthquake damage can be made out.
Lancaster Park
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AMI Stadium
38.
Carisbrook
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Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The citys main domestic and international rugby venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league. Carisbrook also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game concerts before rugby matches in the 1990s, in 2011 Carisbrook was closed, and was replaced by Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza in North Dunedin. Floodlit since the 1990s, it could cater for day and night fixtures. Known locally simply as The Brook, it has been branded with the name The House of Pain, state Highway 1 also ran close to the northern perimeter of the ground. Carisbrook was named after the estate of colonial settler James Macandrew. Developed during the 1870s, it was first used for cricket in 1883. It hosted rugby union internationals since 1908 and full cricket internationals since 1955, the stadium was home to both the Highlanders in Super Rugby and Otago in the ITM Cup through each sides respective 2011 season. The grounds final regular capacity was around 30,000, but has hosted crowds as high as 42,000 in the past with temporary seating, until 1998 the sides of the Caversham bypass motorway allowed a free view of the ground and was known as the Scotsmans Grandstand. Occasionally trains would slow to a crawl or stop on the track above the stadium to allowing passengers to watch an entire event, in 1998 a new stand and corporate boxes were built that blocked the view. Partly due to Dunedins relatively large number of students, Carisbrook has a unique atmosphere. This is enhanced by the terraces, a concrete embankment at the eastern end of the ground. Construction and ownership of the new $NZ198 million stadium, officially named the Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza, until the new stadium was completed, all international and Super Rugby games were still held at Carisbrook. The last international game was expected to be the All Blacks versus South Africa Tri Nations match on 12 July 2008, however, the All Blacks returned to Carisbrook to play France on 13 June 2009 and finally Wales on 19 June 2010. This game meant that the All Blacks had played every major test-playing nation at Carisbrook, a later test match, destined to be the last at the ground, was scheduled between New Zealand and Fiji as a fundraiser for the Christchurch earthquake appeal on 22 July 2011. On 11 May 2011 the Dunedin City Council decided that Carisbrook would be sold after the 2011 Rugby World Cup, originally the floodlights were to be reused at the University Oval for day/night cricket matches. The turnstile building on Neville Street is a category I historic building, Carisbrook was sold to the Dunedin City Council in 2009 for $7,000,000. It was sold on in 2013 for $4,700,000 and this result appeared to support objections made at the time of purchase, of a decision not based on sound advice, and possibly blurred with non-commercial or personal considerations
Carisbrook
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Carisbrook
39.
Rotorua
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Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealands North Island. It is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing Rotorua, the majority of the Rotorua District is in the Bay of Plenty Region, but a sizeable southern section and a small western section are in the Waikato Region. Rotorua is in the heart of the North Island,60 kilometres south of Tauranga,80 km north of Taupo,105 km east of Hamilton, and 230 km southeast of the nations most populous city, Auckland. Rotorua has a permanent population of 57,800, making it the countrys 10th largest urban area. The Rotorua District has an estimated population of 70,500. Rotorua is a destination for both domestic and international tourists, the tourism industry is by far the largest industry in the district. It is known for its activity, and features geysers – notably the Pohutu Geyser at Whakarewarewa –. This thermal activity is sourced to the Rotorua caldera, on which the town lies, Rotorua is home to the Waiariki Institute of Technology. The Lakes of Rotorua are a collection of many lakes surrounding Rotorua, the name Rotorua comes from Māori, the full name being Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe, roto means lake and rua two – Rotorua thus meaning Second lake. Kahumatamomoe was the uncle of the Māori chief Ihenga, the explorer of the Te Arawa. It was the major lake the chief discovered, and he dedicated it to his uncle. It is the largest of a multitude found to the northeast, all connected with the Rotorua Caldera, the name can also mean the equally appropriate crater lake. The area was settled by Māori of the Te Arawa iwi. The first European in the area was probably Phillip Tapsell who was trading from the Bay of Plenty coast at Maketu from 1828 and he later married into Te Arawa and became highly regarded by them. Missionaries Henry Williams and Thomas Chapman visited in 1831 and Chapman and this was abandoned within a year but Chapman returned in 1838 and established a second mission at Mokoia Island. The lakeshore was a prominent site of skirmishes during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s, a special town district was created in the 1883, to promote Rotoruas potential as a spa destination. Rotorua was established as a borough in 1922, elected its first mayor in 1923, the area of Rotorua has a relatively high altitude, measuring up to 290m or 950 ft. The Rotorua region enjoys a temperate climate
Rotorua
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Rotorua Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoeu (
Māori)
Rotorua
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The
Rotorua Museum of Art and History
Rotorua
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Pictured as a bath house in the early 20th century
Rotorua
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Hot springs present in much of Rotorua
40.
Napier, New Zealand
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Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawkes Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about 62,100 as of the June 2016, about 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighbouring cities are often called The Bay Cities or The Twin Cities of New Zealand, Napier is about 320 kilometres northeast of the capital city of Wellington. The City of Napier has an area of 106 square kilometres. Napier has also become an important grape and wine production area, with the grapes grown around Hastings, large amounts of sheeps wool, frozen meat, wood pulp, and timber also pass through Napier annually for export. Smaller amounts of materials are shipped via road and railway to the large metropolitan areas of New Zealand itself, such as Auckland. Napier is a popular tourist city, with a concentration of 1930s Art Deco architecture. It also has one of the most photographed tourist attractions in the country, thousands of people flock to Napier every February for the Tremains Art Deco Weekend event, a celebration of its Art Deco heritage and history. Other notable tourist events attracting many outsiders to the region annually include F. A. W. C, food and Wine Classic events, and the Mission Estate Concert at Mission Estate and Winery in the suburb of Taradale. Later, the Ngāti Kahungunu became the dominant force from Poverty Bay to Wellington and they were one of the first Māori tribes to come in contact with European settlers. The rivers were continually feeding freshwater into the area, captain James Cook was one of the first Europeans to see the future site of Napier when he sailed down the east coast in October 1769. He commented, On each side of this head is a low, narrow sand or stone beach. He said the harbour entrance was at the Westshore end of the shingle beach, the site was subsequently visited and later settled by European traders, whalers and missionaries. By the 1850s, farmers and hotel-keepers arrived, the Crown purchased the Ahuriri block in 1851. In 1854 Alfred Domett, a future Prime Minister of New Zealand, was appointed as the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Domett named many streets in Napier to commemorate the colonial era of the British Indian Empire. Napier was designated as a borough in 1874, but the development of the surrounding marshlands, development was generally confined to the hill and to the port area of Ahuriri. There was a swamp between the now Hastings Street and Wellesley Road and the sea extended to Clive Square, on 3 February 1931, most of Napier and nearby Hastings was levelled by an earthquake. The collapses of buildings and the fires killed 256 people
Napier, New Zealand
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View of Napier on
Hawke Bay
Napier, New Zealand
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Napier's Tom Parker Fountain at dusk
Napier, New Zealand
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Sound Shell (1931) in Napier at night.
Napier, New Zealand
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T & G Dome at dusk
41.
Hamilton, New Zealand
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Hamilton is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region with a population of 161,200. Initially an agricultural centre, Hamilton now has a growing and diverse economy and is the third fastest growing urban area in New Zealand, behind Pukekohe. Education and research and development play an important part in Hamiltons economy, the area now covered by the city was originally the site of a handful of Māori villages, including Pukete, Miropiko and Kirikiriroa, from which the city takes its Māori name. Magistrate Gorst, estimated that Kirikiriroa had a population of about 78 before the Waikato Kingitanga wars of 1863–64, the government estimated the Waikato area had a Maori population of 3,400 at the same time. Missionaries arrived in the area in the 1830s, at the end of the Waikato Campaign in the New Zealand wars the four regiments of the Waikato Militia were settled as a peace-keeping force across the region. The 1st Regiment was at Tauranga, the 2nd at Pirongia, the 3rd at Cambridge, many of the soldier/settlers who intended to farm after the 1863 war, walked off their land in 1868 disgusted at the poor quality of the land. Much of the land was swampy or under water, in 1868 Hamiltons population, which was about 1,000 in 1864, dropped to 300 as farmers left. The road from Auckland reached Hamilton in 1867 and the railway in December 1877 and that same month, the towns of Hamilton West and Hamilton East merged under a single borough council. The first traffic bridge between Hamilton West and Hamilton East, known as the Union Bridge, opened in 1879 and it was replaced by the Victoria Bridge in 1910. The first railway bridge, the Claudelands Bridge, was opened in 1884 and it was converted to a road traffic bridge in 1965. Hamilton reached 1,000 people in 1900, and the town of Frankton merged with the Hamilton Borough in 1917, between 1912 and 1936, Hamilton expanded with new land in Claudelands, Maeroa, and Richmond – modern day Waikato Hospital and northern Melville. Hamilton was proclaimed a city in 1945, from 1985 MV Waipa Delta provided excursions along the river through the town centre. In 2009 Waipa Delta was moved to provide trips on Waitemata Harbour in Auckland and that too ceased operation and the pontoon at Parana Park was removed in 2013. The Delta moved to Taupo in 2012, the former Golden Bay vessel, Cynthia Dew, has run 4 days a week on the river since 2012. On 10 March 2013 a statue was erected in honour of Captain John Charles Fane Hamilton, Hamiltons population growth has been rapid in recent decades – Hamilton Central, on the Waikato River, is a bustling retail precinct. The entertainment area is quite vibrant due to the student population. Many of the venues and attractions are located on the old Town Belt, including Hamilton Gardens, Waikato Stadium, Seddon Park, Founders Theatre
Hamilton, New Zealand
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Hamilton City /
Lake Rotoroa /
Waikato River
Hamilton, New Zealand
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Victoria Bridge in 1910.
Hamilton, New Zealand
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Hood Street in 1962.
Hamilton, New Zealand
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Casabella Lane,
Hamilton CBD
42.
Brisbane
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Brisbane is the capital of and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbanes metropolitan area has a population of 2.35 million, the Brisbane central business district stands on the original European settlement and is situated inside a bend of the Brisbane River, about 15 kilometres from its mouth at Moreton Bay. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite, one of the oldest cities in Australia, Brisbane was founded upon the ancient homelands of the indigenous Turrbal and Jagera peoples. A penal settlement was founded in 1824 at Redcliffe,28 kilometres north of the business district. The city was marred by the Australian frontier wars between 1843 and 1855, and development was set back by the Great Fire of Brisbane. Brisbane was chosen as the capital when Queensland was proclaimed a colony from New South Wales in 1859. During World War II, Brisbane played a role in the Allied campaign. Today, Brisbane is well known for its distinct Queenslander architecture which forms much of the built heritage. It also receives attention for its damaging flood events, most notably in 1974 and 2011. Several large cultural, international and sporting events have held at Brisbane, including the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo 88, the final Goodwill Games in 2001. Prior to white settlement, the Brisbane area was inhabited by the Turrbal and they knew the area that is now the central business district as Mian-jin, meaning place shaped as a spike. The Moreton Bay area was explored by Matthew Flinders. On 17 July 1799, Flinders landed at what is now known as Woody Point, in 1823 Governor of New South Wales Sir Thomas Brisbane instructed that a new northern penal settlement be developed, and an exploration party led by John Oxley further explored Moreton Bay. Oxley discovered, named, and explored the Brisbane River as far as Goodna,20 kilometres upstream from the Brisbane central business district, Oxley recommended Red Cliff Point for the new colony, reporting that ships could land at any tide and easily get close to the shore. The party settled in Redcliffe on 13 September 1824, under the command of Lieutenant Henry Miller with 14 soldiers and 29 convicts. However, this settlement was abandoned after a year and the colony was moved to a site on the Brisbane River now known as North Quay,28 km south, chief Justice Forbes gave the new settlement the name of Edenglassie before it was named Brisbane. Non-convict European settlement of the Brisbane region commenced in 1838, German missionaries settled at Zions Hill, Nundah as early as 1837, five years before Brisbane was officially declared a free settlement. The band consisted of ministers Christopher Eipper and Carl Wilhelm Schmidt and lay missionaries Haussmann, Johann Gottried Wagner, Niquet, Hartenstein, Zillman, Franz, Rode, Doege and they were allocated 260 hectares and set about establishing the mission, which became known as the German Station
Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane
43.
McLean Park
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McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby union and it is one of the largest cricket grounds in New Zealand. McLean Park is a ground of international standards which includes the main outdoor stadium. The home teams for this ground are the Hawkes Bay Rugby Union, the two ends of the stadium are named the Centennial Stand End and Embankment End. Its close proximity to the International Date Line makes it the worlds most easterly Test match ground, the ground was initially named Sir Donald McLean Park by an act of Parliament after Sir Douglas McLean donated ten acres of land as a memorial to his father. In cricket, the ground is primarily a venue with square dimensions that allow attacking batsman to score freely especially in the opening overs. There are four covered stands and a grass bank opposite the Centennial Stand. The wicket tends to slow up throughout the day therefore captains prefer to set targets on this pitch and it has held first class matches since 1952 and ten tests since 1979. New Zealands Test record at the ground is seven draws, one win and it has held at least a single one-day international every season since 1990. The ground has a capacity of 19,700 and the pitch is turf and it has been announced they will no longer host one-day internationals after 2017/18 season due to poor drainage. The ground is used for hosting both ODIs and Test matches and it has hosted a total of 5 Tests and 40 ODIs. The first ODI played here was between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Rothmans Cup of 1982/83, in this match New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 7 wickets. Apart from this, the McLean Park Complex also hosts rugby matches, including one match at the 1987 Rugby World Cup and it is the home of the Hawkes Bay rugby team in the ITM Cup. It has also hosted several New Zealand Maori games in the past, melbourne Storm Rugby League club are planning to stage an NRL game against St. George-Illawarra Dragons at the stadium on 25 July 2015. Redevelopments took just one year to complete, the stand was built for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and to a lesser extent the 2015 Cricket World Cup of which both events will have games at the venue. McLean Park is regarded as one of the most batting friendly wickets in the world, brendan McCullum is the top run scorer on the ground with 411 while Iain OBrien has the most wickets with 15. McLean Park also has known as a good batting strip for one day cricket. The average runs per wicket is 30.66 while the average runs per over is 4.90
McLean Park
–
McLean Park
44.
Waikato Stadium
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FMG Stadium Waikato is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity, The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold up to 5,000 people. The capacity can be extended, however, by temporarily adding 5,000 seats to the Goal Line Terrace area, in 1930, a rugby union match between Waikato and Great Britain was first broadcast on the radio in Hamilton. In 1937, South Africa visited Hamilton in front of a record crowd of 13,000. One of the most memorable games at the ground was in 1956 when Waikato beat the visiting Springboks Rugby team with over 31,000 people in attendance, in 1958, Rugby Park commenced the upgrade of a new grandstand which opened in 1959. In 1981, Rugby Park hosted part of the infamous 1981 Springbok tour where the match was cancelled due to the pitch being invaded by protesters,1987 saw Rugby Park host its first Rugby World Cup match, Fiji v Argentina. In 1996, the Waikato Regional Sports and Event Centre Trust were formed as it was decided that the city required a new stadium to attract more sports fixtures. The city of Hamilton announced plans to replace both Rugby Park and the premier cricket venue, Westpac Park, with a single large oval stadium at the Rugby Park site. However, this was reconsidered upon a funding of only NZ$270 million in funding and it then decided instead to rebuild and modernise both stadiums on a smaller scale, reducing the total cost to NZ$30 million. In 2000, the construction of Waikato Stadium commenced, and in 2002, on 1 October 2015 Waikato Stadium became known as FMG Stadium Waikato after a 10-year naming rights agreement was approved. FMG Stadium Waikato is a facility, though used mainly for rugby union. As many sports fields in New Zealand are multi-purpose, the sadium is often regarded as one of the best pure rectangular stadia for football-based sporting codes in New Zealand. It is the field of the Waikato ITM Cup team. It has also been the ground for Waikato FC in New Zealand Football Championship and has been used for FIFA age-group World Cups. It has infrequently hosted matches for the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team in the National Rugby League competition, the stadium also caters for private functions and events within its many different facilities. Such services include, Gallagher Lounge, Bronze Lounge, Genesis Energy Lounge, Radio Sport Lounge, Clarke Lounge, Network Lounge, Boardroom, FMG Stadium Waikato was host to one of the matches during the 1981 Springbok Tour. However, the game against Waikato was called off in front of a house at Rugby Park. A pitch invasion by several hundred anti-tour protestors and rumours that an aircraft had been stolen from Taupo and was headed for Rugby Park proved too much for the authorities
Waikato Stadium
–
Waikato Stadium,
New Zealand Māori v
British and Irish Lions, 2005
45.
Sydney
–
Sydney /ˈsɪdni/ is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australias east coast, the metropolis surrounds the worlds largest natural harbour, residents of Sydney are known as Sydneysiders. The Sydney area has been inhabited by indigenous Australians for at least 30,000 years, the first British settlers, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, arrived in 1788 to found Sydney as a penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia. Since convict transportation ended in the century, the city has transformed from a colonial outpost into a major global cultural. As at June 2016 Sydneys estimated population was 5,005,358, in the 2011 census,34 percent of the population reported having been born overseas, representing many different nationalities and making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. There are more than 250 different languages spoken in Sydney and about one-third of residents speak a language other than English at home and it is classified as an Alpha+ World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, indicating its influence in the region and throughout the world. Ranked eleventh in the world for economic opportunity, Sydney has a market economy with strengths in finance, manufacturing. Its gross regional product was $337 billion in 2013, the largest in Australia, there is a significant concentration of foreign banks and multinational corporations in Sydney and the city is promoted as one of Asia Pacifics leading financial hubs. Its natural features include Sydney Harbour, the Royal National Park, man-made attractions such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Tower and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are also well known to international visitors. The first people to inhabit the now known as Sydney were indigenous Australians having migrated from northern Australia. Radiocarbon dating suggests human activity first started to occur in the Sydney area from around 30,735 years ago, the earliest British settlers called them Eora people. Eora is the term the indigenous used to explain their origins upon first contact with the British. Its literal meaning is from this place, prior to the arrival of the British there were 4,000 to 8,000 native people in Sydney from as many as 29 different clans. Sydney Cove from Port Jackson to Petersham was inhabited by the Cadigal clan, the principal language groups were Darug, Guringai, and Dharawal. The earliest Europeans to visit the area noted that the people were conducting activities such as camping and fishing, using trees for bark and food, collecting shells. Development has destroyed much of the citys history including that of the first inhabitants, there continues to be examples of rock art and engravings located in the protected Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The first meeting between the people and the British occurred on 29 April 1770 when Lieutenant James Cook landed at Botany Bay on the Kurnell Peninsula. He noted in his journal that they were confused and somewhat hostile towards the foreign visitors, Cook was on a mission of exploration and was not commissioned to start a settlement
Sydney
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The
Sydney Opera House and
CBD at dusk from
Jeffrey Street,
Kirribilli in December 2008
Sydney
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A Direct North General View of Sydney Cove, by convict artist
Thomas Watling in 1794
Sydney
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Sydney Cove from
Dawes Point, 1817
46.
Invercargill
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Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff. Many streets in the city, especially in the centre and main shopping district, are named after rivers in Great Britain, mainly Scotland. These include the main streets Dee and Tay, as well as named after the Forth, Tyne, Esk, Don, Thames, Mersey, Ness, Yarrow, Spey. The 2013 census showed the population was 51,696, up 2. 7% on the 2006 census number, Southland was a scene of early extended contact between Europeans and Maori, notably whalers and missionaries – Wohlers at Ruapuke. In 1853, Walter Mantell purchased Murihiku from local Maori iwi, Otago, of which Southland was itself part, was the subject of planned settlement by the Free Church, an offshoot of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Settlement broadened with the discovery of gold in Central Otago in the 1860s, today, traces of Scottish speech persist in Southland voices, with R often pronounced with a rolling burr. This is more noticeable among country people, in 1856, a petition was put forward to Thomas Gore Browne, the Governor of New Zealand, for a port at Bluff. Due to the Otago gold rush, the population grew during the 1860s with the settlement of Bluff. Browne agreed to the petition and gave the name Invercargill to the settlement north of the port, the settlements chief surveyor was John Turnbull Thomson, a British civil engineer. Under the influence of James Menzies, Southland Province seceded from Otago in 1861 following the escalation of political tensions, however, rising debt forced Southland to rejoin Otago in 1870 and the provincial system, and with it the province of Otago, was abolished entirely in 1876. This debt was caused by a population decline stemming from poor returns from pastoral farming, in 1874, Invercargills population was less than 2,500 which reflected the drift north to large centres. In the 1880s, the development of an industry based on butter. In December 1905, Invercargill voted in local prohibition of alcohol sales and this lasted for 40 years until voted out by returning servicemen in the Second World War. When prohibition ended, a committee of citizens persuaded the Government to give the monopoly on sales in Invercargill to the specially formed Invercargill Licensing Trust. Based on a scheme in Carlisle, England, it returns profits to city amenities, even today, alcohol is not sold in supermarkets. In recent years, publicity has been brought to the city by the election of Tim Shadbolt
Invercargill
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View over central Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill
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Civic Theatre, the town hall of Invercargill - built in 1906.
Invercargill
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Spring in Esk Street, one of the main shopping streets of Invercargill
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Palmerston North
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Palmerston North, commonly referred to by locals as Palmerston, or colloquially Palmy, is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. Palmerston North is located inland, in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is 35 km from the rivers mouth and 12 km from the end of the Manawatu Gorge. It is about 140 km north of the capital, Wellington, the city covers a land area of 395 square kilometres. The citys location was once more than a clearing in a forest and occupied by small communities of indigenous Māori. In the mid 19th century, it was discovered and settled by Europeans, on foundation, the settlement was bestowed the name Palmerston, in honour of Viscount Palmerston, a former Prime Minister of Great Britain. The suffix North was added in 1871 by the Post Office to distinguish the settlement from Palmerston in the South Island, the Māori transliteration of Palmerston North, is Pamutana. However, Te Papaioea is the preferred Māori name, Palmerston North is the countrys seventh-largest city and eighth largest urban area, with an urban population of 84,300. Ngāti Rangitāne were the local Māori iwi living in the known as Te Ahu-ā-Tūranga. He came on a ship and explored possibly as far inland as the site of Woodville. He reported his discovery on arrival back to Porirua, colonel Wakefield heard of the potential that the Manawatu had for development and visited in 1840. In 1846 Stephen Charles Hartley, another trader, heard from tangata whenua of a clearing in the Papaioea forest and he proceeded through the bush and forest. In 1858, the Government began negotiations with local iwi to purchase land in Manawatu, there was a dispute at the time between rival iwi Ngāti Rangitāne and Ngāti Raukawa as to who has the right to sell. The dispute is resolved in favour of Rangitāne, in 1864, Te Ahu-a-Turanga Block was sold by Rangitāne to the Government for £12,000, in an effort to open the Manawatu to settlement. Stewart returned in 1866 on behalf of the Wellington Provincial Council and made the original survey, the focal point was an open space of 17 acres subsequently known as The Square. On 3 October 1866, Palmerston was formally endorsed after Isaac Earl Featherston signed a proclamation defining the boundaries of the settlement, the first sections were sold after. Among the first settlers included Scandinavians, who arrived in 1871 and they established settlements at Awapuni and Whakarongo/Stoney Creek. Later the same year, the suffix North was added to distinguish the settlement of the name in the South Island. In 1872 a petition was launched to change the name of the settlement, a public meeting in 1873 ends with no clear decision on the name
Palmerston North
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Clockwise from top:
The Square,
Central Business District,
All Saints Church,
City Library,
The Square Clock Tower
Palmerston North
Palmerston North
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Looking SE towards Palmerston North city centre from Palmerston North Hospital. In the distance is Tararua Range.
Palmerston North
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New Zealand Police Central District is shown in orange.
48.
Concord Oval
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Concord Oval is a rugby stadium in Concord, Australia, in the inner west of Sydney. It is currently used mostly for rugby matches, and it was used for eight matches during the 1987 Rugby World Cup. The stadium is able to hold 20,000 people and was opened in 1985 and it is the home ground of West Harbour RFC in the Shute Shield rugby union competition, and the Western Sydney Rams in the National Rugby Championship. It is also the training and administration base for the Wests Tigers rugby league club, Football club Inter Lions SC also play games at the ground. The stadium has two opposing grandstands, the eastern stand hosts the tennis box-style seats, television gantry and the change rooms. The stand runs approximately from try-line to try-line, the western stand contains a gym and some boxes. This stand runs approximately from dead-ball line to dead ball line, in front of the western stand are two rows of seats, while a concrete path runs around the field. At each end there is a hill, and at the southern or Parramatta Road end, there is a wooden. The stadium is bordered by Gipps Street to the north, Parramatta Road to the south, Loftus Street to the west, st Lukes Park, which was the home ground of Sydneys Western Suburbs rugby league club in 1910 and 1911 was where Concord Oval is now located. From 1920 Wests resumed playing at Pratten Park, the stadium also hosted four first grade rugby league matches, three of them in 1994 as Canterburys second home ground during that season. As far as high-profile events go, the stadium currently lies dormant, with the completion of the Sydney Football Stadium, and later Stadium Australia, the New South Wales Waratahs and Australian Wallabies have not played at the stadium in many years. A return is unlikely, especially considering how expansion is almost impossible due to housing to the west, roads to the north and south, other issues are that the stadium does not have floodlights, a video screen, parking or modern spectator amenities. In the early 2010s the City of Canada Bay Council prepared a masterplan to bring these events back to an expanded and rejuvenated Concord Oval. Mention is made in the masterplan of attempting to lure Asian Football Confederation games to the renovated ground, for the mean time, most events in the area prefer grounds such as Parramatta Stadium, or the Olympic Park and Moore Park venues. Concord Oval at Austadiums Rleague. com - Concord Oval
Concord Oval
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Concord Oval showing the eastern grandstand
49.
Rugby Park Stadium
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Rugby Park Stadium is a rugby union venue and home ground for ITM Cup team Southland. Rugby Park Stadium is located on the corner of Elles Road, the ground has a regular season capacity of 18000. It has a temporary seating maximum capacity of 20,000. An agreement with the Invercargill City Council saw surplus land on the used to build the citys new Swimming Complex. The pitch was moved geographically towards the main stand, squared off to Rugby field dimensions, the Pitch itself was also weather proofed with a new high volume drainage system installed. The main stand was rebuilt in 2002 with better player facilities. Floodlighting towers to full HDMI TV standards were also installed, Rugby Park is owned by the Southland Outdoor Stadium Trust, but it is looking likely the Invercargill City Council will take it over. The Highlanders play occasionally at Rugby Park drawing large crowds, the football team Spirit FC also play at Rugby Park Stadium. Many local events are held at rugby park as well, Rugby Park hosted one minor pool game during the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup, Wales verses Canada. In the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Rugby Park hosted three pool play games
Rugby Park Stadium
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Rugby Park Invercargill as seen from the main stand, Swimming complex in background.
50.
FMG Stadium
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It has three linked indoor stadiums, with movable tiered seating. Outdoor facilities include football fields and a track with grandstand. Central Energy Trust Arena has a reputation as being both the busiest and most versatile events and activities complex in New Zealand. Central Energy Trust Arena is the sporting and events complex in the lower North Island. It is prominent throughout New Zealand as the foremost multi use leisure, right in the heart of Palmerston North city, just seven minutes walking distance from the CBD, Central Energy Trust Arena is a favourite choice for events with a significant visitor component. The park like environment boasts 33 individual indoor and outdoor venues within the 18 hectare site, the facility has had a number of international fixtures as of late, these include, Netball between New Zealand and England, Super Rugby games and two Rugby World Cup games in 2011. FMG insurance chose not to renew the deal for main Stadium name in June 2015. Central Energy Trust Arena has a capacity of 16,000, meanwhile, temporary seating is added sometimes for major events allowing the capacity to reach 20,000. Central Energy Trust Arena is home to Manawatu Rugby, generally one club game will be played on the ground per week, whilst it is the Manawatu Turbos home ground. Since Manawatu Turbos has been included in the Air New Zealand Cup, crowd attendances have been among the highest in the competition, the Stadium was the host of the 1987 Rugby World Cup game between Wales and Tonga on 29 May. The ground was a venue for the British and Irish Lions on the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand with a game against Manawatu Turbos on 28 June. On 28 March 2009, The Highlanders played a Super Rugby home game at Central Energy Trust Arena against the Bulls, the game attracted a large crowd of over 10,000, one of the Highlanders biggest of the 2009 season. On 4 September 2011, The Manawatu Turbos hosted the Hawkes Bay Magpies in the ITM Championship Cup Final at Central Energy Trust Arena, the stadium hosted two pool games in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, in which New Zealand is the host nation. On 18 March 2016, The Hurricanes played another Super Rugby home game at Central Energy Trust Arena against the Western Force, the game attracted a crowd of over 8,000. Palmerston North hosted its first rugby league test match when New Zealand lost to Great Britain 11-10 on 24 June 1990 in front of 8,073 fans. The stadium hosted New Zealand Kiwis victory in their first rugby league test of the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia, in front of 11,548 fans, the Kiwis defeated Great Britain 15-14 after a late Daryl Halligan field goal. Palmerston North also hosted the game of the 1993 Trans-Tasman series against Australia. Despite the arctic conditions, an overflow crowd of 19,000 hardy fans saw the Mal Meninga led Aussies run out 16-8 winners
FMG Stadium
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Arena Manawatu
New Zealand
Australia
France
Wales
England
United States
Japan
Ireland
Canada
Tonga
Fiji
Argentina
Italy
Scotland
Romania
Zimbabwe
