Britain Vs. New Zealand All Blacks: A Classic Rugby Throw-Down
With the Rugby Championships about to bring the ferocious rivalry between Australia and New Zealand to a head starting on August 19, it’s a perfect time to share my own experience seeing the legendary New Zealand All Blacks, the most famous team in the sport.
Every four years, the British and Irish Lions –an all-star team comprised of the best rugby players from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland – go on tour to the Southern Hemisphere, rotating between South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. While in country, they play a series of games against local and provincial rugby union clubs, as well as three official “Test” matches against the national rugby squad. Hundreds of thousands of Britons follow the team on tour. Some don’t even get tickets to the Tests; they just caravan around like Grateful Dead fans enjoying the moving party. It’s a rite of passage for any true rugby fan.
This year, the Lions traveled to New Zealand for the first time since 2005. I was in New Zealand for work during the tour and had a chance to catch one club game along with the first Test match. I watched the Lions beat a local club, the Hamilton Chiefs, in Waikato Stadium 34-6. My colleagues and I ended that night in a Rotorua pub hanging out with a group of snipers from the Fijian army.
The following Saturday, I watched the first Test between the Lions and the New Zealand national squad, the famed All Blacks, at Eden Park in Auckland, where the All Blacks haven’t lost since 1994. Before the Test, I had the honor of meeting Richie McCaw—a former All Black considered to be the best rugby player of all time—along with former Lions’ coaches Sir Clive Woodward and Sir Graham Henry. I also witnessed the famed haka, the Maori war dance with which the All Blacks start all their international matches.
The Test was close in the first half, with the All Blacks leading 13-8. But they pulled away in a rainy second half to beat the Lions 30-15 to keep their unbeaten streak at Eden Park. Lions fans were disappointed but generally encouraged by how well their side played, despite the final score. Our hotel lobby bar was filled with happy, well-lubricated Lions fans into the wee hours.
I flew home the following day but followed the remaining two Tests with great interest—as much as you can with a 17-hour time difference. The Lions came back to win the second Test 24-21 in Wellington the following Saturday, aided by the fact that the All Blacks had a man sent off with a red card and so played short-handed for the final 55 minutes of the match. That’s bad in rugby. It was only the second Test victory for the Lions in New Zealand in the last 40 years and the first loss for the All Blacks in a home Test since 2009, a streak of 47 matches.
The tie-breaking Test in the series came on Saturday, July 8, at Eden Park. I knew something big had happened since I awoke on Saturday morning in Chicago time to more than 40 text messages from Australian and New Zealand colleagues who had watched the match. After trailing for the entire match, the Lions tied it up with three minutes left. The All Blacks appeared to have a chance to kick a penalty in the final two minutes and take the lead, but the referee overturned his penalty call upon video review, and the Lions held on for a 15-15 draw.
It was the first non-victory for the All Blacks in a Test at Eden Park since 1994. Kiwis were disappointed in the draw, but the Lions and their fans were thrilled. The Lions have won only one Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand since 1888—back in 1971—so a draw was a big deal. I’m told the beer flowed late into the night in the British expat bars of Auckland.
The Lions ended their 2017 tour 1-1-1 against the All Blacks and 4-2-1 against the local clubs. While I’m still not sure I fully understand rugby, it was exciting to be part of what turned out to be a historic tour. The 2021 Lions go to South Africa. Book your tickets now.
