The Rugby World Cup took place this year, and I was lucky enough to be in the country with the best team in the world. This isn’t hyperbole: the All Blacks (ABs) are the first team to win two consecutive world cup titles, and they are also the first to win a total of three world cups. In 2011, the cup was held here in New Zealand, and the All Blacks won the tournament in their home country. I can only imagine the energy, because unfortunately for my sleep schedule, the cup was held in England this year. This meant the games ranged from playing at local times of 3 a.m. to an almost reasonable 8 a.m. The final was played on November 1 at 5 a.m., making “rugby fan hoping they won't sleep through the match” a popular Halloween costume.
Of course, the boys in black wound up taking home the cup, and the country was exhilarated. Nearly every storefront had a window or board with congratulatory sentiments drawn on it. What’s really cool about the All Blacks is that it doesn’t matter where you are from in the country, the ABs are your team. New Zealand is a small nation by any standard, but the supporting force of the fans in the country is huge.
When the players returned to the country a few days later, there were parades and celebrations in the major cities. I got to see the team up close with several thousand other Aucklanders. Some primary schools brought their classes to see their favorite players in the flesh—a pretty nice impromptu holiday. The celebration was a great showing of national pride and excitement.
Before the final, many people took to Facebook to share their support for the team. One kid’s message to the All Blacks had gone viral, and he was flown in to the Auckland celebration after the cup. He lives in a small, majority Maori town on the North Island and was able to meet his idol and All Blacks fullback, Nehe Milner-Skudder. It was so heartwarming to see this kid meet his hero. They greeted each other with a hongi—a Maori greeting where the nose and foreheads are touched to symbolize and facilitate the exchange of breath of life. The mayor of Auckland presented the captain of the team with a waka huia (a Maori woven basket) as a symbolic gift. When the team had walked through the crowd and up onto the stage, they were welcomed with a Maori quartet.
The All Blacks are not only a team that represents all of the regions of New Zealand, but also the racial diversity of the country. Seven of the 15 starters in this year’s cup were of Polynesian descent. The team also performs a haka before every match. Haka are various traditional Maori dances that are performed when welcoming guests or on special occasions. The haka that the All Blacks perform is a war haka: one performed by warriors before a battle to show their strength and intimidate their enemies. The ABs have been showcasing this element of Maori identity since their international debut in 1905.
I love that the All Blacks elevate some Maori and Polynesian kiwis to the status of national hero. I think it’s really cool that the whole country gets excited when they hear a haka, and the whole world (the one that pays attention to rugby, that is) recognizes the haka as well. While one sports team is not representative of the underlying racial tensions and colonial legacy that still have real impacts in New Zealand, I appreciate that the whole country can celebrate together. It was an amazing experience to be in the country when they became world champions—or should I say, remained world champions.
Marilyn Arwood graduated from Georgetown College in 2017 with majors in economics and women's and gender studies. Marilyn spent the fall 2015 semester living in New Zealand and studied at the University of Auckland; she also blogged for the Junior Year Abroad Network.
