For most non-Maori New Zealanders today their knowledge of the Haka is perhaps limited to that most performed of Haka called Ka mate, Ka mate. Many sports teams and individuals travelling from New Zealand overseas tend to have the haka Ka mate as part of their program. The sports team that has given the haka the greatest exposure overseas has been the All Blacks, who perform it before their matches. It has become a distinctive feature of the New Zealand All Blacks. The haka is a Maori war dance. The centrality of the haka within All Black rugby tradition is not a recent development. Since the original team of the New Zealand Natives, the haka has been closely associated with New Zealand rugby. The All Blacks perform the haka with precision and intensity. In August 2005, the All Blacks performed for the first time 'Kapa O', a new haka for and about the All Blacks. Its words and actions celebrate the land of New Zealand, the silver fern and its warriors in black. The name might be translated simply as 'team in black'. Rather than replace the traditional haka, Ka Mate, Kapa O sits alongside it as a new addition to the All Blacks' tradition.

The New Zealand All Blacks have to be the best and most consistently good international rugby team. The first New Zealand touring team to travel abroad went to New South Wales in 1884 and won all 8 games, which included three games with a New South Wales Representative team. The first New Zealand touring team of the New Zealand RFU, visited New South Wales & Queensland, Australia in 1893. However, this team was still not fully representative of the greater New Zealand since three unions were not included in the selection. The first New Zealand representative rugby team to tour beyond Australia, were called The Natives. The Natives had originally been called New Zealand Maori. The New Zealand team was not always called the All Blacks, they were called Maorilanders, the New Zealanders or even the Colonials, and they were given the name All Blacks during their 1905 tour. In 1884 the uniforms were a dark blue jersey with a gold fern leaf over the left breast, dark shorts, and socks. After the formation of the New Zealand Rugby Union in 1892, it was determined that the New Zealand colors should be Black Jersey with Silver Fern leaf, Black Cap with Silver Monogram, White shorts and Black socks. This was the standard uniform for some years. For the 1905 tour the shorts were changed to black. The Express & Echo in Devon appeared to be the first to use the term All-blacks. Although the name of All Blacks caught on so quickly in Britain, its approval in New Zealand was much slower. Newspapers called them the New Zealand footballers. Throughout the country, shop windows displayed and feature advertisements to mark the return of the All Blacks.

Rugby started off as football (soccer) and until the 1820s, players were not allowed to run with it in their hands towards the opposition’s goal. Rugby was born in 1823 when William Webb Ellis took the ball in his arms and ran with it. At that time there were no limit to the number of players per side and sometimes there were hundreds taking part in an enormous mangle. Running with the ball in the player’s hands was not legalized until 1841 and then by the first written rules written August 28th, 1845. There were many different versions of football; every school had their own rules for either the kicking game or the carrying game. In 1863, a ban was placed on running with the ball in the hands towards the opposite goal after a fair catch. Hereafter there was a split between Association football (soccer) and Rugby Football (rugby). The Rugby Football Union was formed in 1871 and made hacking and tripping illegal. Three ex-Rugby School pupils formulated the laws of the Rugby Football Union which was approved in June 1871. The laws have changed since then and produced other games like American Football. By 1880, Scotland, Ireland and Wales followed and established their own Rugby unions.

For the detailed timeline, please visit http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/timeline.htm