August 17: At Sydney - Australia v New Zealand (10.05pm)
August 18: At Bloemfontein - South Africa v Argentina (1am)

August 24: At Wellington - New Zealand v Australia (7.35pm)
August 25: At Mendoza - Argentina v South Africa (7.10am)

September 7: At Hamilton - New Zealand v Argentina (7.35pm)
September 7: At Brisbane - Australia v South Africa (10.05pm)

September 14: At Auckland - New Zealand v South Africa (7.35pm)
September 14: At Perth - Australia v Argentina (10.05pm)

September 29: Cape Town - South Africa v Australia (4am)
September 29: At La Plata - Argentina v New Zealand (11.40am)

October 6: At Johannesburg - South Africa v New Zealand (4am) 
October 6: At Rosario - Argentina v Australia (11.40am)

* All times NZ time

1. 1. DC’s droppie to snach victory over Ireland on that icy night in Christchurch
2. 2. Julian’s Savea’s hat-trick on debut verses Ireland at Eden Park
3. 3. That 60-nil victory over Ireland verses Ireland at Waikato Stadium
4. 4. Sonny Bill’s magical offloads verses Ireland and Australia
5. 5. Playing the first ever indoor All Blacks test in NZ at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium
6. 6. The 22-nil Bledisloe Cup shut-out of the Aussies in Auckland
7. 7. Richie notching up 100 test victories
8. 8. Watching the lads play Italy in front of 80,000 people at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico
9. 9. Playing the Pumas in La Plata; receiving a standing ovation after a 54-14 victory
10. 10. Keven Mealamu reaching 100 test caps in Brisbane

http://www.backingblack.co.nz/news/308/backingblack--s-greatest-hits.html

During the off season, the All Blacks play Croquet with a few lucky Telecom customers.

During the off season, the New Zealand All Blacks serve food in the Waitakere Hub. The customers get to interact with the players.

First it was Richard Kahui and now it's Adam Thomson leaving the All Blacks by choice. Although Coach Steve Hansen was annoyed not to get a heads-up by Kahui about his move, the exits of both men does give him time to find replacements.

Conrad Smith is running around once more but will be 32 towards the end of the year and has decided to bypass that All Black trip. Another midfield back, Tamati Ellison, has undergone shoulder surgery and is out for the game for some months. Liam Messam is the incumbent test blindside flanker and was a key member in the Chiefs' success last season.

Ben Smith may be the man for the number 13 jersey but it would help if he played there for the Highlanders and became used to the partnership with Ma'a Nonu. If powerhouses Rene Ranger and Robbie Fruean sort out their impact and consistent defense, they must swing into the limelight. There will be theories too that Nonu could play center if the selectors are tempted again by a twin five-eighths scheme with Daniel Carter moving into the number 12 jersey.

Richie McCaw, the 116 times capped All Black captain, plans to return to the test stage after his time out. If Sam Cane has played his ears off as an open side against France and there have been mixed blindside displays, the selectors will dust off their twin flanker dossier. McCaw fits the physical bill for blindside. He is a brutal defender with a massive work rate, strong over the ball without being the most fluent in possession. His sabbatical and player developments could persuade McCaw and the selectors this is a great time for a rethink and new direction in the push to the 2015 World Cup.

The All Blacks will begin their defense of their Rugby Championship crown against Australia in Sydney on August 17, 2013. World Cup-winning New Zealand will then host the Wallabies in Wellington before facing Argentina in Hamilton and South Africa at Eden Park, Auckland.

They finish their campaign on the road, firstly taking on Argentina before moving on to Johannesburg to face the Springboks on October 5, 2013.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is the New Zealand celebrity Kiwis would most want to sit down to lunch with. The online survey of more than 400 people found almost a third would like to have lunch with McCaw. Second choice was broadcaster Paul Henry, chosen by 23%, followed by former model Rachel Hunter on 21.8%, Prime Minister John Key on 15.7%, and reality TV stars Sally and Jaime Ridge on 7.4%.

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