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The first usage apparently dates from the first tour of Britain by a New Zealand national rugby team, given the title The Originals, in 1905/1906. (According to Greg Ryan there was also a tour of Britain in 1888/1889 by The New Zealand Native Football Representatives (http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/gallery/nativetour/index.htm)).
According to Billy Wallace[?], one of the members of the Originals, the name originated in a London newspaper's description of the New Zealand representatives playing as if they were all backs. Other sources suggest that it is more likely that the name originated in the black uniform worn by the players, with earlier reference to "the Blacks" as a common type of nickname at the time (New Zealand Rugby Museum (http://www.rugbymuseum.co.nz/asp/container_pages/normal_menu/rmABName.asp?IDID=121) on this topic).
Later(in 1925 when the Invincibles toured the Home Countries) the entirely black playing uniform was emblazoned with the Silver Fern.
For much of the 20th century, rugby union appeared to be New Zealand's national religion, with selection to the All Blacks perhaps more highly regarded than a knighthood.
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Playing the Springboks, of South Africa has become a traditional rugby competition. In the 1950s and 1960s, the South African apartheid policies had an impact on touring team selection, with Maoris not being selected for some South African tours. By the 1970s public protests and political pressure forced the New Zealand Rugby Union to either field a non-racial team or not tour. However the Springbocks continued to be racially selected. As a result, the Norman Kirk[?] Labour Government prevented the Springboks from touring during the mid 1970's. The Rugby Union protested that politics and sport should not be mixed up.
In 1976 the All Blacks toured South Africa. Twenty-one African nations protested this breach of the Gleneagles Agreement[?] by boycotting the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. They viewed the All Black tour as supporting the apartheid regime. Once again the All Blacks failed to win a tour in the Republic (they would not do so until 1996).
The long term fallout from the 1981 Springbok tour was that the All Blacks did not tour South Africa until after the apatheid regeime fell. Although an unofficial tour of All Black players, known as the Caviliers did take place. Also many African Countries boycotted the 1984 Olympics. While the 1985 Springbok tour saw major rugby fields ringed in barbed wire for Springbok games, there were no protests as political circumstances had changed.
The All Blacks have had considerable success in international competition, with particular traditions of defeating the South African Springboks[?] and the Australian Wallabies. Since the introduction of professional sport, however, New Zealand's small size and lack of financial sporting resource have seen strong challenges to New Zealand's former dominant position in international rugby.
Other Representative Rugby Teams
In New Zealand sporting circles, the branding of the All Blacks and the honour of "wearing the Silver Fern" has encouraged other sporting codes to adopt derivational nicknames:
Some famous All Blacks:
External Link http://www.allblacks.com/
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