Ireland Screws All Blacks, Unscrews Lightbulbs

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 17th July 2022 by Fox Meyer

After handing the All Blacks their first-ever Dunedin defeat on Saturday 9 July, the Irish national rugby team parked up at Vault 21. And evidently, they weren’t too keen on leaving. Chris Dickie, a bartender at Vault, said that as closing time grew near that night, staff at the bar started Read more...

Twelve Years On From a Series Whitewash, the Lions Could Make History

Posted 12:44pm Sunday 9th July 2017 by Joe Higham

As the Saturday of the final match of the 2017 British and Irish Lions approaches at breakneck speed, (mainly) Lions and (surprisingly) All Blacks fans alike will be feeling the nerves associated with a test-series decider. The Lions last won a test series against the All Blacks in 1971 (2-1) Read more...

Opinion: Has the All Blacks dominance made international rugby less exciting?

Posted 10:50am Sunday 4th September 2016 by Sean Nugent

Former England footballer Gary Lineker once said “football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.” Applied to the All Blacks, Lineker’s quote fits like a glove. I’m sure plenty of opposition have walked off the park Read more...

All Blacks name squad for upcoming Rugby Championship

Posted 11:09am Sunday 7th August 2016 by Hugh Baird

Chiefs fullback Damien McKenzie and midfielder Seta Tamanivalu are the notable omissions from an All Blacks squad named last week to play in the upcoming Rugby Championship. Instead the All Blacks coaching staff have opted for Blues midfielder George Moala, who impressed in the test series Read more...

All Blacks Finalise Squad for Rugby World Cup

Posted 12:12pm Sunday 6th September 2015 by Daniel Lormans

The speculation from armchair critics is now over, and our 31-man All Blacks squad to defend the World Cup has been finalised. The squad balance suggests that the All Blacks will continue their open and attacking style of play — expect “spinning it wide” to try and scores in Read more...

Keeping Track of the Highlanders in Black

Posted 12:43pm Sunday 26th July 2015 by Daniel Lormans

By the end of August, the 43-man All Blacks squad needs to be further narrowed down to the 31 players who will head to England for the World Cup. Only five of the Super Rugby title-winning Highlanders were selected for the initial test squad, with only one of them taking part in the first two tests. Read more...

All Blacks Make History with Samoa Test

Posted 11:57am Sunday 19th July 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Last week saw a rare doubleheader of big rugby matches with the first ever All Blacks test match in Samoa and then the State of Origin series decider in Brisbane. These two games showed how two very different rivalries can play out. The State of Origin players and fans seem to want to hurt each Read more...

Battle for the Black Jersey Begins

Posted 12:10pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Daniel Lormans

Round 12 of Super Rugby provided two important games, with the Highlanders running in seven tries against the Sharks and the Hurricanes winning a close game against the Crusaders that wasn’t settled until deep into extra time. What stood out in both these games were the performances of the Read more...