Māori All Blacks 2015 Media Guide Contents Māori All Blacks 2015 Tour

MĀORI ALL BLACKS 2015 MEDIA GUIDE CONTENTS MĀORI ALL BLACKS 2015 TOUR Welcome from New Zealand Rugby �� 2 Sponsors and Partners �� 3 About the Māori All Blacks �� 4 Media Information �� 6 Itinerary �� 8 Match Officials ��12 Maori All Blacks 2015 Squad ��13 Player Profiles............................................................................15 Māori All Blacks Coaches and Management ��29 Māori All Blacks Records ��31 Recent Results ��33 Māori All Blacks Charities: Cure Kids and UNICEF 34 Māori All Blacks Haka ��36 Rugby in New Zealand ��39 New Zealand’s Teams ...................................................................41 New Zealand’s National Anthem ��43 MESSAGE FROM NEW ZEALAND RUGBY It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Māori All Blacks 2015 squad to take on Fiji in Suva and the New Zealand Barbarians in Auckland in July. The Māori All Blacks have undertaken many tours offshore and against international sides and the team has one of the most impressive records in rugby with wins against all the major Test nations, with the exception of South Africa and the All Blacks. Last year, the Māori All Blacks played Japan in a very successful two match tour to that country. This year we are very pleased to be returning to Fiji where we have enjoyed a wonderful rivalry over 77 years. This match will be a great celebration of the rich rugby history we share as well as underlining the strong ties between Pacific rugby and New Zealand rugby. Our history goes back to 1938 when the two sides first met on Fijian soil here in Suva. We have played each other 28 times, more than any other Pacific nation. We are also very much looking forward to the match against the New Zealand Barbarians at Eden Park, Auckland on 18 July. The Māori All Blacks are a key part of New Zealand Rugby’s high performance programme, so for those players there is always much on the line when they pull on the black jersey. And with a proud history of success to uphold I am sure both matches will provide another memorable chapter in the MĀORI All Blacks story. On behalf of New Zealand Rugby, I would like to thank you in the media for your continued support for our teams and for rugby in New Zealand and around the world. We also thank you all for sharing the wonderful stories and traditions of this great game with rugby supporters wherever they may be. I hope you all enjoy the rugby. David Rhodes New Zealand Rugby President MĀORI ALL BLACKS SPONSORS AND PARTNERS Principal Partner of New Zealand Rugby Major Global Sponsor Māori All Blacks Sponsor Charity Partner International Partner for Children Page 3 ABOUT THE TEAM THE MĀORI ALL BLACKS The Māori All Blacks are one of the national rugby teams from New Zealand, the most famous of which are the World Champion All Blacks. Over 100 years of history Though the Māori All Blacks’ history begins in 1910, Māori rugby already had deep roots. Māori players organised and launched themselves on an astounding odyssey of more than 100 matches. It was Joe Warbrick, of Ngāti Rangitihi who in 1888 assembled and led the Natives, as that team came to be known. It was the Natives who first introduced a pre-match haka and adopted specialised positions for forwards rather than the first to arrive, first down practice. In 1910, Wiremu Teihōka (“Ned”) Parata established the first Māori All Blacks – the NZRFU’s role was to approve Parata’s plans and to ensure that they were in keeping with the amateur regulations but Parata was responsible for everything else, including finances. In 1922 the New Zealand Rugby Football Union took full responsibility for future Māori teams; a team went to Australia where it beat New South Wales for the first time; and the Māori team played the All Blacks for the first time. The Māori All Blacks have undertaken several tours offshore. In 1926, the team played matches in New Zealand and Australia before undertaking a substantial tour to Page 4 Ceylon, France, Great Britain and Canada, including an historic 12-3 victory over France in Paris. There has been a close connection between the Māori All Blacks and Pacific Island teams and the Māori All Blacks have played matches in Spain, Italy, South Africa, Argentina, Canada and USA. A proud record of success Against international sides, the Māori All Blacks have one of the most impressive records in rugby: they have notched up 64 wins in 99 matches against some 17 Test nations, constituting formidable opponents and only the All Blacks and the Springboks remain unbeaten. In 2005, the Māori All Blacks achieved an historic victory over the British and Irish Lions – the first in their eight encounters. In 2010, after beating the New Zealand Barbarians in Whangarei, the team met Ireland for the first time, followed by England for the third time and both northern hemisphere sides returned home defeated. How does a player qualify to be a Māori All Black? Whakapapa (genealogy) is an extremely important aspect of the Māori world and to be part of the Māori team a player must be able to connect to a Māori ancestor through their whakapapa. As part of the team tikanga (protocols) each player will stand and recite their whakapapa before the team to affirm their place in the squad. Media Information KEY NOTES FOR MEDIA Media Schedule: Please note that the Māori All Blacks media schedule is for media planning purposes only. Media Access: All media requests for the team should be lodged with Mike Jaspers (contact information on page 7) TV Broadcasts: SKY is broadcasting the Māori All Blacks matches LIVE with replays likely to follow (scheduled replay times may change). Full details available on www.skytv.co.nz. Player information and news: Updates - and more information about the players - are available on allblacks.com/team/Māori. Time difference: Fiji is in the same time zone as New Zealand so there is no time difference. Hashtags: Find and connect with Māori All Blacks news and information available through social media by using #MāoriABs Page 6 MEDIA INFORMATION CONTACTS & RESOURCES Māori All Blacks Media Manager Mike Jaspers DDI: + 64 (0) 4 474 7280 M: + 64 (0) 27 677 8875 E: [email protected] www.allblacks.com/mediacentre The allblacks.com Media Centre features an electronic version of this guide, headshots and logos. Social media resources www.allblacks.com/ facebook.com/ twitter.com/ youtube.com/ Teams/Māori allblacks allblacks user/nzrugby Page 7 ITINERARY TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION & EVENTS This Schedule is subject to change. New Zealand Rugby and Team Management will endeavour to notify of all changes ahead of time. WHEN WHAT WHERE TUESDAY 7 JULY 12.30PM MEDIA OPPORTUNITY King’s College Team Photo Golf Avenue Interviews pre training Otahuhu Training AUCKLAND WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 9.45AM TEAM TRAVEL Holiday Inn Lobby Depart Auckland for Suva on NZ52 Victoria Parade Suva, Fiji THURSDAY 9 JULY 12.30PM TEAM NAMING FOR NZ MEDIA Holiday Inn Lobby Conference call with Head Coach Colin Cooper and players New Zealand Media Dial: 0800 452 934 Pin: 191 947 8194# Page 8 ITINERARY TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION & EVENTS 2.30PM TRAINING MEDIA OPPORTUNITY ANZ National Stadium Vision only Queen Elizabeth Rd Suva, Fiji FRIDAY 10 JULY 2.00PM CAPTAIN’S RUN ANZ National Stadium Captain available at start VISION for first 15 minutes only MATCH #1 - SATURDAY 11 JULY 3.00PM MĀORI ALL BLACKS v FIJI ANZ National Stadium 5.30PM Post-match NZ MEDIA CONFERENCE ANZ National Stadium CALL with Coach Colin Cooper New Zealand Media Dial: 0800 452 934 Pin: 191 947 8194# SUNDAY 12 JULY 12PM NEW ZEALAND MEDIA OPPORTUNITY New Zealand Media Conference Call with Assistant Coach Dial: 0800 452 934 Tabai Matson Pin: 191 947 8194# ITINERARY TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION & EVENTS MONDAY 13 JULY 5.05PM TEAM TRAVEL Arrive in Auckland on NZ53 TUESDAY 14 JULY 12.30PM MEDIA OPPORTUNITY Pullman Hotel Coach and players available Corner Waterloo Quadrant & Princes St Auckland 1010 2.30PM MEDIA OPPORTUNITY Grammar Tech RC Training 36 Reihana St Vision only Orakei THURSDAY 16 JULY 12.30PM MEDIA OPPORTUNITY Pullman Hotel Coach and players available Corner Waterloo Quadrant & Princes St Auckland 1010 2.30PM MEDIA OPPORTUNITY Grammar Tech RC Training 36 Reihana St Vision only Orakei Page 10 ITINERARY TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION & EVENTS FRIDAY 17 JULY 2PM CAPTAIN’S RUN Eden Park Captain available at start Kingsland Vision for first 15 minutes only Auckland 1024 Media meet at Gate E MATCH #2 - SATURDAY 18 JULY 7.35PM MĀORI ALL BLACKS v Eden Park NEW ZEALAND BARBARIANS 9.20PM Post-match NZ MEDIA CONFERENCE with Māori All Blacks Coach SUNDAY 19 JULY 12PM MEDIA OPPORTUNITY with Pullman Hotel Lobby MĀORI All Blacks Coach Team disassembles MATCH OFFICIALS Referee Assistant Referees Television Match Official Maori All Blacks v Fiji, Saturday 11 July in Suva

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