All Blacks

The All Blacks are the national Rugby Union team of New Zealand. The team is widely regarded as the best team in the world. The All Blacks have won the tri-nations and Bledisloe cups for successive years, however have not won the Rugby World Cup in over twenty years. For example the All Blacks lost 5 games out of 51 between 2003 and the 2007 World Cup yet lost to France in the semi-finals, a team they had twice beaten that year by 40+ margins.

The name "All Blacks" comes from the predominantly black outfit worn by the team. The team is selected from the New Zealand Super 14 franchises: the Auckland Blues, Canterbury Crusaders, Otago Highlanders, Wellington Hurricanes and the Waikato Chiefs. Only those players playing in New Zealand are eligible for the All Blacks. This is creating quite a dilemna in New Zealand rugby as many top players are leaving for overseas clubs.