New Zealand National Rugby Union Team: The All Blacks Explained

The New Zealand national rugby union team — known worldwide as the All Blacks — is the most successful side in the history of international rugby and a defining part of New Zealand’s national identity. This guide explains who the All Blacks are, how the team is run, what happened across the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and the traditions, records and people that make the black jersey so recognisable. It is written as a neutral, fact-checked reference for newcomers and long-time fans alike, and is current as of September 2026.

The All Blacks in 2026: a new coaching era

The biggest recent change to the team is at the top. Scott Robertson (known as “Razor”) departed as head coach after a review of the 2025 season, and Dave Rennie was confirmed as his successor in early 2026. Rennie, who previously coached the Chiefs, Glasgow and Australia, is the first All Blacks head coach of Pasifika descent, tracing his heritage to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. He inherited a squad in transition and set about rebalancing a side that had shown brilliant attacking form in 2025 but had also leaked points against the best defensive teams.

Rennie assembled an experienced coaching group rather than relying on a single lieutenant. Jason Ryan — retained from the previous regime — leads the forwards with a focus on scrum and maul; Neil Barnes came in as senior assistant with responsibility for the lineout; former captain Tana Umaga took the defence portfolio; and Mike Blair, a former Scotland halfback, joined as attack coach. Phil Healey was named head of performance. On the field, loose forward Ardie Savea was appointed captain for 2026, taking over from lock Scott Barrett, who was sidelined by a back injury.

In the World Rugby men’s rankings the All Blacks sit second as of September 2026, narrowly behind world champions South Africa; New Zealand briefly returned to the top of the rankings in August 2026 before slipping back to second. For a running record of scores and points across the season, see our guide to the latest All Blacks results and scoring.

The 2025 Test season in review

The 2025 campaign was Robertson’s second and final year in charge, a 13-Test season that finished with nine wins and four losses. It began with a clean 3–0 sweep of France at home and included the retention of the Bledisloe Cup against Australia for a 23rd straight year. It also contained the team’s heaviest-ever Test defeat: a 43–10 loss to South Africa in Wellington, in which the Springboks scored 36 unanswered second-half points. The November tour brought wins over Ireland (in Chicago), Scotland and Wales, but a 33–19 loss to England at Twickenham ended hopes of a Grand Slam and fed directly into the coaching review. The rivalry with England is explored further in our feature on the All Blacks vs England record.

All Blacks 2025 Test results

The 2026 season: Nations Championship and the South Africa tour

2026 introduced a new global structure and a landmark tour, giving Rennie’s side two very different tests of its progress.

The inaugural Nations Championship

The Nations Championship is a new biennial competition that pits the leading southern-hemisphere teams against the northern-hemisphere nations across the July and November windows, culminating in a finals weekend. In their July home block the All Blacks won all three matches: a tight 34–32 win over France, a 47–17 victory against Italy — the game in which Will Jordan became the All Blacks’ all-time leading Test try-scorer — and a 40–21 win over Ireland at Eden Park. The competition’s northern leg and its inaugural finals weekend are scheduled for London in late November 2026.

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry: the 2026 tour of South Africa

The showpiece of the year was the All Blacks’ first multi-fixture tour of South Africa in three decades, branded “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.” It combined four warm-up matches against South African franchises with a four-Test series against the Springboks, including a historic fourth Test staged on neutral ground in Baltimore, in the United States. New Zealand made a perfect start — winning all four provincial games and the opening Test at Ellis Park — but South Africa recovered to win the next three Tests and take the series 3–1. You can read the fixture history on Wikipedia.

Playing style under Rennie

Where the Robertson era leaned on width, tempo and quick transition, the Rennie coaching group has emphasised a more balanced approach built on set-piece reliability and physical contest at the breakdown. The stated aim is to “earn the right to go wide” by first winning the collisions and securing clean lineout and scrum ball — a response to the defensive lapses that cost the team in 2025. For readers new to the subject, our explainer on rugby set-piece strategies breaks down how the scrum, lineout and maul create attacking platforms.

The Eden Park fortress

Eden Park in Auckland is the team’s traditional stronghold. The All Blacks have not lost a Test at the ground since 1994, a run that reached 52 matches after their 2025 wins there over South Africa and Australia. The venue is regularly cited as the most intimidating in world rugby because of the crowd’s proximity to the field and the weight of history. The 2025 win over the Springboks was also notable as Ardie Savea’s 100th Test, in which he won a decisive late turnover to protect the record. New Zealand has no single permanent home ground, but Eden Park remains the venue reserved for the highest-stakes fixtures.

History: from the Originals to three World Cups

The All Blacks played their first Test in 1903, beating Australia 22–3 in Sydney. Two years later the touring “Originals” of 1905–06 won 34 of their 35 matches in the British Isles, France and North America, cementing both the team’s reputation and, according to the popular account, the “All Blacks” name itself. In the professional era New Zealand won the very first Rugby World Cup in 1987 and then became the first nation to retain the trophy, winning in 2011 and 2015. Across more than a century the team has recorded a winning record against every regular opponent and an all-time Test win rate of roughly 77 per cent.

The Haka

The Haka is a Māori ceremonial challenge performed by the All Blacks before every Test, and it is among the most recognisable rituals in world sport. The team uses two versions. “Ka Mate,” composed by the chief Te Rauparaha of Ngāti Toa, is the older and more frequently performed. “Kapa o Pango,” written specifically for the All Blacks by Derek Lardelli and first performed in 2005, is reserved for occasions of particular significance and references the silver fern. For the players the Haka is a moment of unity and a connection to the heritage of those who wore the jersey before them, and the squad works with cultural advisers to ensure it is performed with respect.

Records and leading players

Individual records underline the team’s depth of talent. Lock Sam Whitelock retired in 2023 as the most-capped All Black of all time with 153 Tests, while fly-half Dan Carter remains the leading points scorer in the team’s history with 1,598 points. Among current players, wing Will Jordan became the All Blacks’ record Test try-scorer in 2026, and playmaker Beauden Barrett continues to add to one of the highest cap tallies in the squad. Captain Ardie Savea is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading loose forwards.

The All Blacks XV and the player pathway

The senior team sits at the top of a deep development system. The All Blacks XV, an “A” side, bridges the gap between Super Rugby Pacific and the Test arena, letting selectors test fringe players against international opposition. Beneath it, provincial rugby (the NPC), the Super Rugby Pacific franchises and age-grade competitions feed talent upward. Readers can follow the full journey in our guide to New Zealand’s rugby pathway, from schools rugby through to the Test squad.

Managing player welfare and the global season

With a long international calendar layered on top of Super Rugby Pacific, New Zealand Rugby manages player workload carefully. Central contracts allow the union to control minutes for front-rowers and other high-load players, and a small number of senior stars are permitted approved sabbaticals — short stints in overseas leagues, often in Japan, that give them a break before returning for the international window. Captain Ardie Savea, for example, has combined All Blacks duty with a club role at Japan’s Kobe Steelers. These arrangements are designed to retain experienced players in the face of lucrative offers abroad while protecting their long-term fitness.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is the current All Blacks head coach?

Dave Rennie is the head coach for the 2026 season. He was confirmed in early 2026 after Scott Robertson departed following a review of the 2025 campaign, and he is the first All Blacks head coach of Pasifika (Cook Islands) descent.

Why are they called the All Blacks?

The name became widely used during the pioneering 1905–06 tour of Britain, and is most often linked to the team’s all-black kit with its silver fern. It has been the team’s identity ever since.

Who has played the most Tests for the All Blacks?

Lock Sam Whitelock is the most-capped All Black in history, retiring in 2023 with 153 Test appearances. The all-time points record is held by Dan Carter with 1,598 points.

Who won the 2026 All Blacks and Springboks series?

South Africa won the four-Test 2026 tour series 3–1. New Zealand took the opening Test at Ellis Park and won all four provincial warm-up games, but the Springboks won the remaining three Tests, including the neutral-venue match in Baltimore.

Can the All Blacks be beaten at Eden Park?

Not in the modern era. The All Blacks have not lost a Test at Eden Park in Auckland since 1994, a streak that reached 52 matches during the 2025 season, making it one of the most dominant home records in world sport.