New Zealand national rugby league team
| Nickname (s) | Kiwi fruit | ||
| Association | New Zealand Rugby League | ||
| Trainer |
 Stephen Kearney
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| captain | Simon Mannering | ||
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Most international matches Ruben Wiki (55) |
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Most Points Scored Matthew Ridge (168) |
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Most attempts scored Manu Vatuvei (22) |
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First international 8-9 Wales (1 January 1908)  |
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Biggest win 74-0 Tonga (1999)  |
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Biggest defeat 0:58 Australia (October 14, 2007)  |
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World Championship Participations: 14 Best results: World Champion 2008 |
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The New Zealand national rugby league team , also known by its nickname Kiwis , represents New Zealand on an international level in the sport of rugby league . The team is more rarely referred to as All Golds , based on the All Blacks . Just like them, the Kiwis wear black jerseys and shorts at their games, but they have a white V on their chest and white rings on their socks. New Zealand took part in all 14 rugby league world championships held so far and was able to win the title for the first time in 2008 .
history
In 1907 a New Zealand team made up of All Blacks who no longer wanted to accept the ban on professionalization in rugby union traveled to Great Britain and adapted the rules of the split-off Northern Union there . These "Professional All Blacks" were given the nickname All Golds to distinguish them from the amateurs and brought the new sport of rugby league with them to New Zealand . Unlike in Australia , however, the new code could not fully establish itself. This was due on the one hand to the massive measures taken by the New Zealand Rugby Union , which left no stone unturned to weaken the new competition, and on the other hand to the unprofessional behavior of the New Zealand professionals. For example, the Great Britain tour of the All Golds in 1927 was prematurely canceled by some players after countless escapades, after which they did not play in Europe for twelve years . In 1938 the team officially received the nickname Kiwis for a tour of Australia .
In the post-war period , the Kiwis achieved some notable successes, for example the Australians suffered the greatest defeat in their history in 1952 with a 49:25 and defeated Great Britain 19-0 in 1962 . In the newly introduced Rugby League World Cup , however, the team could not compete with the two leading nations and ended up in fourth and thus last place in 1954 , 1968 , 1970 and 1972 . It wasn't until 1988 that New Zealand entered the World Cup final for the first time, but lost to the Kangaroos in Eden Park at home with 12:25. The Kiwis reached their second runner-up in the World Cup in 2000 , but once again they had to admit defeat to the dominating Australians in the final.
In 2005 , New Zealand won the Tri-Nations tournament, established in 1999, for the first time . In 2008 they beat the Australian national team in the third attempt in the World Cup final in Brisbane with 34:20 and won their first World Cup title. These developments highlighted the rise of the Kiwis as Australia's toughest rival in the international rugby league . Although the fourth World Cup final in 2013 was clearly lost 2:34 against the big neighbor, the successes of the youth teams indicated a great future. After winning the Four Nations in 2014 , New Zealand topped the RLIF World Rankings for the first time in May 2015 . After a clear 8:34 final defeat against the Australians at the Four Nations 2016 , however, they lost their top position again.
At the 2017 World Cup , the Kiwis disappointed across the board in front of their home crowd, lost in the preliminary round to Tonga and eliminated in the quarter-finals against Fiji .
Others
Just like the New Zealand national rugby union team , the Kiwis perform the haka , the famous Māori war dance, before every game . Under the Polynesian people of New Zealand, especially in the region of Auckland , enjoys rugby league particularly popular.
successes
- World Championship (1): 2008
- Tri-Nations / Four Nations (3): 2005, 2010, 2014