Have you seen the news today? The English rugby team has announced they intend to play their games at the Rugby World Cup in an all black kit with Maori designs on it.
What on earth are they thinking? It’s completely wierd and somewhat bloody insulting to the hosts, New Zealand.
By: Dave Homewood - 18th July 2011 at 13:42
Having said that, though, I predict an Australia vs New Zealand final this time around.
Australia is going to have to do a lot of work to make it to the final. They were rotten last year, and they just got beaten by minnow Manu Samoa on the weekend, which is probably as bad as it gets. If they continue current form they won’t make it past the first round.
By: Grey Area - 18th July 2011 at 11:03
The All Blacks don’t have as good a record in the World Cup as one might expect, given their awesome (and well-deserved) reputation in Test rugby.
They didn’t reach the semi-finals last time, and haven’t appeared in a final since 1995.
Having said that, though, I predict an Australia vs New Zealand final this time around.
By: tornado64 - 18th July 2011 at 10:19
At the end of the day does it matter?. It’s all about the game and who, is the better of the two teams,Lincoln .7
by the rule of averages it will be a team wearing black !!
they will also be from new zealand !!:)
By: Lincoln 7 - 16th July 2011 at 14:27
At the end of the day does it matter?. It’s all about the game and who, is the better of the two teams,at the end of the game, as far as I am concerned, they can play naked.with numbers painted on their backs.
I agree with Arthur, chill out, it’s much a do about nothing.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: Sky High - 16th July 2011 at 14:12
I couldn’t give a **** about the strip colours – it’s the rugger which interests me.
By: John Green - 16th July 2011 at 14:01
Dave Homewood
We all know how good the All Blacks are – consistently good. Your comments trivialise them. As someone else commented: “Chill” and get a life.
John Green
By: Arthur Pewtey - 16th July 2011 at 13:16
I think you need to chill out – the rugby union themselves have said there are not bothered and indeed it appear that English RU asked the NZ RU first who didn’t have a problem. – you , and the NZ media, it appears have the problem.
Oh and they are not “my lot” anyway – I don’t know what made you think that :confused:
I just find it entertaining when folks get all steamed up about trivia – long may this be the biggest thing you have to worry about.
By: Dave Homewood - 16th July 2011 at 12:22
how on earth did you put a racist angle on an old journalistic mistake ???
Sorry, my mistake, I read it as “as if they were all blacks” and considering it was 1905 and the way of thinking back then, I put two and two together and got three. My mistake.
they may have played in the kit before but the name stems from the stated tour
Yes I know that but your quote, the source of which you did not cite, states “the name stuck, and an all-black uniform was adopted” as if the uniform was an afterthought to the name being applied. As we both know, it wasn’t.
i’d bone up on your team if i was you !! it is a well known debate
Yes the story is well known indeed and we hear it over and over every year.
As for boning up, no need. We are getting All Black this, All Black that fed though every media outlet at the moment, and have done for some while. A lot of people are looking forward to the cup being over and done with, it gets a bit tedious.
Arthur Pewtey, personally I don’t care what your lot wears, I probably won’t be watching your games unless for a few seconds if I turn the tele on and mistake it for an All Black game because of the ripped off uniforms. Even if they meet my team they are not allowed to wear that uniform, but it’s unlikely they will with the current state of the England team. Plus it is not psychologically detrimental to me at all, I’m not playing.
I think it is well worth the nation registering a protest over this blatantly bizarre decision England has made to copy the host’s long trademarked look. It seems extremely desperate, trying to tap into the mana that the All Black strip has. It will be a great boost to England’s morale when they arrive here though and see all the signs up saying Go All Blacks, etc. They’ll probably assume it’s for them.
I wonder how the actual England players feel being made to dress as posers and wannabes.
By: Arthur Pewtey - 16th July 2011 at 10:48
They are simply trying a psychological tactic and it’s pretty bloody pathetic.
Well, it appears to have worked – it has certainly wound you up.
Interesting that it appears that the New Zealand press are getting steamed up about it but the NZ players and RFU are not bothered.
By: tornado64 - 16th July 2011 at 10:16
how on earth did you put a racist angle on an old journalistic mistake ???
they may have played in the kit before but the name stems from the stated tour
i’d bone up on your team if i was you !! it is a well known debate
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/collections/highlighted-items/1905-all-blacks
By: Dave Homewood - 16th July 2011 at 02:04
That is wrong Tornado. New Zealand was playing in black shirts with a silver fern logo from their first ever international match when they toured New South Wales in 1894.
By 1905 whilst touring Britain the team had changed from white shorts with the black shirt to black shorts. So with black jumper, shorts and socks, a Daily Mail reporter wrote them up as the All Blacks simply because of their colours they wore when reporting which team did what, just as a reporter might refer to a team as ‘the reds’ or ‘the blues’. I have never ever heard anything with that racist angle to the story. And there are photos of the team wearing black on that tour and well before it, so the idea that his statement prompted the change to black is a nonsense. See the photos on Wikipedia’s page for example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_national_rugby_union_team
This idea of England “paying tribute” to NZ, what a lot of rot. Did they dress in green and gold with Aborigine designs at the last World Cup? No. They are simply trying a psychological tactic and it’s pretty bloody pathetic.
By: tornado64 - 15th July 2011 at 22:11
Why do New Zealand play in black for that matter (or Italy in blue or Australia in green and yellow)?
italys flag and royal colours were blue before they adopted the tricolour
englands is white because of the english flags base colour
australias were chosen because of the the primary colours of the national floral emblem the Golden Wattle
scotlands primary colour of st andrews flag or saltaire
new zealands all blacks dates back to a british tour and a journalists mistake
“But it did all begin with rugby. The story (as I recall it) was that it
arose from when the first NZ rugby team toured Britain (the 1905 team?)
with far more success than either they or the British expected. A British
sports journalist, impressed by the NZers unconventional style of play,
wrote that they played as if they were “all backs” (referring to the speed
and mobility of the forwards, a tradition continued to this day). A
printer’s error converted this to “all blacks”, the name stuck, and an
all-black uniform was adopted.
By: inkworm - 15th July 2011 at 13:18
Who cares, we aren’t going to win it with the squad we have this year, the Kiwis always bottle it and will no doubt drop out in the semis, France/Aussie final with the Aussies winning it just to wind up the Kiwis.
The only issue I have with all this world cup thing is that we’ll suffer as a club for a couple of months, despite the strong players coming through the academy and the summer signings. Probably won’t bet top of the table until January at the earliest :dev2:
Tricky one on the shirts as it is technically paying tribute to the hosts but how would we like it if the Boks started putting English stuff on their shirts? Not that I have any idea what could be put on that would be classed as English and not be laughed down.
Cynical marketing ploy and another cash cow to milk dry.
By: Grey Area - 15th July 2011 at 13:13
Looks like the strip is having the desired effect already. :diablo:
By: Arthur Pewtey - 15th July 2011 at 12:42
England aren’t likely to wear their new “black” shirt when playing New Zealand so I don’t see the problem.
But I guess if you, or indeed a whole nation it appears, want to be insulted by the colour of a rugby shirt then that’s your affair.
Why do New Zealand play in black for that matter (or Italy in blue or Australia in green and yellow)?
By: Dave Homewood - 15th July 2011 at 12:33
Till now England’s ‘away’ kit has been dark grey and red. Not black.
Whereas NZ’s kit has been all black for 128 years. The only time they wear the white shirt is when they play Scotland who have the dark blue, which would be too confusing in the heat of battle. Other than that they wear black at home and away.
By: Arthur Pewtey - 15th July 2011 at 12:05
Haven’t England had a black “away” shirt for a while now?
Isn’t the All Blacks away shirt white? I hope not otherwise that might be insulting to people in England.:diablo:
By: Dave Homewood - 15th July 2011 at 11:51
The picture shown on TV here showed a Maori design around the rose, and Dr Ranginui Walker, a well known scholar and somewhat radical when if comes to other cultures using Maori design was interviewed about his shock and dismay. Even NZ Prime Minister John Key called the English team “wannabes” for taking the black strip on our home grounds.
Still, there’s usually a black shirted team that chokes in the semi-finals of the RWC. Maybe this time it won’t be our team.
By: Arthur Pewtey - 15th July 2011 at 11:17
It has a red rose on it – is that a Maori design?
By: tornado64 - 15th July 2011 at 11:02
the lunatics have taken over the assylum !!
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July 15, 2011 at 10:55 am