1870-1891

1870 Rugby introduced to New Zealand by Charles Monro, the speaker of the House of Representatives. He o ers up the rules the best he knows after a school stint in England and the first game is played on New Zealand soil between Nelson and Nelson College.

1882 New South Wales bring a team to New Zealand.

1884 A New Zealand team reciprocates by playing in New South Wales. They wore blue jerseys with a gold fern.

1888 A side from the British Isles arrives in New Zealand. They win all their games bar one: they lost to Auckland.

1888 New Zealand sends a team to the UK for the first time. They become known as the New Zealand Natives and they play a staggering 107 games.