EXPERIENCING THE ALL BLACKS
STRAIGHT BACK, EYES FORWARD, NEXT TO MY DAD, THE ADVENTURE THROUGH ALL BLACKS EXPERIENCE WAS SURREAL.’
The first thing you see when you walk into the All Blacks Experience is a captivating mural that shows New Zealand rugby as a scrum with wild animals.
It’s an indication of what’s to come. A room created to hold an important All Blacks pounamu shows the strong connection between the team and Māori culture.
A tribute that caught my eye was the use of koru figures on the wall. James Allen, the first All Black (alphabetical order applies) started a long list of names carved across the black walls that shadow the entire tour, all 1192 players.
New Zealand rugby test matches are represented by coloured studs on the wall, dating back to 1903. There’s black studs for wins and ‘other’ coloured studs for… we don’t need to talk about the others.
The Black Ferns are included which is awesome and shows how much the women's game has progressed in
New Zealand - and there is plenty of room left for history to be made.
Dad mentioned how little women's rugby was acknowledged when he was a kid and how much he enjoys watching them now. The Black Ferns trophies are displayed including the Rugby World Cup which will now be contested here in New Zealand next year.
We’ve won it five of the six times it’s been held.
Another memorable part of the experience is the ‘breeding ground of our All Blacks’, a part of the exhibition that takes shapes as a worn, homely rugby club, with a vintage TV. The kind every kid has memories of from their local club with faded carpet, wooden walls, the whole package, you could picture your own rugby club, which for me is Silverdale United Rugby Club.
Ma’a Nonu’s jersey’s are virtually framed on-screen, allowing us to feel the pride of his club.
One really cool thing was a recording of Richie McCaw giving a pep-talk on the importance of the little things in rugby such as reactions and staying cool under pressure. With clever use of sound and lighting we were transformed into All Blacks for just a few moments - talk about nerve wracking!
Dad and I were locked into Richie’s speech, as he enlightened us with the reality of rugby being more of a mental game than I had thought.
There was even a strong smell of deep heat in the room, making it even more realistic, and the little cubicles the All Blacks sit in - making this really feel like a true All Black zone.
We’ve all seen via television the players in the changing rooms with their pre-game prep, at halftime and sometimes after the match - but to be in these recreated “sheds’ was something I won’t forget.
Sean Fitzpatrick gave us a virtual haka lesson, and talked about its importance to the legacy of New Zealand rugby. The haka, he says, is the start of the test match and when it’s done well it sends a message to the opposition that the All Blacks mean business.
As I am writing this I can feel the hairs on my neck rise. I think back to facing the All Blacks haka in front of a roaring virtual crowd. The sound projection, vibrations on the ground and lighting were so life like it was incredible.
It really did feel like I was at
Eden Park with the fans screaming
“All Blacks, All Blacks, All Blacks”.
Straight back, eyes forward, next to my dad, the adventure through
All Blacks Experience was surreal.