Australia–New Zealand Sports Rivalries on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
An early 1882 New South Wales Waratahs tour of New Zealand was followed by an 1884 New Zealand rugby union tour of New South Wales and then with the history of rugby union matches between Australia and New Zealand commencing in 1903. Since 1931 that rivalry has been pursued for the prize of possession of the Bledisloe Cup. Both nations together hosted the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup and have since furthered a spirited rivalry directly and indirectly competing against each other for the sport's Webb Ellis Cup Rugby World Cup, world championship trophy on every subsequent occasion. The first women's international rugby union, women's international rugby test between the Australia women's national rugby union team, Wallaroos and New Zealand women's national rugby union team, Black Ferns occurred in 1994. From 1996 their men's national teams compete annually in the Tri Nations (rugby union), Tri Nations, as do their elite provincial teams in Super Rugby.
From 1966 to the end of 2005 the two countries competed in the Oceania Football Confederation and a New Zealand club side has played against Australian clubs in the professional soccer A-League since A-League 2005–06, 2005–06. Their national youth teams competed in the OFC U-20 Championship between 1978 and 2001. A first match between the Australia women's national soccer team, Matildas and New Zealand women's national football team, Football Ferns female teams occurred in 1975. The women's teams competed for the OFC Women's Championship, Oceania Cup seven times between 1983 and 2003.
The introduction of Australian rules football in New Zealand occurred around 1868 and maintained some cultural significance there until 1914 and then from the 1974 restarting of senior competition in three of its major cities.Camilla Obel, "Unions, Leagues and Franchises: The Social Organisation of Rugby Union in New Zealand", University of Canterbury thesis, 2001 In 1890 an Australasian Football Council#Australasian Rules of 1890, Australasian Football Council was formed including delegates from New Zealand and in 1908 New Zealand defeated both New South Wales and Queensland at the 1908 Melbourne Carnival, Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival.Christchurch Football Club History
In 1961, the Melbourne Football Club toured New Zealand during its off season, becoming the first VFL/AFL club to do so. The New Zealand national Australian rules football team, New Zealand Falcons have represented their country in the sport since 1995 and the New Zealand AFL has existed since 1997. No Australian rules football exhibition matches#History of official International Australian rules football exhibition matches, international AFL exhibition matches have been played in New Zealand since 2001. Australian Football League, AFL matches have been broadcast live into New Zealand since 2006 and there is regular coverage of AFL matches in ''The New Zealand Herald''. Women's Australian rules football#New Zealand, Women's AFL in New Zealand found its first expression through a match convened by the Canterbury AFL in 2006. The Inter Dominion harness racing competition has been contested since 1936 at venues in both countries. The Tasman Series of motor racing, motor races across Australia and New Zealand was held from 1964 to 1975 and from 2001, the Pukekohe Park Raceway#V8 Supercars, V8 Supercar Round at Pukekohe and subsequently the Hamilton 400 has been promoted as the New Zealand leg of the V8 Supercars category of touring car racing otherwise predominantly contested in Australia. At ISF Women's World Championships from 1965 and in softball at the Summer Olympics – except the Championships of 1978, 1982, 1986 and 1990 – Australia can be seen to have consistently distinguished itself ahead of New Zealand. The Black Socks, Black Sox men's team won the inaugural Commonwealth Championships over Australia and other nations in 2006 and have otherwise outperformed Australia in world championships. International indoor bowls competition began in 1975 when Australia and New Zealand first met for the Henselite Trophy. Trans-Tasman matches are held bi-annually with Australia being the current holder of the trophy as the test was a draw and Australia were the previous holders of the Trophy and therefore retained it. The New Zealand men's national field hockey team, Black Sticks Men (New Zealand) defeated Australia men's national field hockey team, the Kookaburras (Australia) to win gold in field hockey at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Competition between the New Zealand women's national field hockey team, Black Sticks Women (New Zealand) and the Australia women's national field hockey team, Hockeyroos (Australia) female teams is recorded back to 1935. Both teams from both countries have contested the Oceania Cup biennially since 1999. Respective touch football (rugby league), touch football national teams of either and mixed gender, and across age categories, have sustained close competitive rivalry for championship honours through Touch Football World Cups contested since 1988. New Zealand men's national ice hockey team#All-time Record against other nations, As of 25 May 2009 and starting from 1987 the two nations had met 10 times at the sport of ice hockey. Biennially since 1987 Australasian Masters Games have been contested in a range of sports by mature-aged athletes and teams of participants. A PGA Tour of Australasia for men's golfers commenced under its current name in 1991. The Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit for standardbred horses commenced in 1992 and the Australasian Breeders Crown futurity race series for 2 and 3-year-old horses bred in Australia and New Zealand is contested on a Sunday in late August each year at a venue in the Victoria, Australia, Australian State of Victoria. From 1997 both nations are known to have hosted the Oceania Badminton Championships. Badminton at the Commonwealth Games#Medal table, Overall in badminton at the Commonwealth Games it might be considered that Badminton Australia has marginally outperformed the Black Cocks. They have had common membership of the International Korfball Federation since 1998 and they are recorded to have competed at the 2004 Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship. Men's teams for both nations have contested the Oceania Handball Nations Cup from 2004 with both nations being members of the Oceania Handball Federation.
Cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
, rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
, rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
& netball
Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
are the prominent sporting rivalries between Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. In addition, respective national teams have competed in other sports such as indoor bowls, basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
, field hockey
Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
and touch football.
Olympic Games
Australia attended its firstSummer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
in 1896. New Zealand first attended in 1908, with the two countries competing together as Australasia
Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
. After World War I, the two nations split and since the 1920 Games have competed separately.
From 1952 both nations have sent teams to the Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in ...
, except the non participation of New Zealand in 1956 and 1964.
Both nations have competed against each other and other Commonwealth nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
at the British Empire Games
The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 193 ...
and Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...
starting from 1930.
Australia has attended every Summer Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...
since their inception in 1960; New Zealand first attended eight years later in 1968.
Basketball
In 1938, the New Zealand Basketball Association sent the firstNew Zealand women's national basketball team
The New Zealand women's national basketball team represents New Zealand in international Women's basketball, basketball competitions. They are nicknamed the Tall Ferns. The team has been coached by Guy Molloy since 2018.
The New Zealand women' ...
to tour Australia. The men's teams have opposed each other in qualification for the 2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was the 14th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was held by the FIBA, International Basketb ...
and at the 2004 Athens Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.
The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
. Australasia's National Basketball League has included the New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...
as its sole non-Australian team since 2003. They are the two best-performing nations in FIBA Oceania
FIBA Oceania is a zone within FIBA (International Basketball Federation). It is one of FIBA's five continental confederations. FIBA Oceania is responsible for the organization and governance of the major international tournaments in Oceania. It ...
. Teams from New Zealand's Women's Basketball Championship have no history of playing against those of Australia's Women's NBL.
Cricket
TheAustralian cricket team
The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in international cricket. Along with England, it is the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing and winning the first ever Test match in 1877; the team also plays One ...
first toured New Zealand in 1878 and recognised first class Test cricket between the respective national teams commenced in 1945–46. The underarm incident
The underarm bowling incident of 1981 is a sporting controversy that took place on 1 February 1981, when Australia played New Zealand in a One Day International cricket match, the third in the best-of-five final of the 1980–81 World Series Cu ...
of 1981 stands as memorable for bringing Australian cricket into infamy and causing anger in New Zealand as well as being remarked upon by the respective heads of government
In the executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...
. The two nations have exclusively and directly competed for the Trans-Tasman Trophy in test cricket since 1985–86 and for the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy in One Day International, ODI cricket since 2006–07. They have competed at 20/20 Cricket#Twenty20 Internationals, Twenty20 internationals and ICC World Twenty20, tournaments since their first such match occurring on 17 February 2005.
Mixed Martial Arts
The highest attended Ultimate Fighting Championship event in history took place in Melbourne when Australian Robert Whittaker (fighter), Robert Whittaker attempted to defend his UFC middleweight championship against New Zealander Israel Adesanya in front of 57,127 people at Docklands Stadium, Marvel Stadium. Adesanya would win the bout via a second-round knockout.Netball
Australia national netball team, Australia and New Zealand national netball team, New Zealand are the INF World Rankings, top two ranked teams in international netball. On 20 August 1938 in Australia, 1938, at Royal Park, Melbourne, Australia defeated New Zealand 40–11. This was the first Test match (netball), netball Test between Australia and New Zealand. It was also the world's first international netball match. Between 1963 World Netball Championships, 1963 and 2015 Netball World Cup, 2015, the two teams dominated the World Netball Championships and Netball at the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Games tournaments. Since 2010 the two teams have also competed for the Constellation Cup. Notable and memorable clashes have included the finals of the 1991 World Netball Championships, 1991, 1999 World Netball Championships, 1999 and 2011 World Netball Championships, the finals of the Netball at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 2010 and the Netball at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2014 Commonwealth Games and the final match of the 2013 Constellations Cup.Rugby league
The rivalry between the two national rugby league teams, the Australia national rugby league team, Kangaroos and the New Zealand national rugby league team, Kiwis, commenced with matches at the conclusion of the professional 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain, 1907 ''All Golds'' tour. A collaborative side, that toured Great Britain, was fielded 1911–12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain, in 1911–12, but with the exception of a 2007 All Golds Tour, 2007 team this has not been repeated. An ANZAC Test, for the Bill Kelly (rugby league), Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy, was contested between the two countries from 1997 to 2017, and was held close to ANZAC Day. Additionally, the two countries competed in the Rugby League Tri-Nations and then, between 2009 and 2016, in the Rugby League Four Nations tournament. The teams have faced each other numerous times at the Rugby League World Cup, World Cup, however, unlike New Zealand Rugby League, the Australian Rugby League does not consider matches the World Cup as official Test match (rugby league), Tests and therefore they have different totals in their head-to-head test records. Since 1995 a New Zealand professional team, the New Zealand Warriors, Warriors, have played in the Australia-centred National Rugby League. The women's national teams, the Australia women's national rugby league team, Jillaroos and the New Zealand women's national rugby league team, Kiwi Ferns, played their first test match in 1995. Since 2000, they have faced each other several times at the Women's Rugby League World Cups and at the Rugby League Pacific Championships. The wheelchair rugby league teams, the Australia national wheelchair rugby league team, Wheelaroos and the New Zealand national wheelchair rugby league team, Wheel Kiwis, played their first match in November 2024.Rugby union
An early 1882 New South Wales Waratahs tour of New Zealand was followed by an 1884 New Zealand rugby union tour of New South Wales and then with the history of rugby union matches between Australia and New Zealand commencing in 1903. Since 1931 that rivalry has been pursued for the prize of possession of the Bledisloe Cup. Both nations together hosted the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup and have since furthered a spirited rivalry directly and indirectly competing against each other for the sport's Webb Ellis Cup Rugby World Cup, world championship trophy on every subsequent occasion. The first women's international rugby union, women's international rugby test between the Australia women's national rugby union team, Wallaroos and New Zealand women's national rugby union team, Black Ferns occurred in 1994. From 1996 their men's national teams compete annually in the Tri Nations (rugby union), Tri Nations, as do their elite provincial teams in Super Rugby.
Soccer
From 1966 to the end of 2005 the two countries competed in the Oceania Football Confederation and a New Zealand club side has played against Australian clubs in the professional soccer A-League since A-League 2005–06, 2005–06. Their national youth teams competed in the OFC U-20 Championship between 1978 and 2001. A first match between the Australia women's national soccer team, Matildas and New Zealand women's national football team, Football Ferns female teams occurred in 1975. The women's teams competed for the OFC Women's Championship, Oceania Cup seven times between 1983 and 2003.
Other sports
Australasian Championships in tennis commenced in 1905, later becoming the Australian Open. Between 1905 and 1915 the two nations combined their best players to compete in the Davis Cup, winning in all of 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911 and 1914.
The introduction of Australian rules football in New Zealand occurred around 1868 and maintained some cultural significance there until 1914 and then from the 1974 restarting of senior competition in three of its major cities.Camilla Obel, "Unions, Leagues and Franchises: The Social Organisation of Rugby Union in New Zealand", University of Canterbury thesis, 2001 In 1890 an Australasian Football Council#Australasian Rules of 1890, Australasian Football Council was formed including delegates from New Zealand and in 1908 New Zealand defeated both New South Wales and Queensland at the 1908 Melbourne Carnival, Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival.Christchurch Football Club HistoryIn 1961, the Melbourne Football Club toured New Zealand during its off season, becoming the first VFL/AFL club to do so. The New Zealand national Australian rules football team, New Zealand Falcons have represented their country in the sport since 1995 and the New Zealand AFL has existed since 1997. No Australian rules football exhibition matches#History of official International Australian rules football exhibition matches, international AFL exhibition matches have been played in New Zealand since 2001. Australian Football League, AFL matches have been broadcast live into New Zealand since 2006 and there is regular coverage of AFL matches in ''The New Zealand Herald''. Women's Australian rules football#New Zealand, Women's AFL in New Zealand found its first expression through a match convened by the Canterbury AFL in 2006. The Inter Dominion harness racing competition has been contested since 1936 at venues in both countries. The Tasman Series of motor racing, motor races across Australia and New Zealand was held from 1964 to 1975 and from 2001, the Pukekohe Park Raceway#V8 Supercars, V8 Supercar Round at Pukekohe and subsequently the Hamilton 400 has been promoted as the New Zealand leg of the V8 Supercars category of touring car racing otherwise predominantly contested in Australia. At ISF Women's World Championships from 1965 and in softball at the Summer Olympics – except the Championships of 1978, 1982, 1986 and 1990 – Australia can be seen to have consistently distinguished itself ahead of New Zealand. The Black Socks, Black Sox men's team won the inaugural Commonwealth Championships over Australia and other nations in 2006 and have otherwise outperformed Australia in world championships. International indoor bowls competition began in 1975 when Australia and New Zealand first met for the Henselite Trophy. Trans-Tasman matches are held bi-annually with Australia being the current holder of the trophy as the test was a draw and Australia were the previous holders of the Trophy and therefore retained it. The New Zealand men's national field hockey team, Black Sticks Men (New Zealand) defeated Australia men's national field hockey team, the Kookaburras (Australia) to win gold in field hockey at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Competition between the New Zealand women's national field hockey team, Black Sticks Women (New Zealand) and the Australia women's national field hockey team, Hockeyroos (Australia) female teams is recorded back to 1935. Both teams from both countries have contested the Oceania Cup biennially since 1999. Respective touch football (rugby league), touch football national teams of either and mixed gender, and across age categories, have sustained close competitive rivalry for championship honours through Touch Football World Cups contested since 1988. New Zealand men's national ice hockey team#All-time Record against other nations, As of 25 May 2009 and starting from 1987 the two nations had met 10 times at the sport of ice hockey. Biennially since 1987 Australasian Masters Games have been contested in a range of sports by mature-aged athletes and teams of participants. A PGA Tour of Australasia for men's golfers commenced under its current name in 1991. The Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit for standardbred horses commenced in 1992 and the Australasian Breeders Crown futurity race series for 2 and 3-year-old horses bred in Australia and New Zealand is contested on a Sunday in late August each year at a venue in the Victoria, Australia, Australian State of Victoria. From 1997 both nations are known to have hosted the Oceania Badminton Championships. Badminton at the Commonwealth Games#Medal table, Overall in badminton at the Commonwealth Games it might be considered that Badminton Australia has marginally outperformed the Black Cocks. They have had common membership of the International Korfball Federation since 1998 and they are recorded to have competed at the 2004 Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship. Men's teams for both nations have contested the Oceania Handball Nations Cup from 2004 with both nations being members of the Oceania Handball Federation.
See also
* List of Australia-New Zealand and Australasia topicsReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-New Zealand sports rivalries Australia–New Zealand sports relations, Sports rivalries in Australia Sports rivalries in New Zealand