1997 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland

1997 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
1997 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
Summary
P	W
Total
09	08
Test match
04	03
Opponent
P	W
Ireland
1	1
England
2	1
Wales
1	1

Last updated September 14, 2025

The New Zealand national rugby union team toured Britain and Ireland in November and December 1997. They played nine matches, including test matches against Wales, Ireland and two against England. They won each of the first eight games, but drew the second test against England in their final match, avoiding a clean sweep.

Results

Scores and results list New Zealand's points tally first.

Opponent	For	Against	Date	Venue	Status
Llanelli	81	3	8 November 1997	Stradey Park, Llanelli	Tour match
Wales A	51	8	11 November 1997	Sardis Road, Pontypridd	Tour match
Ireland	63	15	15 November 1997	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Test match
Emerging England	59	22	18 November 1997	McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield	Tour match
England	25	8	22 November 1997	Old Trafford, Manchester	Test match
English Rugby Partnership XV	18	11	25 November 1997	Ashton Gate, Bristol	Tour match
Wales	42	7	29 November 1997	Wembley Stadium, London	Test match
England A	30	19	2 December 1997	Welford Road Stadium, Leicester	Tour match
England	26	26	6 December 1997	Twickenham Stadium, London	Test match

Squads

New Zealand

The New Zealand Rugby selection panel named a squad of 36 for the tour, including six uncapped players: full-back Todd Miller, flanker Aaron Hopa, prop Gordon Slater, half-back Mark Robinson, number 8 Steve Surridge and centre Jeremy Stanley. Wing Jonah Lomu, second five-eighth Walter Little and flanker Andrew Blowers returned to the squad after illness and injury. Number 8 Zinzan Brooke was picked for his final All Black tour ahead of a move to English club Harlequins in 1998.^[1]

Name	Position	Club	Notes
Sean Fitzpatrick	Hooker	Auckland	Captain
Norm Hewitt	Hooker	Southland
Anton Oliver	Hooker	Otago
Bull Allen	Loosehead prop	Central Vikings
Craig Dowd	Loosehead prop	Auckland
Con Barrell	Tighthead prop	Canterbury
Olo Brown	Tighthead prop	Auckland
Gordon Slater	Tighthead prop	Taranaki
Robin Brooke	Lock	Auckland
Mark Cooksley	Lock	Waikato
Ian Jones	Lock	North Harbour
Charles Riechelmann	Lock	Auckland
Todd Blackadder	Blindside flanker	Canterbury
Aaron Hopa	Blindside flanker	Waikato
Taine Randell	Blindside flanker	Otago
Andrew Blowers	Openside flanker	Auckland
Mark Carter	Openside flanker	Auckland
Josh Kronfeld	Openside flanker	Otago
Zinzan Brooke	Number 8	Auckland
Steve Surridge	Number 8	Canterbury
Justin Marshall	Half-back	Canterbury
Jon Preston	Half-back	Wellington
Mark Robinson	Half-back	North Harbour
Andrew Mehrtens	First five-eighth	Canterbury
Carlos Spencer	First five-eighth	Auckland
Alama Ieremia	Second five-eighth	Wellington
Walter Little	Second five-eighth	North Harbour
Frank Bunce	Centre	North Harbour
Scott McLeod	Centre	Waikato
Jeremy Stanley	Centre	Auckland
Jonah Lomu	Wing	Counties-Manukau
Glen Osborne	Wing	North Harbour
Tana Umaga	Wing	Wellington
Jeff Wilson	Wing	Otago
Christian Cullen	Full-back	Central Vikings
Todd Miller	Full-back	Waikato

England

England coach Clive Woodward named a 28-man training squad for their four tests in November and December.^[1]

Name	Position	Club	Notes
Lawrence Dallaglio	Back row	Wasps	Captain
Phil Greening	Hooker	Gloucester
Andy Long	Hooker	Bath
Mark Regan	Hooker	Bath
Darren Garforth	Prop	Leicester
Will Green	Prop	Wasps
Jason Leonard	Prop	Harlequins
Graham Rowntree	Prop	Leicester
Garath Archer	Lock	Newcastle
Danny Grewcock	Lock	Saracens
Martin Johnson	Lock	Leicester
Neil Back	Back row	Leicester
Tony Diprose	Back row	Saracens
Richard Hill	Back row	Saracens
Tim Rodber	Back row	Northampton
Kyran Bracken	Scrum-half	Saracens
Matt Dawson	Scrum-half	Northampton
Mike Catt	Fly-half	Bath
Paul Grayson	Fly-half	Northampton
Alex King	Fly-half	Wasps
Phil de Glanville	Centre	Bath
Will Greenwood	Centre	Leicester
Adedayo Adebayo	Wing	Bath
John Bentley	Wing	Newcastle
David Rees	Wing	Sale
Nick Beal	Full-back	Northampton
Matt Perry	Full-back	Bath
Tim Stimpson	Full-back	Newcastle

Wales

Wales named a combined group of 52 covering both their senior team and the development squad for their November internationals. The most significant omission was their former captain, wing Ieuan Evans, but coach Kevin Bowring said this was for fitness reasons rather than Evans being on the verge of international retirement.^[1]

Name	Position	Club	Notes
Gwyn Jones	Back row	Cardiff	Captain
Jonathan Humphreys	Hooker	Cardiff
Garin Jenkins	Hooker	Swansea
Robin McBryde	Hooker	Llanelli
Barry Williams	Hooker	Richmond
Chris Anthony	Prop	Swansea
Ian Buckett	Prop	Swansea
Aled Griffiths	Prop	Pontypridd
Andrew Lewis	Prop	Cardiff
Christian Loader	Prop	Swansea
Lyndon Mustoe	Prop	Cardiff
Dai Young	Prop	Cardiff
Ian Gough	Lock	Newport
James Griffiths	Lock	Swansea
Gareth Llewellyn	Lock	Harlequins
Steve Moore	Lock	Moseley
Craig Quinnell	Lock	Richmond
Mark Rowley	Lock	Pontypridd
Chris Stephens	Lock	Bridgend
Mike Voyle	Lock	Llanelli
Neil Watkins	Lock	Neath
Rob Appleyard	Back row	Swansea
Steve Gardner	Back row	Neath
Hywel Jenkins	Back row	Llanelli
Scott Quinnell	Back row	Richmond
Mark Spiller	Back row	Pontypridd
Nathan Thomas	Back row	Bath
Martyn Williams	Back row	Pontypridd
Steve Williams	Back row	Cardiff
Chris Wyatt	Back row	Llanelli
Huw Harries	Scrum-half	Harlequins
Paul John	Scrum-half	Pontypridd
Andy Moore	Scrum-half	Richmond
Shaun Connor	Fly-half	Newport
Byron Hayward	Fly-half	Ebbw Vale
Lee Jarvis	Fly-half	Cardiff
Neil Jenkins	Fly-half	Pontypridd
Arwel Thomas	Fly-half	Swansea
Allan Bateman	Centre	Richmond
Neil Boobyer	Centre	Llanelli
Leigh Davies	Centre	Cardiff
Scott Gibbs	Centre	Swansea
Jason Lewis	Centre	Pontypridd
Martin Giraud	Wing	London Welsh
Dafydd James	Wing	Pontypridd
Rhys Shorney	Wing	UWIC
Gareth Thomas	Wing	Bridgend
Nigel Walker	Wing	Cardiff
Gareth Wyatt	Wing	Pontypridd
Matt Back	Full-back	Swansea
Garan Evans	Full-back	Llanelli
Kevin Morgan	Full-back	Pontypridd

References

1 2 3 "All the world's a stage - and these are the players". BBC News. 2 November 1997. Retrieved 18 April 2025.

Cleary, Mick, ed. (1998). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1998–99. Headline. ISBN 0-7472-7653-6.

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[squads-1] 1 2 3 "All the world's a stage - and these are the players". BBC News. 2 November 1997. Retrieved 18 April 2025.

[1]

v t e Rugby union tours of England
Argentina	1978 1990 1999 2000 2006 2022
Australia	1908–09 1927–28 (Waratahs) 1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1973 1975–76 1981–82 1984 1988 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2008 2009 2013
New Zealand	1905 1924–25 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1967 1972–73 1974 (no test) 1978 1979 1983 1993 1997 2002 2005 2006 2008
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1969–70 1992 1996 ("A" team) 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2004 2006 2008
Romania	1984–85
Japan	1973 (no test) 1976 (no test) 1986
Fiji	1982 (no test) 1985 (no test) 1989
Samoa	1989 (no test) 1995 1996 (no test) 2005
Tonga	1997 (no test)
Pacific Islanders	2008
Canada	1979 (no test) 1983 (no test) 1994 1999 2004
United States	1924 (no test) 1977 (no test) 1999
Maori All Blacks	1888–89 1926–27

v t e Rugby union tours of Ireland
Argentina	1973 1990 1999 2002 2004 2008 2021
Australia	1927–28 (Waratahs) 1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1968 1975–76 1981–82 1984 1992 1996 2002 2004 2005 2006 2009 2013
Canada	2008
Fiji	1985 1995 2002
Italy	1988-89
Japan	2000
New Zealand	1888–89 (Māori) 1905 1924–25 1926–27 (Māori) 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1972–73 1978 1989 1997 2001 2005 2008
Pacific Islanders	2006
Romania	1980 2002
Samoa	1988 1996 2001
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1965 1969–70 1994 (no test) 1996 ("A" team) 1998 2000 2004 2006
United States	1994

v t e Rugby union tours of Wales
Argentina	1976 (no test) 1978 (no test) 1998 2001 2021 2022
Australia	1908–09 1927–28 (Waratahs) 1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1973 1975–76 1981–82 1984 1992 1996 2001 2005 2006 2008 2009 2013
Canada	1979 (no test) 1999 2002 2008
Fiji	1964 1985 1995 2002 2005
Japan	1973 (no test) 1976 (no test) 1983 (no test) 1993 2004
New Zealand	1905 1924–25 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1967 1972–73 1974 (no test) 1978 1980 1989 1997 1998 2000 ("A" team) 2002 2004 2005 2006 2008
NZ Māori	1888–89 (NZ Natives) 1926–27 1982
Pacific Islanders	2006
Romania	1979 2002
Samoa	1988 1996 (no test) 2000
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1969–70 1994 1996 2000 2004 2005 2007 2008
Tonga	1997 2001
United States	1987 1997 1999 (no test) 2000
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