The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in Super Rugby. The Hurricanes were formed to represent the lower North Island, including the East Coast, Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua Kapiti, Manawatu, Poverty Bay, Wairarapa-Bush, Wanganui and Wellington unions. They currently play at Westpac Stadium, having previously played at the now-defunct Athletic Park.
Richard Hugh McCaw is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. He captained the national team, the All Blacks, in 110 out of his 148 test matches, and won two Rugby World Cups. He is the most capped test rugby player of all time, and has won the World Rugby player of the year award a joint record three times.
Sir Michael Niko Jones is a New Zealand former rugby union player and coach. He was named by Rugby World magazine as the third best All Black of the 20th century after Colin Meads and Sean Fitzpatrick. John Hart, who first selected him for Auckland, called him "almost the perfect rugby player".
Bradley Carnegie Thorn is a rugby union coach and former rugby league and rugby union player. Born in New Zealand, he represented Australia in rugby league and New Zealand in rugby union in a 22-season career as a player. He is currently the head coach of the Queensland Reds and the head coach of Queensland Country.
Conrad Gerard Smith is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays predominantly at centre. He captained the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, and played for New Zealand from 2004 until 2015. He was a key member of New Zealand's 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup winning teams. Following the 2015 World Cup he retired from international rugby and took up a professional rugby contract in France.
The New Zealand national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Summer Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. The team has been officially known as the All Blacks Sevens since 1 June 2012.
Sir Gordon Frederick Tietjens is head coach of the Samoa rugby sevens team, and a celebrated former coach of the New Zealand men's national team in rugby sevens, the All Blacks Sevens. When the International Rugby Board inducted him into the IRB Hall of Fame in May 2012, it said that "Tietjens' roll of honour is without peer in Sevens, and perhaps in the Game of Rugby as a whole." According to Spiro Zavos, Tietjens is "The greatest of all the Sevens coaches".
Patrick Richard Lam is a rugby union coach and former player, who represented Samoa. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, his usual position as a player was number 8. He is currently head coach of Bristol Bears in England's Premiership Rugby.
Scott Robertson is a New Zealand rugby union coach, former player and professional breakdancer. He grew up in Tauranga and attended Mount Maunganui College in the Bay of Plenty. His position as a player was flanker and he played for Bay of Plenty, Perpignan, Canterbury, the Crusaders and the All Blacks. He was the head coach of the New Zealand U20 rugby union team and the Canterbury ITM Cup Team. In 2016, New Zealand Rugby and the Crusaders announced his appointment as the new Crusaders' head coach from 2017 to 2019, taking over from Todd Blackadder.
Namulauulu Alama Ieremia is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former international player for Western Samoa and New Zealand.
Andrew Keith Hore is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for the All Blacks between 2002 and 2013. His position was hooker. He notably played for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, but also represented the Highlanders and the Crusaders. When available, he played for Taranaki in the ITM Cup, now known as the Mitre 10 Cup. Hore retired from international rugby after playing Ireland during the 2013 All Black Northern Hemisphere tour, with a total of 83 test caps to his name. In 2008 Hore received the Kelvin Tremain Trophy for Rugby player of the year.
Liam Justin Messam is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays in Super Rugby for the Chiefs, for whom he is the most-capped player in history, and for Waikato in the ITM Cup. Messam predominantly plays as a blindside flanker but can fill in at Number 8 as well as openside flanker. After the retirement of then Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina, Messam was named the team's new co-captain from 2012 onwards, alongside Aaron Cruden.
Wayne Ross Smith is a former New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. He had been assistant coach of the All Blacks for 16 years. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in history. Nicknamed "The Professor", Smith is considered the All Blacks tactical genius and has helped engineer two Rugby World Cup triumphs by helping coach them to victory at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He is one of two coaches to win two back-to-back Rugby World Cups. He helped the Chiefs to win the 2012 Super Rugby title and 2013 Super Rugby title.
Mahonri Schwalger is a former Samoan professional rugby union footballer who last played in New Zealand for the Chiefs in the Super Rugby competition and for Counties Manukau in the National Provincial Championship. He captained the Samoan national team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The national rugby union teams of France and New Zealand have been playing each other for over a century; as of 19 October 2015, they have played 56 Test matches against each other. The first encounter, which was also France's first Test, took place in Paris in January 1906 and was won by New Zealand 38–8. It was not until 1954 that France secured their first win over New Zealand (3–0).
Israel Dagg is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. He has also played for the New Zealand Sevens team, and represents Hawkes Bay in the ITM Cup.
Scott X. McLeod is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former second-five eighth and centre. McLeod played 10 tests for the All Blacks from 1996 to 1998, and played domestic rugby for Waikato, Waikato Chiefs, and Toshiba Brave Lupus. McLeod is currently the assistant coach of the All Blacks. He replaced Wayne Smith as defence coach for the All Blacks after their third Bledisloe test against Australia on 22nd of October 2017.
Brodie Allan Retallick is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, who currently represents the All Blacks in international rugby, as well as the Chiefs in Super Rugby, having worked his way there by playing for the Hawke's Bay Magpies in the Mitre 10 Cup. His regular playing position is lock. He was a key member of 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. Retallick was the winner of World Rugby Player of the Year in 2014 and is the award's youngest winner to date.
Brian Evans is a New Zealand rugby union coach, and current head coach of the New Zealand women's national team. He coached the Black Fern's to success in 2010 when they won the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup.
