Legends in black: interesting facts and records from All Blacks history

New Zealand rugby has a history stacked with great stories, and the record books make for lovely reading. Here is a warm walk through some of the most interesting, verified facts about the All Blacks, the Black Ferns and the jersey we all know.

The silver fern and the all-black jersey

The silver fern has been on the New Zealand jersey since the earliest days, with black adopted as the national rugby colour back in the 1890s. As the New Zealand Rugby Museum explains, the plain black jersey with a small silver fern became the template that has endured for well over a century. The fern itself is uniquely a New Zealand plant, which makes it a fitting badge to carry around the world.

The 1905 Originals

The 1905-06 "Originals" were the first New Zealand side to tour the British Isles, France and North America, and they were sensational. Per Wikipedia's tour record, they won 34 of their 35 matches, their only loss a hotly debated 0-3 defeat to Wales at Cardiff Arms Park. That tour is also where the name "All Blacks" first took hold, and the legend of New Zealand rugby was born.

The haka

Before matches the All Blacks perform a haka, and there are two. "Ka Mate" was composed by the Ngati Toa chief Te Rauparaha around 1820 and has been performed by the team since those early tours. In 2005 the side added a second haka, "Kapa o Pango", composed by Derek Lardelli of Ngati Porou and first performed against South Africa at Carisbrook, Dunedin, as Wikipedia records. Both are a proud expression of Maori heritage.

A world-record winning streak

The All Blacks once won 18 consecutive Tier One Tests, a run that started with a win over Australia at Eden Park in August 2015 and stretched to November 2016. As Guinness World Records notes, that mark has since been equalled by England, and it remains one of the sport's proudest benchmarks.

The most-capped legends

Sam Whitelock is the most-capped All Black of all time. As allblacks.com confirmed on his retirement, the lock finished with 153 Test caps, becoming the first All Black to pass 150. He sits ahead of the great captain Richie McCaw on 148, two names that anchor a golden era.

Jonah Lomu changes the game

At the 1995 World Cup a 20-year-old wing announced himself to the planet. Jonah Lomu scored four tries in the semi-final against England, a performance the World Rugby Museum still celebrates as the arrival of rugby's first global superstar.

Buck Shelford's unbeaten run

The great No 8 Sir Wayne "Buck" Shelford never lost a Test as All Blacks captain, leading a period of total domination in the late 1980s marred only by a single drawn Test against Australia, as Rugby World recounts.

The Black Ferns rewrite the records

New Zealand's women have been every bit as dominant. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is the leading try-scorer in Rugby World Cup history, and per rugbyworldcup.com she also holds the record for most tries in a single World Cup match, with eight against Hong Kong in 2017. The Black Ferns lifted back-to-back World Cups in 2017 and 2022, a wonderful chapter in the black jersey's story.

Here's to the next hundred years.