Ambassador’s Shield
The Ambassador's Shield rugby match was the productive outcome of a meeting between a number of New Zealander's playing rugby in the Washington area and the New Zealand Ambassador to the USA, John Wood. The idea behind the match was to promote New Zealand's culture in the Washington area by pitting a team of expatriate Kiwis against a local select side. Following the game the players, officials and supporters congregate at the Embassy for post-game celebration and hospitality.
The inaugural, played in 1997, was watched by a small but enthusiastic rugby-loving crowd of Americans and New Zealanders. Since then, it has grown to well over a thousand spectators. In 2002, the Embassy partnered with the Hyde Leadership Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. to raise funds for the school rugby program.
Today, the annual Ambassador’s Shield rugby match has become a way to raise awareness of a little-played sport in the United States and also provides the athletes at Hyde an avenue to channel their energies as part of their development as students.
Hyde School
The Hyde School Team with the New Zealand Ambassador
In 2002, the Embassy partnered with the Hyde Leadership Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. to benefit its rugby program. Tal Bayer, Hyde School Athletic Director and Rugby Coach, is a strong promoter of rugby in the Washington area and has done a great job in establishing a rugby program for the students at Hyde School. Rugby has not only provided the boys a sporting avenue to channel their energies but also a means for them to develop as students. To learn more about the Hyde School go to www.hydedc.org.
Rugby in New Zealand
Football had been played in various forms in New Zealand, but the first match using rugby rules was played in 1870 in Nelson, between Nelson College and Nelson Football Club. The game spread quickly and in September 1875 the first inter-provincial match took place in Dunedin, between Auckland clubs and Dunedin clubs. In 1879, the first Provincial Unions were formed in Canterbury and Wellington.
In 1892 the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) was formed to administer the game of rugby at the national level. It was a year later that the first side took the field under the NZRFU. Since then, New Zealand has sent teams to every major rugby country and to countries where rugby wasn’t so popular, hosting players from all over the world.
In 1893, the NZRU formally adopted the black jersey as the national playing strip and selected the first NZRU-sanctioned national team, for a tour of Australia. However, the earlier New Zealand team selected to tour New South Wales in 1884 is recognized as a New Zealand team and its players recognized as All Blacks.
In 1905, the All Blacks swept through Britain and Europe surprising many nations with their style of play. Never before had a team from “the colonies” beaten the “home unions” in such a fashion.
The All Blacks have become one of the most successful teams in the world. The Rugby World Cup tournament has been held every four years since 1987. New Zealand has won one World Cup title, but this is hardly an indication of their strength. In 1995, following the Rugby World Cup tournament in South Africa, international rugby turned professional with the IRB’s repeal of all amateurism regulations.