Everything you need to know about moving to NZ

You probably know that Rugby is a very big part of the Kiwi lifestyle. From February to November NZ stops most Saturday nights for The Game which is played at venues in most major centres with live coverage on Sky TV.

New Zealand Rugby as a Spectator Sport

A Kiwi ritual is gathering at pubs and watching the game on the big TVs that a lot of pubs have, and the atmosphere can be brilliant.

One thing that really differentiates Rugby from Football in the UK is how the crowd behaves. Even when arch rivals meet (the archest of rivals are Canterbury and Auckland or and New Zealand team vs. any Australian team) there is a lot of light hearted abuse but the two teams supporters will usually drink a toast to the victors together with violence and aggression completely unheard of. After a game the only thing the Police need to do is direct traffic, so you can enjoy a game in complete safety.

Season tickets are readily available and cost hundreds rather than thousands of dollars - whole families turn up to support their team, especially when there are afternoon games or "Take a Kid to the Footy" promotions with cheap children's tickets, free noise-makers and junk food. Even if (heaven forbid!) you are not that interested in rugby, we urge you to go to a game - it is a great experience. 

Playing Rugby in New Zealand

Kiwis start playing rugby young, with some clubs enrolling children from the age of 4. Youngsters progress through touch then Rippa rugby before moving on to tackle rugby at around 8-9. Fields of muddy kids are a very common site on Saturday mornings in the winter.

Rugby can be quite competitive rather than social from a relatively young age. Most areas have social "touch" rugby leagues in the summer, which are played in the evening with mixed teams of all ages. 

There are three series of games that get played every year; Super 14, NPC (National Provincial Championship) and the All Blacks test series. 

NPC

The National Provincial Championship has three divisions, with the First Division being predominantly professional players with Second and Third Divisions being increasingly amateur, although some professionals do play for Second Division teams.

Super 14

This is essentially a Southern Hemisphere provincial championship between professional teams representing regions in NZ, South Africa and Australia. In NZ the teams are The Highlanders, who hail from the bottom half of the South Island, the Crusaders from the central and north of the South Island, the Hurricanes from Wellington, the Chiefs from the Waikato and the Blues from Auckland.

The two strongest sides are The Blues and The Crusaders, with The Crusaders being the most frequent winners of the Super 14. See Super14.com for more information on the Super 14 competition.

All Blacks

The All Blacks play 2 series every year, the Tri Nations between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand and the Bledisloe Cup against Australia. Winning the Bledisloe Cup is arguably the most important thing for New Zealanders because they are united in their dislike of being beaten by Australia. The All Blacks usually win the Bledisloe Cup, but when they lose it's a good idea not to ask a Kiwi "So, did you enjoy the game on Saturday?" because they may well burst into tears. Or punch you.

To find out more, visit www.allblacks.com. 

Our favourite all-round New Zealand rugby website is Rugby Heaven.