The All Blacks perform the Haka prior to the Autumn International match against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in November.
Photographer: David Rogers/Getty Images
A Rugby Legend Tries to Save Fading All Blacks From Mediocrity
Years of financial tumult and humiliating losses are calling into question whether New Zealand’s national team can continue to dominate the sport.
After more than a century of global supremacy, the future of the All Blacks — New Zealand’s most recognizable brand — hangs in the balance. For a rugby-mad country, the decay of its national team is almost too awful to contemplate.
Former All Blacks captain David Kirk took over last year as chairman of New Zealand Rugby, which runs the sport nationwide, to helm its turnaround. Rugby’s central place in the nation’s psyche means Kirk is not just administrating a sport, but stewarding part of the country’s identity.