Maori sevens team goes All Black
New Zealand's sevens and Maori rugby teams have been given the right
to use the country's revered All Blacks name, the New Zealand Rugby
Union (NZRU) said Friday.
The teams, previously known as the New Zealand sevens and New Zealand
Maori, will be officially referred to as the All Blacks sevens and Maori
All Blacks, the NZRU said.
Until now, the All Blacks moniker has been used only by New Zealand's
world champion 15-a-side national team and the Junior All Blacks.
The sevens and Maori teams already wear black jerseys featuring the
national silver fern emblem, so the name change brings them in line with
the existing All Blacks, NZRU chief executive Steve Tew said.
But he conceded that there were also commercial reasons for the
change, saying it would make the sevens and Maori teams more attractive
to sponsors.
"(It) allows us to create more reasons for international companies to
associate with the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby by convincing them
that the brand has real global reach," he said.
But for individuals, Tew said that only players who had been capped
with the senior 15-a-side team would have the right to call themselves
an All Black.
New Zealand adopted the All Blacks title during a tour of Britain in
1905 after previously being known as "Maorilanders" or "Colonials". AFP |