Junior All Blacks
The Junior All Blacks were a New Zealand rugby union team.
 | ||
| Union | New Zealand Rugby Union | |
|---|---|---|
| Emblem(s) | Silver fern | |
| Disbanded | 2009 | |
| Most caps | Anthony Tuitavake (13) | |
| Top scorer | Stephen Donald (59) | |
| Most tries | Hosea Gear Anthony Tuitavake (8) | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 Junior All Blacks 23–19 Australia A .svg.png.webp){kind=small} (26 June 2005) | ||
| Largest win | ||
Junior All Blacks 57–8 Fiji  (2 June 2007) | ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
The Junior All Blacks were introduced as the under 23 years old (U23) age grade side in 1958 and played as such until 1980. In 1998 the team played a touring England side as New Zealand A. In 2006, the team was formally reintroduced and repurposed as the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby union team and for all intents and purposes, they were the "New Zealand A" team[1] when they competed in the inaugural Pacific Nations Cup alongside Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga. In 2007 Australia A joined the competition. In 2008, the New Zealand Māori team replaced the Junior All Blacks in the competition. The New Zealand Rugby Union had decided that the New Zealand Māori needed to play more matches at home and that the Junior All Blacks would not be assembled in 2008 for reasons of "player welfare."[2] The Junior All Blacks returned for the 2009 tournament but were disbanded shortly afterwards. No New Zealand team has participated in the Pacific Nations Cup since then.
Results
| Date | Opposition | Score | Result | Notes |
| 2 March 1958 | Japan | 3-34 | Won | |
| 9 March 1958 | Japan | 6-32 | Won | |
| 23 March 1958 | Japan | 3-56 | Won | |
| 3 June 1968 | Japan | 23-19 | Lost | |
| 19 May 1974 | Japan | 31-55 | Won | |
| 30 August 1975 | Romania | 10-10 | Drew | |
| 5 July 1980 | Italy | 13-30 | Won | |
| 13 June 1998 | England | 10-18 | Won | as New Zealand A |
| 3 June 2006 | Fiji | 17-35 | Won | |
| 9 June 2006 | Samoa | 12-56 | Won | |
| 17 June 2006 | Tonga | 10-38 | Won | |
| 24 June 2006 | Japan | 8-38 | Won | |
| 26 May 2007 | Samoa | 10-31 | Won | |
| 2 June 2007 | Fiji | 8-57 | Won | |
| 9 June 2007 | Tonga | 12-39 | Won | |
| 16 June 2007 | Australia A | 0-50 | Won | |
| 23 June 2007 | Japan | 3-51 | Won | |
| 12 June 2009 | Samoa | 16-17 | Won | |
| 18 June 2009 | Fiji | 17-45 | Won | |
| 23 June 2009 | Japan | 21-52 | Won | |
| 2 July 2009 | Tonga | 25-47 | Won |
Home grounds
The Junior All Blacks played their Test matches at a variety of venues throughout New Zealand.
North Harbour Stadium was the venue for the first Junior All Blacks Test match in New Zealand against Samoa in 2006.
Venues of Junior All Black Tests in New Zealand
| Ground | Opponent | First Test | Last Test | Number of Tests | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carisbrook, Dunedin, South Island | Japan | 2006 | 2007 | 2 | 100% |
| North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, North Island | Samoa | 2006 | 2006 | 1 | 100% |
| Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth, North Island | Tonga | 2006 | 2006 | 2 | 100% |
| TOTAL | 5 | 100% | |||
See also
- New Zealand national rugby union team
- New Zealand Māori rugby union team
References
- Junior All Blacks
- "New Zealand Maori to join IRB Pacific Nations Cup". allblacks.com. 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2008.