New Zealand Māori rugby league team

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New Zealand Māori rugby league team is a rugby league representative side made up of New Zealand Māori players. The side represents the New Zealand Māori Rugby League. Like its union counterpart, the rugby league team competes in international competitions. With some controversy, the team participated in the 2000 World Cup as Aotearoa Māori.

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[edit] History

A New Zealand Māori team first toured overseas in 1908 when they visited Australia. This tour was a success, and was followed by another tour to Australia in 1909 and to Great Britain in 1910.

A separate body, the Māori Rugby League Board of Control, was formed in 1934 to administer the game in Māori communities.[1] This governing body was later renamed the Aotearoa Māori Rugby League and in 1992 it was registered as an incorporated society.[1]

The Māori have had a wonderful record of beating international touring teams over the years. In 1983 they visited Britain and a side containing future Kiwis stars like Hugh McGahan, Dean Bell and Clayton Friend proved too strong for the amateur opposition they played. For many years, the Māori have competed in the Pacific Cup alongside other teams with a strong presence of New Zealand-based players—Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands, so they thought it was right they should have the opportunity to follow these teams to the World Cup. The invitation to the Māori to take part in the 2000 World Cup came about as a result of promises made to them by the defunct Super League International Board at the height of the Super League war that tore the game apart in the southern hemisphere.

The Māori team has participated in the Pacific Cup (since 1974), Super League's 1997 Oceania Cup, Papua New Guinea 50th Anniversary (1998), 2000 World Cup, World Sevens Qualification (2003) and Pacific Rim (2004) competitions.[1]

Their most recent match was against Indigenous Dreamtime team on 26 October 2008 before the start of 2008 Rugby League World Cup.[2][3] The Māori team lost 34-26.

[edit] References and External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c (in English) Sport business management in Aotearoa/ New Zealand (2 ed.). Thomson Learning Nelson. 2005. pp. 69. ISBN 0170128962, 9780170128964. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZRD6gMj2XRkC. Retrieved 2009-10-11. 
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ NZ Maori name coaching staff for World Cup curtain raiser

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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