This four-part series explores New Zealand social history through rugby, from the first rugby club in 1870 to the 1995 World Cup. In this episode commentators muse on the roots of rugby in a settler society, in "a man's country". Rugby's unique connection with Māori, from Tom Ellison and the Natives’ tour to a Te Aute College haka, is explored; as well as the national identity-defining 1905 Originals’ tour, and the relationship between footy and the battlefield. As the Finlay Macdonald-penned narration reflects: “Maybe it's just a game, but it's the game of our lives”.
We feel a warmth of recognition when we watch it far from home, something we were genuinely good at: no cause to cringe. In a land of few festivals it has been a cause to celebrate.– From the Finlay Macdonald-penned the narration
Made with funding from NZ On Air
Original music by Stephen McCurdy
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