Unpacking the biggest scandals in the All Blacks' history

Succesful but not perfect
Looking at their dark side
Umaga and Mealamu’s ugly spear tackle on Brian O’Driscoll
Nearly broken neck
Thought he was going to die
Not even punished
Refusal to acknowledge what happened
Unsportsmanlike behaviour
Aaron Smith’s toilet tryst
Tipped off by an angry couple
Not a good look
Sent home in disgrace
Umaga’s handbag attack 
A night of heavy drinking
A player left in tears
Money back on the damage
Sevu Reece’s violent attack on girlfriend
Conviction not recorded
Backed by the ABs
'Not one New Zealander...'
You're all good, if you're good enough...
South African Apartheid Tours
Leaving out the best
Taking a stand
An ugly era
Succesful but not perfect

As an institution, the All Blacks are one of the most if not the most successful teams in the history of sports – all sports, that is! But as beloved as they are – especially by New Zealanders – they are not exactly squeaky clean.

 

 

Looking at their dark side

No organisation is perfect and the All Blacks have had their fair share of wrongdoings and scandals over the years. Let’s take a look at some of the All Black's lowest points.

Umaga and Mealamu’s ugly spear tackle on Brian O’Driscoll

One of the worst on-field indiscretions committed by an All Black has to be the spear tackle on Brian O’Driscoll during the Christchurch Lions v All Blacks opening test in the British and Irish side's 2005 tour of New Zealand.

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Nearly broken neck

The infamous incident saw All Blacks captain Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu lift the then-Lions captain and drive him head first into the ground way off the ball, ending his series inside the first minute. O’Drsicoll was stretchered off, having nearly broken his neck but was lucky have escaped with a broken shoulder.

Thought he was going to die

O’Driscoll even told Wales Online later he thought he was about to die as he fell to the ground.

Not even punished

The incident was initially missed by referee Joel Jutge, but was caught on tape and picked apart months after the incident. As such the pair were not punished for the clear violation. Even worse, the footage shows what many sources, such as The Independent, say looks like a clear attempt to hurt O’Driscoll.

Refusal to acknowledge what happened

To add insult to injury, coach Sir Graham Henry and Umage turned up to the press conference after the game and refused to admit anything untoward had happened on the field, as told by rugbypass.com. While Umaga refused on many occasions to appologise for his part in the incidcent.

Unsportsmanlike behaviour

It was an unsportsmanlike act that continues to tarnish the All Blacks in the UK and Ireland to this day.

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Aaron Smith’s toilet tryst

One of the biggest off-field scandals to hit New Zealand rugby has to be Aaron Smith’s dallience with a female companion in a disabled toilet at Christchurch airport, following a test against South Africa in 2016.

Tipped off by an angry couple

The New Zealand Herald broke the story after being tipped off by a husband and wife who had caught the halfback in the act, incensed he was preventing them from usuing the baby changing facilities to pursue his own selfish interests.

Not a good look

It got even worse, as it was revealed the women was not his partner but a casual hook-up for Smith. The text messages between the two where Smith pleaded with her not to tell his girlfriend about the incident that soon emerged were not a good look either, to say the least.

Sent home in disgrace

Within hours of the story emerging, Smith made a tearful apology to his partner Teagan Voykovich for the indiscretion before he was sent home from South Africa, where he had just arrived. He was suspended from the game for one match for his misconduct.

Umaga’s handbag attack 

Again Tana Umaga, and again in Christchurch (what is it with Christchurch?), this incident was widely covered in New Zealand at the time in 2006, but maybe not so much elsewhere.

A night of heavy drinking

The incident occured in the early hours of the morning following a Super 14 clash. Players from the Hurricanes were drinking heavily when the altercation between the former All Black captain Umaga and flanker Chris Masoe occurred.

A player left in tears

The attack saw Umaga hit Masoe in the head with a woman’s handbag with such force it broke the cellphone inside. The attack allegedly left Masoe in tears, the New Zealand Herald reported. 

Money back on the damage
The offending $30 Roxy bag later sold online for $22,000 NZ ($14,000 USD/£11,000 GBP/€13,000 EUR), according to Stuff.
Sevu Reece’s violent attack on girlfriend

In a more disturbing act of violence, winger Sevu Reece was found to have physically assaulted his girlfriend after an argument in their Hamilton home in 2019.

Conviction not recorded

Reece is said to have chased her down on the street before taking her to the ground, leaving her bloodied and bruised. He was granted a discharge without conviction following a domestic violence charge, meaning he plead guilty but a conviction was not recorded as the court felt it would hurt his rugby career, The Sun reported at the time.

Backed by the ABs

The incident gained continued to shock as Reece was still selected to play for the All Blacks, with coach Steve Hansen standing by Reece.

'Not one New Zealander...'

Speaking about the issue to Radio Sport, Hansen said: "I don't think there's one New Zealander that wouldn't have put him in the team."

You're all good, if you're good enough...

It proved that even the most unforgivable things can be brushed over if you’re good enough to play for the All Blacks. 

South African Apartheid Tours

Due to apartheid in South Africa, it was the policy of the New Zealand Rugby Union not to select Māori players for tours to South Africa prior to 1970. The Springboks had a history of refusing to play against Moari men, and the lure of lucrative international tours was too much for to ignore.

Leaving out the best

This meant many of New Zealand’s best rugby players were not considered for these tours, and even after the rule changed in 1970, only a select few would be chosen for the tours in following years. 

Taking a stand

The New Zealand public, however, did not stand for it and mounting public pressure – culminating in intense protests of the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand – saw the All Blacks eventually take a stance against the apartheid regime.

An ugly era

This may say more about South Africa than it does New Zealand – which was, to their credit, the first nation to take a stance against racism in rugby – but it’s still an ugly era of the game for the All Blacks and one that they are keen to forget.

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