Skip to main content

Story: Sport and society

British rugby team, 1888

Image
British rugby team, 1888

Tours by overseas rugby teams began in the 1880s. This was the first rugby visit to New Zealand from beyond Australia. The British team won 13 of its 19 matches, drew four and lost two. Such tours increased popular interest in the major sports.

Using this item

New Zealand Rugby Museum

Reference: A485

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Greg Ryan, Sport and society – National sports, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/39382/british-rugby-team-1888 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Greg Ryan, published 30 November 2012.