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Kōrero: Sport and society

Re-enacted rugby game in Nelson

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Re-enacted rugby game in Nelson
It is believed that the first game of football played in New Zealand according to rugby rules was that between Nelson club and Nelson College on 14 May 1870. During the Rugby World Cup in September 2011 a re-enactment of the game was played using the rules then existing, and with players wearing uniforms appropriate to the period. Points were scored, not by tries, but by kicking goals after a touchdown which provided the opportunity to 'try' for a goal.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Jock Phillips

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Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Greg Ryan, Sport and society – Growth, 1860s and 1870s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/39379/re-enacted-rugby-game-in-nelson (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Greg Ryan, i tāngia i te 30 November 2012.