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Story: Rugby union

All Black support, 2011 Rugby World Cup

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These images show the lengths to which New Zealand fans went to show their support for the All Blacks during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Some painted their faces black and white, while others wore clothes in appropriate colours or planted banners in their paddocks. One Christchurch person recorded the scores of All Black games on their suburban fence, and in Hastings Father Christmas received an All Black uniform.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Photographs by Jock Phillips

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How to cite this page

Ron Palenski, Rugby union – Rules, participation and audience, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/39994/all-black-support-2011-rugby-world-cup (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ron Palenski, published 30 November 2012, updated 1 September 2016.