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Story: Rugby union

Roadside Stories: the birth of New Zealand rugby

Listen to a Roadside Story about one of the first rugby games in New Zealand, played in Nelson in 1870. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.

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YouTube: Manatu Taonga's channel

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How to cite this page

Ron Palenski, Rugby union – History of rugby, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/39999/roadside-stories-the-birth-of-new-zealand-rugby (accessed 3 June 2026).

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