New Zealand’s first international game was played in 1884 against the Waratahs in New South Wales. They played the Waratahs eight times, winning all the games. Maybe that ticked the Australian colonies off? A lot of things have changed in New Zealand since 1884. New Zealand had been in conflicts with the local Māori tribes since the 1840s right up until the late 1880s. Rugby kicked off for the New Zealanders from very humble beginnings; within small colonies on two isolated islands. It started to get a foothold almost instantly for both Māori and Pākehā. Let’s fast forward to the modern era of New Zealand and its rugby to see where the real trouble could of started.