New Zealand Maori Rugby Union Team



New Zealand Māori is a [|rugby union] team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa orgenealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often selected in the team. These included a few Island players and a couple of African descent. Today all players have their ancestry verified before selection in the team.

Although the rugby union team does not compete in the Rugby World Cup, it competed in the Churchill Cup, which it won in [|2004] and [|2006].