Tri-Nations Dominance

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Lore & Background

The inaugural Tri Nations Series tournament was in 1996, and was won by New Zealand undefeated. South Africa won their first title in 1998, and Australia their first in 2000. Following the last Tri Nations Series tournament in 2011, New Zealand had won ten championships, with South Africa and Australia on three titles each. The first Rugby Championship was won by New Zealand, who won all six of their matches.

In Their Own Story

The 1996 opening tournament set the tone for a decade of All Black supremacy. The first exchange saw New Zealand defeat Australia by over 40 points, and although they won all four games, later scorelines tightened significantly. The launch was hailed as a huge success, establishing a new era of professional rugby. In 2007, the format shifted to a shortened schedule due to the Rugby World Cup in France, reducing matches to two against each opponent. The championship and Bledisloe Cup came down to a final clash at Eden Park between New Zealand and Australia. The All Blacks emerged as easy winners, lifting both trophies amidst controversy over South Africa fielding a weakened squad during away legs in anticipation of the World Cup. In 2009, the narrative flipped when South Africa claimed the crown with an away victory over New Zealand in Hamilton. Yet, by 2010, New Zealand restored their order, delivering a dominant performance to win every match and secure the trophy early.

Reader's Guide

The competition is administered by SANZAAR, a consortium consisting of four national governing bodies: the South African Rugby Union (SARU), New Zealand Rugby (NZR), Rugby Australia (RA) and the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR). The competition was expanded in 2006 and saw each of the three nations play each other three times, although the 2007 series reverted to a double round-robin to reduce fixture congestion in a World Cup year. In 2012, the competition was extended to include Argentina and renamed the Rugby Championship.

Did You Know?

• The opening tournament of 1996 was dominated by the All Blacks who stormed to victory undefeated.
• In 1998 South Africa won the tournament and Australia finished second; New Zealand finished at the bottom with no wins.
• The 2007 Tri Nations was shortened to a double round-robin (each team played the other twice, for a total of 4 matches per team, down from the usual 6) due to the Rugby World Cup.
• On 5 December 2020, a traditional version of the Australian National Anthem was sung for the first time in the Eora indigenous language, before the match between Argentina and New Zealand.