Arguably one of the most charismatic sides in world rugby, the All Blacks, the New Zealand rugby team, enjoys a great amount of fan following around the globe. Rugby is New Zealand's national sport so it goes without saying that the game earns the most amounts of respect and All Black fans can be seen passionately supporting their side either at home or away.

If you've ever watched a rugby match involving the All Blacks then you've seen the haka. In case you were wondering, that's the ritual they perform before every international match. The haka is a war dance, which has its roots in the Maori culture of New Zealand. During the haka, players stamp their feet and gesture with theirhands, in unison, stimulating a rhythmic, almost trance-like mood. The passionate, fierce mood clearly suggests what the haka was originally performed for: to express the warriors' strength and ability before battle with the enemy, and with more than a subtle inclusion of verbal abuse. It is rounded off with the players sticking their tongues out aggressively.

The All Blacks boast a formidable record in rugby, having notched up wings against every international team. They contest the annual Tri-Nations Series, with Australia and South Africa, as well as the Bledisloe Cup with the Australia. The All Blacks have won the Tri-Nations seven times in the tournament's eleven-year history.

Their biggest moment on the word stage was winning the inaugural Rugby World Cup held in New Zealand and Australia in 1987. In 1991, they lost in a tense semi-final to arch rivals Wallabies and lost in extra-time four years later, this time to South Africa. In 1999 they finished fourth, in 2003 they were knocked out by Australia in the semis again, and in 2007 they did not progress beyond the quarterfinals; this prompted widespread criticism of the All Blacks in an otherwise average year.

The most famous face in international rugby during the past decade, and arguably the game's biggest superstar, was New Zealand's Jonah Lomu. Tall, muscular, bronzed and fiercely competitive, Lomu was nothing short of a phenomenon at his peak. When just 19, he exploded onto the international scene during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, scoring eight ties and helping the All Blacks reach the final. In a game dominated by one-on-one attack, Lomu was a behemoth who mesmerized fans the world over. The crowds loved him, the stadiums swayed in tumultuous cheer whenever he walked out or led the All Blacks in the haka or bulldozed past a defensive line.

Wilson Whineray, the All Blacks' longest serving captain, played between 1957 and 1965 and was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2007. He was considered by many to have been New Zealand's greatest captain.

The All Blacks do not have an official home stadium and they play their Test matches at a selection of venues across New Zealand. These include Auckland's Eden Park; Westpac Stadium in Wellington, Carisbrook, Dunedin; AMI Stadium, Christchurch; and Hamilton's Waikato Stadium.

The All Blacks are currently ranked just behind world champions South Africa, and were named the 2006 International Rugby Board Team of the Year.