New Zealand national Australian rules football team

New Zealand
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Falcons
Head coachRob Maone
CaptainAndrew Howison
Home stadium
Rankings
CurrentSteady 3rd (as of October 2022[1])
First international
New Zealand New Zealand 63–62 New South Wales New South Wales
(19 August 1908; Melbourne Cricket Ground)
Biggest win
New Zealand New Zealand 229–0 India India
(29 August 2008; Royal Park, Melbourne)
(world record)
Biggest defeat
New Zealand New Zealand 28–75 Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
(19 August 2014; Royal Park, Melbourne)
International Cup
Appearances6 (First in 2002)
Best result1st (2005)

The New Zealand national Australian rules football team (Māori: tīmi whutupaoro Ahitereiria o Aotearoa; nicknamed the Falcons (Māori: Ngā Kāhu); previously the Hawks (Māori: Ngā Kārearea), is the national men's team for the sport of Australian rules football in New Zealand. The International Cup team is selected from strict criteria from the best New Zealand born and developed players, primarily from the clubs of the AFL New Zealand. Test and touring squads are selected using similar criteria to other international football codes, additionally allowing players with a New Zealand born parent to play.

New Zealand first competed internationally in 1888 and participated in the 1908 Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival. Since the 1970s it has regularly toured Australia and more recently, has hosted Australian teams.

New Zealand participated in every Australian Football International Cup, taking out the tournament in 2005 and was runner up in 2008 and 2017. New Zealand also competes annually against the AFL Academy, it has never won against Australia, though came within a goal in 2014.

A national women's team formed in 2015 compete under the name of the New Zealand Kahu.

  1. ^ "World Footy News World Rankings post 2022 European Championships - World Footy News".