All Blacks v Fiji Stat Attack

New Zealand and Fiji first met in a test at Christchurch during Pool Play at the 1987 Rugby World Cup. They  have since gone on to play each other a total of eight times: New Zealand has yet to lose a test to Fiji.

Those eight tests have been played at seven different grounds: 1987 (Lancaster Park, Christchurch), 1997 and 2005 (North Harbour Stadium, Albany), 2002 (WestpacTrust Stadium, Wellington), 2011 (Carisbrook, Dunedin), 2021 (Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin), 2021 (FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton) and 2024 (Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego).

The All Blacks 47 points are the fewest they have scored in a test against Fiji. Their previous lowest total had been 57 points in their 57-23 win at Dunedin in 2021.

The All Blacks kept Fiji scoreless in the second half, the third time they have done so and 148th occasion in all tests.

Of the three Pacific Island nations the All Blacks have played against, they have now met Fiji more times than against Samoa and Tonga: seven times each.

In 2004, the All Blacks played a test against a Pacific Islands side which was made up of players from each of the three Island nations.

Before the Fiji match, a moment’s silence was held in honour of the passing of Norm Hewitt, a former All Black who between 1993 and 1998 played 23 matches, including nine tests, none of which he lost. The players all wore black arm-bands.

Ardie Savea led the All Black haka for the first time.

Before the haka, the Fijian’s had sent out their challenge, the Cibi, led by their captain.

The English referee Matthew Carley, was in charge of his fifth test involving New Zealand.

The match between New Zealand and Fiji was played at a neutral venue. The previous seven tests had been played in New Zealand. This was the first time the All Blacks had played a test in San Diego although in October 1980 they played an unofficial test against the United States in that city winning 53-6.

The All Blacks have now played five tests in the United States: in 1913 against All America in Berkeley, 2014 against the United States and 2016 against Ireland, both matches at Soldier Field in Chicago, 2021 against the United States at FedEx Field in Maryland, and 2024 against Fiji in San Diego.

San Diego, in California, is the 60th different city in which the All Blacks have played a test match.

The All Blacks record at neutral venues is played 58, won 47 (81.0%), lost 11 and drawn none. Those losses have been against South Africa (four times), Australia and France (twice each), and once against Argentina, England and Ireland.

New Zealand made 11 changes to their starting line-up against Fiji, from the starting XV which played against

England in their previous match. Five changes were made in the backs and six in the forwards.

The All Blacks starting XV had a total of 534 caps between them compared to Fiji’s 241 caps. The All Blacks had one centurion and three others who had played more than 50 tests. Fiji’s most experienced player was  their captain Waisea Nayacalevu, with 39 test appearances.

New Zealand introduced six new test players against Fiji. Only one of them started the match but when Noah Hotham took the field for the injured halfback Cortez Ratima, he became the 900th player to appear in a test for New Zealand. A total of 1,220 have now played for the All Blacks but this total includes 316 who have only played in non-international matches for New Zealand.

The six debutants in order of their new All Black number were Billy Proctor (#1215), Hotham (#1216), George Bell (#1217), Wallace Sititi (#1218), Pasilio Tosi (#1219) and Sam Darry (#1220).

This number of debutants is the most in any test since the All Blacks played Japan at Tokyo in 2018. During that match eight new players were introduced but only two of them remain as current test players: Tyrel Lomax and Dalton Papali’i.

With Ethan Blackadder, Caleb Clarke, Emoni Narawa and Tamaiti Williams all appearing for the first time this season, a total of 34 players have taken the field in the first three matches of 2024. That total includes seven debutants.

Billy Proctor joins his older brother Matthew in becoming an All Black test player and there have now been 28 sets of brothers who have each appeared in at least one test for New Zealand.

During the match the aggregate points total in all All Blacks matches (640) passed the 27,000 mark and now sits on 27,023 points. Of that number, the All Blacks have scored 18,282 points and the opposition combined have scored 8,741 points.

With the All Black win an interesting statistic has been thrown up. Of the 343 matches they have played away from New Zealand they have now won 246 (71.7%) of them and of the 297 matches they have played in New Zealand they have also won 246, at 82.8%.

The overall record for New Zealand in test matches is played 640, won 492 (76.9%), lost 125 and drawn 23.

The All Blacks scored seven tries, the fewest they have scored in a test against Fiji. Previously they had scored 12 in 1987, 11 in 1997 and 2002, 15 in 2015, eight in 2011, nine in each of the two matches played in 2021, and seven in 2024: a total of 82 tries in eight matches whilst conceding just 11.

Caleb Clarke scored his seventh try in his 17th test.

Before he left the field for an HIA Cortez Ratima scored his maiden test try, in his second test and his first start.

Both Billy Proctor and George Bell scored a try on their test debut. Billy’s brother Matthew also scored a try on debut (against Japan at Tokyo in 2018) but they are not the first set of brothers to achieve this feat. Against Italy at Christchurch in 2009, George Whitelock appeared in his only test and scored a try. A year later in the match against Ireland at New Plymouth, brother Sam made his debut and scored two tries. However, both of the Proctors started their match whereas the Whitelocks went on as substitutes. Coincidently, the Proctors

each wore jersey No 13.

Billy Proctor is the 150th All Black to score a try on debut and George Bell is the 151st player. One try has been scored by 123 players, two tries by 21 players, three tries by six players and four tries by one player.

The player who scored a record four tries was Fijian-born Sitiveni Sivivatu, against Fiji at Albany in June 2005.For the record there are eight other players in the current squad, or who will most likely play at some stage during the All Blacks season, who scored at least one try on debut. They are Scott Barrett, Samipeni Finau, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Emoni Narawa, Samisoni Taukei’aho (two), Codie Taylor and Mark Tele’a (2).

Ardie Savea scored his 26th try in his 83rd test: it was his second against Fiji. He is now just one try short of equalling Richie McCaw’s test record for most tries scored (27) by an All Black forward.

Sevu Reece, who was born in Fiji, scored his 17th try in his 26th test. He had also scored three tries against Fiji at Hamilton in 2021.

Ethan de Groot picked up his fourth try in his 25th test appearance.

Damian McKenzie kicked six conversions (from seven attempts) and his 12 points took him to a total of exactly 200, in this his 50th test match. His 200 points are made up from 20 tries, 38 conversions and eight penalties. In his two previous matches against Fiji (both in 2021) McKenzie had not been the designated goal kicker. He is the 16th All Black to score 200 test points and the 68th to play 50 test matches.

After two matches coming off the bench, Beauden Barrett started for the first time this year. It was significant in that it was his 126th test match appearance which made him the most capped All Black back in history. He moved ahead of the previous record holder, halfback Aaron Smith, who between 2012 and 2023 played 125  tests. Smith had made his test debut two matches before Barrett.

For Fiji, the sole point scorer was Vilimoni Botitu whose try was his second in 12 test matches.