Stars of New Zealand Rugby Trivia Quiz

Number one is worn by the loosehead prop, the player in the front row of the scrum to the left of the hooker. Number three belongs to the tighthead prop, on the hooker's right.

Tony Woodcock played in that position for New Zealand, known as the 'All Blacks', on 118 occasions between 2002 until 2015. During his international career he scored ten tries, including five against close rivals Australia. He regularly tops the list when former players and sports journalists provide their views of the best loosehead to play for New Zealand.

The hooker wears number two, and is the player in the middle of the front row of the scrum, tasked with securing the ball for the team. Often, the hooker is the designated player to throw the ball into lineouts.

Sean Fitzpatrick played for his national side on 92 occasions, starting in 1986 and retiring in 1997. He was appointed captain in 1992 and retained the role until his retirement from international rugby. Fitzpatrick scored fifty-five international points. In his own choices, Fitzpatrick nominated Dane Coles as hooker and research shows opinions divided between the two, but both were excellent players.

Numbers four and five are worn by the two locks in a team, who form the second row in the scrum and are usually the tallest players in the team. They are often the target when the ball is thrown into a lineout. Number four is worn by the loosehead lock, on the left while the tighthead lock wears five.

Colin Meads, from an earlier era, has often been described as New Zealand's best ever player. He was nicknamed 'Pinetree' for his height and presence and represented New Zealand fifty-five times between 1957 and 1971, usually as a lock. He scored seven tries for his country - as tries were worth three points at the time that made his contribution 21 points.

The openside flanker, one of the forwards, wears the number seven. In the scrum, he plays on the side furthest from the touchline while the other flanker, number six, is called the blindside flanker. Gaining and keeping control of the ball is among the requirements of the flanker's role.

Richie McCaw was the first rugby player to reach the milestone of 100 caps for New Zealand and went on to play 148 times between 2001 and 2015. He captained the international team 110 times and helped New Zealand to win two World Cups. McCaw scored 135 points in his international career, all of them coming from tries he scored.

The number eight is the last of the forwards, and is usually seen at the back of the scrum binding on to the two locks in the second row. His role is to control the ball as it travels back through the scrum either to give the scrum half clean possession or to push further towards the opposition's try line.

Zinzan Brooke played internationals for the All Blacks from 1987 until 1997, sometimes as a flanker but is best known as a number eight. He played 58 tests and scored 89 points. These consisted of 17 tries and three drop goals - something of a distinction as drop goals are usually the task of the backs, especially the fly half.

Number nine belongs to the scrum-half, the player who is the primary link between the forwards and the backs. They feed the ball into the scrum and are often, though not always, the player who retrieves the ball before kicking or passing it to gain momentum for the team.

The number nine position for New Zealand was held by Aaron Smith for 125 matches between 2012 and 2023 including in the 2015 World Cup winning team. He also played in 2019 and 2023, neither of which New Zealand won. Smith scored 147 international points from 29 tries and one conversion.

The number ten is the on field general, controlling the game as the primary decision maker. The player is known as the fly-half, outside-half or first five-eighth depending on where in the world they play. Many of the most famous players in rugby history have played in this position.

For the All Blacks, Dan Carter occupied the role from 2003 until 2015, and is generally considered one of the best players of all time at number ten. He won two Rugby World Cups, in 2011 and 2015, and contributed an amazing 1,598 points during his career with New Zealand. Like many fly-halves, Carter was the main kicker for the team, taking penalties and conversions, which (partly) explains his total. The breakdown of his tally, over 112 test matches, is 29 tries, 293 conversions, 281 penalties and 8 drop goals. Carter's total makes him the leading points scorer in international rugby at the time of writing this quiz, in 2026.

The number eleven in a rugby union team plays on the left wing - the position being on the far left of the field. The right wing is numbered fourteen and the two wingers, with the fullback, form the back three of the team. Wingers are often the fastest players on the field.

Possibly the most famous player of all time, Jonah Lomu played for New Zealand from 1994 until 2001, racking up 63 appearances and 185 points. His tally included 37 international tries. Lomu changed the image of wingers needing to be small, wiry and fast, proving that you could be big, strong and still fast. The sight of him swatting English defenders away like flies remains vivid in the minds of many England supporters.

Number twelve is the number won by the inside centre, one of the two backs who play in the mid-field area of the pitch. This centre plays close to the fly-half and helps to direct attacking moves. An inside centre is expected to be adept at kicking the ball or seeing openings for an attack.

Ma'a Nonu played for New Zealand from 2003 until 2015 on 103 occasions, scoring 155 points in the process. He was a member of the New Zealand team which won the Rugby World Cup in both 2011 and 2015 and is widely considered to be one of the best centres of all time. Nonu's points came from thirty-one tries, with no points from kicking.

Number fifteen is the fullback, the last line of defence in the team. He is often the one to deal with high kicks from the opposition and to launch counter-attacks either by kicking the ball back or by passing to other team mates.

Christian Cullen played for New Zealand on fifty-eight occasions from 1996 until 2003 and scored tries regularly. His total of forty-six tries still stands as a record for the number scored by a fullback at the date of this quiz (2026). Cullen also scored a hat-trick of tries on four separate occasions.