What factors make New Zealand the most dominant rugby nation in the world?

If there is any international sporting phenomenon which marks the 21st century, it is New Zealand’s extraordinary dominance of rugby. Once upon a time, Brazil ruled the world when it came to soccer, ditto for the United States in basketball. Australia has been the leading light at cricket, on and off, and at women’s netball most of the time.

But none of these comes closer to New Zealand’s increasingly comprehensive sweep of rugby titles across the board. New Zealand teams have won the men’s World Cup, the women’s World Cup, the age group championship and World Sevens tournaments with monotonous regularity. The most remarkable thing is that consistently the standards of New Zealand’s success are rising.

The factor which gives New Zealand rugby an edge is the extraordinary production line of Pacific Island players. Whether they are born in New Zealand or elsewhere in the Pacific doesn’t make a lot of difference. The sense of family within the New Zealand rugby community is a major factor behind the great achievements in the game. New Zealand, more than any other rugby playing country, has exported its expertise all over the world.