In sports, few teams have dominated their competition the way the New Zealand All Blacks of rugby union have. Since the introduction of world rugby rankings in 2003, New Zealand has held the No. 1 ranking longer than all other countries combined.
A year ahead of the next Rugby World Cup, the dominance shows no sign of abating, even though New Zealand has a population of under five million and is a fraction of the size of several rivals in the sport. Understanding how New Zealand maintains that dominance requires a look at the grass roots of the game, where generations of young boys have dreamed of pulling on the black jersey.