The All Blacks get their name from the colour of their kit. Almost a hundred years ago a journalist watched them play and wrote that they ran 'as if they were all backs' - meaning all of them ran with the ball like attacking players. The story got passed on as 'all blacks', because of the all-black uniform, and the name stuck.
Rugby is a bit like American football but without the heavy padding. Two teams of fifteen players try to carry an oval ball over the other team's line. You can run with it, kick it, or pass it - but only ever pass it sideways or backwards. It's fast, muddy and full of teamwork.
The haka the All Blacks perform is called Ka Mate. It is a traditional M膩ori chant that was first composed by a chief called Te Rauparaha around 200 years ago. The team stands in a tight group, stamps their feet, slaps their thighs, pokes out their tongues and shouts the words together. It is a way of saying: we are ready.
The haka is not just for sport. In M膩ori tradition, a haka is a powerful way to welcome guests, celebrate a wedding, mark a graduation, or honour someone special. Many New Zealand schools learn haka as part of kapa haka - performing arts groups that practise traditional songs and dances together.