History of rugby union matches between Italy and New Zealand
The All Blacks first played against Italy at the opening game of the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, beating them 70-6 at Eden Park, Auckland. The two teams have played a total of twelve Test matches recognized by both sides as full internationals, with New Zealand winning all of them by an average margin of 51 points. The two sides have been in the same pool in five of the seven Rugby World Cup tournaments to date. The teams are not scheduled to meet in pool play of the 2015 tournament but have a mathematical chance of facing one another in the knock out stages. It is interesting to note that in the 12 meetings between the two sides since their first clash in 1987, no two games have been at the same venue.
Summary
Note: Summary below reflects test results by both teams.
Overall
| Details | Played | Won by Italy |
Won by New Zealand |
Drawn | Italy points | New Zealand points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 161 |
| In Italy | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 51 | 247 |
| Neutral venue | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 278 |
| Overall | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 118 | 686 |
Records
Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was or last set.
| Record | Italy | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Longest winning streak | NA | 12 (22 May 1987–Present) |
| Largest points for | ||
| Home | 19 (25 November 2000) | 70 (22 May 1987) |
| Away | 21 (13 October 1991) | 101 (14 October 1999) |
| Largest winning margin | ||
| Home | NA | 64 (22 May 1987) |
| Away | NA | 98 (14 October 1999) |
Results
XV Results
Below is a match that Italy has awarded test match status by virtue of awarding caps, but New Zealand did not award caps.
| Date | Venue | Score | Victor | Competition | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 November 1979 | Rovigo | 12 – 18 | New Zealand |
1979 New Zealand tour of England, Scotland & Italy | Classed as a full international by Italy only |
