 Contested by the Wallabies and the All Blacks, the Rugby teams of Australia and New Zealand.- The two countries have played Rugby against each other since 1903. The trophy was introduced in the early 1930s.
- The Cup is named after a former Governor-General of New Zealand, Lord Bledisloe, who held the post from 1930-1935.
- Bledisloe offered the Cup to the New Zealand Rugby Union in 1931, after that year’s match between the two countries which New Zealand won 20-13. The physical trophy was on hand for the first match of the 1932 series, won 22-17 by Australia.
- Bledisloe Cup games have been responsible for the two biggest crowds in the history of world Rugby – 109,874 for the “Match of the Century” at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney in 2000, and 107,042 at the same venue the previous year.
- Hong Kong was the first neutral venue for a Bledisloe Cup match , when it hosted the historic encounter in 2008.
- New Zealand has held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003.
- The longest either team has consecutively held the Cup is 28 years for New Zealand (1951-1978) and five years for Australia (1998-2002).
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- New Zealand has won the Bledisloe Cup 36 times to Australia’s 12.
- There have been 117 Bledisloe Cup matches. New Zealand has won 81 , Australia has won 32 , with 4 draws.
- The Cup Weighs 21.6 Kilograms (9kgs Cup and 12.6kgs Base)
- The Cup is silver with a wooden base.
- The Cup is valued at approximately AUD$220,000. The silver in the Cup alone is valued at AUD$126,000. But its real value to rugby followers in both countries is beyond measure.
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