A November trip to Edinburgh to watch the All Blacks play Scotland might sound like a simple rugby outing. But for a growing number of New Zealanders living overseas, it's something closer to a homecoming.
That's the thread running through a recent NZ Herald Travel piece, in which a Kiwi writer describes her journey from casual indifference — her main takeaway from interviewing lock Jordie Barrett was his fondness for baked beans — to someone booking flights to Scotland for the All Blacks' November test. Her turning point came while living abroad, where she noticed how much the team means to people who have never set foot in New Zealand.
Away from home, the All Blacks stop being just a sports team and become a shorthand for the country itself: work ethic, skill, humility and community, all wrapped in that famous black jersey. The writer recalls a South African supporter at a sports bar loudly dismissing the All Blacks as cheats — proof that even the hostility is a kind of respect. She also notes that many South Africans hold the All Blacks in near-affection, and that telling strangers you're from New Zealand often makes faces light up. The team's reputation does a lot of diplomatic heavy lifting.
That global goodwill explains why Kiwis so happily follow the team across the world. The writer and a group of friends will be among them in Edinburgh this November, wearing merch and cheering loudly over a Guinness. When she told her 16-year-old brother about the plans, he was 'properly jealous' — no small feat for a teenage boy — and declared he'd make the trip himself one day.
For travellers, the story taps into something real: sports tourism is one of the easiest ways to turn a city break into an event. Edinburgh in November offers a packed international test window, a city built for wandering between matches, and pubs where visiting fans are welcomed rather than tolerated. And if you're a Kiwi abroad, the match is more than 80 minutes of rugby — it's a ready-made gathering point for expats and a conversation starter with locals who, more often than not, already know exactly who the All Blacks are.
The wider takeaway for anyone planning a trip around a fixture: the away crowd is part of the experience. Whether it's the haka at Murrayfield or a Springboks test in a crowded bar, following a national team overseas gives you an instant community in a foreign city. The writer's conclusion is simple — the All Blacks are a piece of home that travels with you, and a direct link between New Zealand and the rest of the world.
