Normally, when it comes to a Rugby World Cup year, there's no bigger ticket game in New Zealand than the All Blacks, but like Paris, the national team is leading the way in betting on 2023's search engines.
When Google arrived at New Zealand's most popular sports team, even the polarizing Ian Foster era, culminating in a finals appearance, couldn't stop the runaway train.
Google's annual search figures see the biggest growth in 2023. Also, despite the Football Ferns, Silver Ferns, Black Caps, Tall Blacks and many more World Cups, the Warriors topped the list of sports teams searched for by New Zealanders. And all the blacks.
A seismic shift up the NRL ladder has been delivered by NRL coach of the year Andrew Webster, and the resurgence of much-maligned Shaun Johnson, playing behind a power pack led by Addin Fonua-Blake, has captured a large portion of the nation's attention.
The Warriors made the playoffs for the first time since 2018, eventually falling one game short of a third grand final appearance, losing 42–12 to the Brisbane Broncos in the preliminary final.
With Dalin Watten-Jelesniak scoring acrobatic tries, that incredible comeback at Cronulla and records being broken across the park, there was plenty to grab the attention of the sporting public as the club posted win numbers not seen in a decade.
However, normal service resumed at No. 2, trending well enough for the All Blacks to take second place. It was fair enough, written off by almost everyone, that Sam Kane's side, who were saying goodbye to many great players, reached the final and lost by a point against the Springboks despite Kane's 29th-minute red card.
After qualifying for the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup, the Black Caps finished third. There is no doubt that Rachin Ravindra's popularity as the Wellington all-rounder, ranked 8th by Google by 2023, rose to his stature at the Google Kongs.
United States Major League Soccer club Inter Miami rounded out the top five on the New Zealand list. Yes, they signed seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup champion Argentina superstar Lionel Messi in June, but it's a bit of a surprise that they beat local NBA team LA Lakers, Football Ferns and Hollywood-backed Wrexham. Promotion to the National League and the fourth division of English football.
The Chiefs and Breakers finished 8th and 9th, with Premier League side Manchester City completing the top 10.
When it comes to Google search statistics for major New Zealanders, sports stars dominate the top 10 with eight representatives.
Golfer Ryan Fox was the top trending New Zealander on Google in a year in which he claimed the biggest win of his career, the BMW PGA Championship, and achieved his long-held dream of a 2024 PGA Tour card.
Fox defeated UFC megastar Israel Adesanya to claim the top spot.
It's been a big year, with his documentary Stylebender centering on the former middleweight champion, a DUI charge, an explosion-laced trade during a confrontation with Driggs du Plessis, training sessions with Mark Zuckerberg and its controversial celebration, directed by Alex Pereira. son
Sports teams
1 New Zealand Warriors – professional rugby league team-
2 All Blacks
3 black caps
4 Intermiami
5 Lakers
6 Football Ferns
7 Wrexham
8 Leaders
9 breakers
10 Manchester City
Notable Kiwis
1 Ryan Fox
2 Israel Adesanya
3 Liam Lawson
4 Lydia Co
5 Day Henwood
6 Shaun Johnson
7 Rachin Ravindran
8 Simon Barnett
9 Sam Whitelock
10 Michael Boxall
Sports events
1 Rugby World Cup
2 FIFA World Cup
3 NRL ladder
4 Cricket World Cup
5 Warriors vs. Broncos
6 All Blacks Vs Ireland
7 ASP Classic
8 gray
9 All Blacks Vs France
10 Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury
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