The Customer

The All Blacks are one of the most successful sports teams and recognised brands in the world. During the international rugby season the national team of New Zealand plays a series of matches throughout Europe, Australasia and Africa.

The Challenge

Radio communications provide a vital link between All Blacks coaching staff, who are spread between the stands, the sidelines and the changing rooms during a match.

The All Blacks play in stadiums that are filled with up to 100,000 spectators. As stadiums become bigger, and crowds louder, the All Blacks need radios that can filter out unwanted background noise.

In addition, the communications between management could be crucial to the outcome of the match. Coaches may need to call in substitutions to staff working near the sidelines or medical staff could need to relay vital player status updates during matches. Therefore All Blacks management need secure channels to ensure that team tactics are kept secret.

The Solution

Tait provided the All Blacks management with Tait Tough TP9155 APCO P25 portables including DES encryption.
Tait P25 portables are designed with superior voice clarity technology. Even in the loudest environments the TP9155 will filter background noise while providing crystal clear voice communications from user to user.

The digital radios supplied by Tait mean that speech clarity will neither deteriorate within the coverage area, nor will transmission of messages be delayed. Also, with DES encryption the All Blacks have the confidence of communicating while knowing that eavesdroppers won't be able to scan their conversations.

Each member of the All Blacks management team has different needs when it comes to accessories; some stay in one place throughout the match while others need to be able to roam the stadium. Tait provides each of the All Blacks management with an accessory to enhance the radio's communications.

For example, All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson spends much of her time running the sidelines and attending to the players on the field, and so relies on an ear-piece accessory that doesn't interfere with her role.

To further minimise confusion, TP9155s were programmed with talking party identification to ensure each user knows who is speaking at any time.

The Outcome

Tait TP9155s with superior voice clarity, DES encryption and customised accessories enable All Blacks management to spend more time on the game and not on the radios. All Blacks management is able to utilise their radios at home stadiums and when playing in the loudest competitors' stadiums around the world.