The Evolution of the All Blacks' BMI  By Phoebe Falconer  The
evolution of the All Blacks is clearly seen in changes to the
dreaded body mass index (BMI).  Even though the height of some
players hasn't changed significantly, their BMI (calculated from
the ratio of weight to height) has increased over the past 50
years or so. This is particularly noticeable among the props.
However, the change in height among the backs has increased at a
greater rate than their BMI.  Elaine Rush, professor of
nutrition at AUT University, puts this down to several factors.
Predominantly the rise can be attributed to a change in
ethnicity of representative rugby players, and better knowledge
of nutrition and training methods.  "The demographics of New
Zealand have changed," says Dr Rush. "Statistics collected up
until the mid-1990s did not include many Pacific Island people
or Maori, who in general are not taller but weigh more. And All
Black teams 50 or so years ago contained fewer Polynesians.
"People selected for elite spor