National sport of New Zealand

Latest answer — September 06, 2026

1 Down

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Clue explained

Rugby is recognized as New Zealand’s national sport, especially through the country’s famous All Blacks team. The answer is the name of the sport, not a particular team.

Clue type:
Definition
Rugby players from New Zealand competing in a match.

NYT Mini Crossword

This clue's Sunday, September 06, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Like sashimi and steak tartare
  2. 4Unit of energy symbolized by a "J"
  3. 6Debate back and forth
  4. 7Online source for health diagnoses
  5. 8Yo ___ (Spanish "I am")

Down

  1. 1National sport of New Zealand
  2. 2Graduate, for short
  3. 3Garden intruder
  4. 4Hit 1975 film shot largely on location in Martha's Vineyard
  5. 5Black-and-white cookie

The answer to “National sport of New Zealand” in the New York Times Mini crossword is RUGBY — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on September 6, 2026 at 1-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“National sport of New Zealand” answer

RUGBY (5 letters)

Use the reveal tiles above to uncover the solution one letter at a time if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Prefer the full answer straight away? It's RUGBY.

What does RUGBY mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of RUGBY is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a team game played with an oval ball that may be kicked, carried, and passed from hand to hand. Points are scored by grounding the ball behind the opponents' goal line (thereby scoring a try) or by kicking it between the two posts and over the crossbar of the opponents' goal

When else has “National sport of New Zealand” appeared?

New York Times Mini reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 6, 2026 (most recent) → RUGBY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “National sport of New Zealand”?

The answer is RUGBY, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on September 6, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “National sport of New Zealand”?

5 letters: RUGBY.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Mini crossword on September 6, 2026, at 1-Down.

Can “National sport of New Zealand” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Mini sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of today's NYT Mini answers?

Every clue and answer from that day's puzzle is linked above, and the full grid is on the NYT Mini answers page.

New York Times Mini Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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