The New All Blacks Haka

[Top_Cat]

Dead against it.

Triple that.

Especially since they'd have to invent one as there's no tribal group to my knowledge who had a war dance of any sort.

 

[Buddhmaster]

If we do an Aboriginal "haka", are the guys alowed to throw spears?

Why do you bother waking up in the morning?

 

[GotSpin]

Connolly needs to worry about the performance on the field, not about some stupid throat slitting act, it doesn't really matter...

Bunch of cry babies

 

[Piper]

Why do they have to change it? What was wrong with the old one? I think they should stick with the old one..

 

[Goughy]

It all seems pretty pointless to me.

Very amateurish and a long way from what proffesional sport should be about. Its about the game and competition not anything else and especially not some 'dance' performed like some cheap tourist stunt.

Whereever I go in the world one of the things that depresses me the most are people dressed in traditional costume by the side of the road charging tourists to have their photo taken with them. This smacks of the same thing. It seems its more about being in front of the cameras and for profile than any serious sporting reason.

 

[age_master]

I must say i was pretty dissapointed with the new Haka, it sjust didn't seem anywhere near as good as the old one.

 

[Smudge]

Beats me, no idea, why break over a 100 years of tradition I would ask Henry if I could.

Ka Mate has become overused, overdramatised and overexposed. Look at the terrible versions of Ka Mate that we've seen from the swimmers, the Tall Blacks and drunken blokes in Picadilly Square. It's not so much a case of tradition, but actually doing something with meaning. Kapa O Pango is a lot more relative to rugby than some chief hiding in a pit.

What I've always wondered is why don't Australia, England, France, South Africa, etc introduce a type of haka to fire themselves up and to counter the All Blacks haka?

Well, what exactly do you propose England and France do? The last thing I want to see is Morris Dancing on the field, while I don't know what kind of message the French would send when they surrendered before the opening whistle went.

Also, why should the opposition players be forced to stand still looking straight at the All Blacks haka?

That's not something the All Blacks demand - it's been brought in by the IRB.

And does anyone remember Norm Hewitt going right up to his opposite number and doing the haka in his face?

Errr, it's not a one way street. Richard ****erill was barking right back at him. It's a shame the IRB has required the teams stand behind the 10-metre lines, or we'd see more of this and a similar situation before the Irish test in 1989 when the Irish stood in a line singing and the teams ended up a couple of feet away from each other.

If I was the Australian captain I would take the players into a huddle and just simply ignore it.

The answer to that? 43-6 at Wellington in 1996...

If we do an Aboriginal "haka", are the guys alowed to throw spears?

Funny you should say that, as one of the complaints of the new haka is the throat-slitting action, and the "message" it could send to others. Interestingly, I haven't heard a peep out of Connolly asking the Fijians to drop the spearing action from their cibi tau. Dare I stir the pot and suggest that's because the Fijians aren't likely to beat Australia any time soon?

Very amateurish and a long way from what proffesional sport should be about. Its about the game and competition not anything else and especially not some 'dance' performed like some cheap tourist stunt.

A haka has been performed by NZ teams since the 1880s, when the Natives (a team almost all of Maori heritage) toured Britain. Whenever there's been any suggestion of it being dropped, it's been the Home Nations who have asked for it to be performed.

If you think it's some "cheap tourist stunt", I'm afraid you simply don't grasp the history of rugby union.

 

[Sir Redman]

Ka Mate has become overused, overdramatised and overexposed. Look at the terrible versions of Ka Mate that we've seen from the swimmers, the Tall Blacks and drunken blokes in Picadilly Square.

Agreed. It was nauseating watching some of the Commonwealth Games coverage, and the way we always seem to shove it in the faces of everyone else watching doesn't make me "proud to be a Kiwi" or anything else like that.

Mind, it still beats that pathetic paragon of bone-headed yobbo-ness that is "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi".

 

[Langeveldt]

What I've always wondered is why don't Australia, England, France, South Africa, etc introduce a type of haka to fire themselves up and to counter the All Blacks haka?

Also, why should the opposition players be forced to stand still looking straight at the All Blacks haka? And does anyone remember Norm Hewitt going right up to his opposite number and doing the haka in his face? If I was the Australian captain I would take the players into a huddle and just simply ignore it.

1) Because it is pointless, I remember a touring team from NZ performing it to us and we just sat there and laughed.. The fact that they stuffed us was down to them being twice the size and better at rugby, not because they performed a weird dance

2) Good point

 

[Linda]

Why do you bother waking up in the morning?

Cant you just climb back into the cardboard box you crawled out of?

 

[Goughy]

A haka has been performed by NZ teams since the 1880s, when the Natives (a team almost all of Maori heritage) toured Britain. Whenever there's been any suggestion of it being dropped, it's been the Home Nations who have asked for it to be performed.

If you think it's some "cheap tourist stunt", I'm afraid you simply don't grasp the history of rugby union.

I have no doubt that my history of Union is poor. However, thats not the point, just because its been done for a long time does not make it relevant. Who cares if its cultural, what has that got to do with sport?

Its all for the cameras and utterly pointless. Where is the line drawn? Do other countries not have right to bring something in totally unrated to dancing. Lets say the English bring out tables and have a cup of tea.

I know it sounds pedantic and you may not believe me, but I see no difference.

Its a pointless exercise that should not be continued.

 

[Langeveldt]

If the Haka was English, wouldn't it have been banned by now for being offensive to our minority communities? Not to mention derogatory to women and speed cameras

 

[Burpey]

Who cares if its cultural, what has that got to do with sport?

They're represting their nation, it just so happens it's in the field of sport. Thus, I'd say it has a fair bit to do with culture.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I have no doubt that my history of Union is poor. However, thats not the point, just because its been done for a long time does not make it relevant. Who cares if its cultural, what has that got to do with sport?

Its all for the cameras and utterly pointless. Where is the line drawn? Do other countries not have right to bring something in totally unrated to dancing. Lets say the English bring out tables and have a cup of tea.

I know it sounds pedantic and you may not believe me, but I see no difference.

Its a pointless exercise that should not be continued.

You could make the same argument for playing of national anthems before games too. The answer is, of course, arguably nothing. To me tho the Haka is about the laying down of a challenge. Union is a physical game and the Haka is about letting the oppo know they're really in for a game.

I've often heard Clausewitz's famous dictum (war is the extension of politics by other means) paraphrased when talking about sport (i.e. sport is warfare by other means) & Union is, to me, the apotheosis of that idea. The haka & its acceptance by the other team is the word made flesh.

 

[GIMH]

If the Haka was English, wouldn't it have been banned by now for being offensive to our minority communities? Not to mention derogatory to women and speed cameras

It doesn't take a lot for something to get banned in PC England

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Personally I'm more worried about the line outs.

 

[33/3from3.3]

I do like the new haka. Not as much as the first one mind.

On the throat slitting gesture department, i was told by a reliable source (Homer:Mmmmmmmmmm reliable sauce) that it's not a throat slitting, it's meant to represent: breath of life, give me strength.

 

[crickhowell]

I do like the new haka. Not as much as the first one mind.

On the throat slitting gesture department, i was told by a reliable source (Homer:Mmmmmmmmmm reliable sauce) that it's not a throat slitting, it's meant to represent: breath of life, give me strength.

Yeah thats pretty much it.

 

[Craig]

It doesn't take a lot for something to get banned in PC England

It's like that here as well.

It's funny how the PC patrol go and ban something because they think it is offensive, yet the people they are protecting don't find it offensive. Anyway I have clearly gone way off topic.





In traditional cricketweb manner

 

[Linda]

They're represting their nation, it just so happens it's in the field of sport. Thus, I'd say it has a fair bit to do with culture.

Add to that, the particular culture were talking about has a lot of influence and involvement on rugby union in NZ, not to mention the country as a whole. If its something theyre all so proud of, who are we to say we dont like it?