More Responses to the All Black Rugby Haka
Best and Worst ways to Face the Famous New Zealand Maori Challenge
Over the years, teams have come up with different strategies to defuse the All Black challenge when they perform the Haka. Some have worked, some have been a disaster, most have ended up with the All Blacks winning.
Munster perform Haka for All Blacks
One of the most famous days in Irish rugby history was when Munster defeated the All Blacks in 1978, so when they got the chance to repeat the feat, thirty years later, it was bound to be something special.
Munster numbered four New Zealanders in their team and they stole a march on the All Blacks. Backed by the rest of the Munster team and the roaring Thomond Park crowd, Rua Tapoke, Lefeimi Mafu, Doug Howlett and Jeremy Manning performed the Haka themselves, laying down the challenge to the All Blacks.
Munster came within minutes of repeating the most famous win in their history, thwarted only by a late try by Kiwi winger Joe Rokocoko.
Newport Ignore Haka
Newport Rugby Club has a proud record against touring sides, having beaten New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. However, when the All Blacks visited East Wales in 1989, Welsh rugby was in the doldrums and Newport were facing a drubbing.
The Newport team decided the best way to handle the Haka was to ignore it. When the All Blacks lined up, the Black and Ambers went into a huddle on their own try line. Seeing an opportunity, Kiwi skipper Buck Shelford moved his team forward to the 22 yard line and performed it there.
The press hailed it as a great piece of captaincy, but when Willie Anderson marched his Irish team forward a few weeks later, it was considered, ‘disrespectful’. A case of having your cake and eating it possibly.
Tongan Kailao Meets Haka Head On
The Maoris aren’t the only team able to lay down a challenge, the Pacific Island nations also have their version, in Fiji they perform the Cibi, The Samoans perform the Manu and Tonga the Kailao.
One of the most famous renditions of the Kailao came during the Rugby World Cup in 2003. As usual, the cameras were focussed on the All Black Haka, but a counter challenge was soon heard as the red shirted Tongans launched into the Kailao. Unlike the Haka, the Kailao advances and before long, the two teams were uncomfortably close. A fantastic start to the match which had the crowd roaring.
Ireland U20 Confront the Haka
When Ireland played the Baby Blacks in the 2009 U20 Rugby World Cup in Japan, they decided to raise the bar a little. The New Zealand U20 side, performing the traditional Kamate Haka found themselves faced with an advancing Irish side, who, despite the referee trying to keep them back finished inches away from the Kiwis, resulting in some pushing and shoving between the sides.
Some considered this as Ireland responding to the challenge, others thought it was disrespectful. Either way, the Irish found themselves wishing they hadn’t riled the Kiwis as they were beaten 17-0.
Haka Performed in the Changing Rooms
2005 saw the centenary of the first game between Wales and New Zealand. The Welsh Rugby Union asked the All Blacks to perform the Haka before the Welsh National anthem, the order in which it had happened in that very first match in 1905. The Kiwis agreed on a one-off basis as it was a special occasion.
When New Zealand returned to Wales in 2006, the WRU tried to insist that the running order was repeated and refused to let the Haka be performed pre-kickoff as was traditional. The New Zealanders told them that they did the Haka before the kick off or not at all. When the Welsh wouldn’t budge, they responded by performed the Haka in the changing rooms.
The Haka Maori challenge performed by All Blacks
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