How to respond to the haka

[Kenny Powers]

So i was watching the England Vs The Dominating Evil Rugby Empire. I can't help but be impressed with the England supporters singing Swing Low during the Haka.

So why don't we do this with Waltzing Matilda?

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How about True Blue, John Williamson is a bit of rugby fan. It would have the Chairmans approval, he is there in the circle.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

How about True Blue, John Williamson is a bit of rugby fan. It would have the Chairmans approval, he is there in the circle.

The reality is that Few in the stands would know that song, let alone the words. The only song that would ever work at rugby is Waltzing Matilda. Everyone knows it, people would get behind it and it has history with rugby union in Australia.

For some reason, there's some who whinge about it being sung now because it's nothing to do with rugby which I find stupid considering half the NH songs are hymns with nothing to do with rugby either. Quite likely they are from lot who advocate the sit down shut up mentality that has made live games boring here.


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[Dan54]

I think the whinge was it was too staged Melbourne when they used to have someone lead crowd with it, I agree with what you say about it being a song that everyone knows etc, and always though the best Waltz Mat was at Christchurch a few years back when Wallabies were winning a test and Aus supporters just started singing it with no prompting, I remember one of players saying later how good it was to hear it away from home etc.

 

[Joe King]

What's that English soccer team that have someone sing Walk On before the game? It shows that it could work/catch on if you did it that way.

Personally, Eric Bogle's 'Shelter' would be my choice. Love the reference to 'green and gold' and also 'Dreamtime place'. But I don't think others would go for it.

I reckon True Blue could work, or at least worth a try the way 'Walk on' is done.

 

[Dctarget]

this seems pretty effective

 

[BauerNZ]

Right. so - let me get this straight. It MATTERS whether it is done at a Rugby LEAGUE or a Rugby UNION Match??? Don't make me larffff..

In any case - to explain plain english - the comment about it showing what "nonsense" (thanks for quoting) it is - referred to the naked bloke with the conch shell, and the inexplicable people running about on a Rugby (League) pitch with Spears!!! What a complete and utter nonsense! Next thing, you will be telling me that its OK for the Maoris to do the Haka, but not ok for the Aboriginals to get a bunch of 'showmen' on the pitch (which they curiously stand behind I notice) to run about with Spears..!

Sounds alot like that Sense of Entitlement that someone was discussing earlier.

And before you accuse me of being "Silly" agan - I recall the Springboks pulling some similar stunt just a few years ago. was it against Samoa? Tonga? Fiji? - no, they hardly ever play them, Yes! - it was against the All Blacks.

To Quote an Expert, and a Poet: "They can do whatever they like at home but it's a load of shit that Unions let them do it at away games. The ARU should be looking to get every advantage it can, make them do it in the sheds or just ignore them and practice goal kicking ffs"

'ffs' - is olde English for 'For Fuck's Sake'. I think its Celtic.

The IRB imposed the current protocols, not the All Blacks or NZRU. Campo used to quite pointedly ignore the haka and quite frankly, no one cared.

If the IRB or the host unions banned the haka as you're suggesting, it wouldn't make a jot of difference to the All Blacks anyway. Sure there would be some whinging in the public arena here, we have our fair share of loud mouth militants just like everyone else.

But the All Blacks themselves would simply do as they did in Wales several years ago. Fat lot of good that did the Welsh at the time.

You say the ARU should be looking to get every advantage it can get, as if allowing the haka to be performed is some kind of disadvantage? If that's really the case, if the Wallabies are truly put on the back foot by facing the haka, well they shouldn't be out there in the first place.

I always find it interesting that the people who complain about the haka loudest are usually the ones regularly on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The English are the usual culprits, but I remember Gavin Hastings constantly whinging about it in his day.

Hastings had the same view as you apparently do, that the haka gave the All Blacks some kind of advantage. It's no wonder he was regularly spanked with that kind of defeatist attitude.

But the team who complains least, if at all? The Boks.

One of the reasons we respect them so much. They don't bother trying to make excuses, they just get on with trying to belt us. And their record speaks for itself.


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[Pfitzy]

Scottish crowd nailed it on the weekend. Sing at the bastards, then roar.

 

[cyclopath]

The IRB imposed the current protocols, not the All Blacks or NZRU. Campo used to quite pointedly ignore the haka and quite frankly, no one cared.

If the IRB or the host unions banned the haka as you're suggesting, it wouldn't make a jot of difference to the All Blacks anyway. Sure there would be some whinging in the public arena here, we have our fair share of loud mouth militants just like everyone else.

But the All Blacks themselves would simply do as they did in Wales several years ago. Fat lot of good that did the Welsh at the time.

You say the ARU should be looking to get every advantage it can get, as if allowing the haka to be performed is some kind of disadvantage? If that's really the case, if the Wallabies are truly put on the back foot by facing the haka, well they shouldn't be out there in the first place.

I always find it interesting that the people who complain about the haka loudest are usually the ones regularly on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The English are the usual culprits, but I remember Gavin Hastings constantly whinging about it in his day.

Hastings had the same view as you apparently do, that the haka gave the All Blacks some kind of advantage. It's no wonder he was regularly spanked with that kind of defeatist attitude.

But the team who complains least, if at all? The Boks.

One of the reasons we respect them so much. They don't bother trying to make excuses, they just get on with trying to belt us. And their record speaks for itself.


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Thanks, Shag.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Think it may have already been posted somewhere else, but it's perhaps relevant here.

The Braveheart reply

The Haka is a challenge that has been drawn from Maori cultural traditions. Perhaps the challenge should be met with a response that is also steeped in other maori cultural traditions - Could the Whakapohane be a culturally suitable reply to the Haka challenge.

Google confirms that the Whakapohane has been performed many times in New Zealand for visiting British Royalty. No reason why it can not be learned and adopted by NZ's opponents as a suitable and culturally apt response to the Haka.

 

[Runner]

With so many wonderful polynesian players in our team perhaps we could alsodo a haka from them in response?

 

[S120]

Think it may have already been posted somewhere else, but it's perhaps relevant here.

The Braveheart reply

The Haka is a challenge that has been drawn from Maori cultural traditions. Perhaps the challenge should be met with a response that is also steeped in other maori cultural traditions - Could the Whakapohane be a culturally suitable reply to the Haka challenge.

Google confirms that the Whakapohane has been performed many times in New Zealand for visiting British Royalty. No reason why it can not be learned and adopted by NZ's opponents as a suitable and culturally apt response to the Haka.

So other cultures would use a piece of the Maori culture that has no real signficance to them to reply to the Kiwis' haka? Seems pretty unnecessary and ill-advised to me. I can't imagine the New Zealanders would be particularly keen on that either.

It seems like fishing for a reply to the haka is a bit unnecessary. Take it in for what it is and take the challenge up as a team. Have the crowd sing or chant in reply or whatever but you don't have to physically make a show to signify that the challenge has been accepted.

 

[BellyTwoBlues]

I'm a massive fan of the haka. I think it's fantastic sporting theatre. It's a pity Australian Culture doesn't have a tradition that could be used as a haka response. Maybe we should start one.

The best haka responses I've seen are the 2 Sam Scott Young lead in 1992 (I think). The Sydney one where he marched the waallabies towards them and the Brisbane one where he looked dead into the eye of Richard Loe and winked and blew kisses at him. Great theatre again. But also the Welsh at Cardiff a couple of years ago where they stood still for 2 or 3 minutes and then the French in RWC Final 2011.

Keep it going I say.