Tongan Haka

Rlinksteve · Post by **Rlinksteve** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:08 pm

Does anyone remember Richard Cockerill getting up close to the All Black Haka in the 1999 World Cup?

Was it Sean Fitzpatrick that he went face to face with?

thebearisstilldeano · Post by **thebearisstilldeano** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:31 am

Thanks for the reminder - just cheered me up on a Monday morning.

Jeremy Anderson · Post by **Jeremy Anderson** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:37 am

I think the opposition should be able to do what they like including going to a huddle or even throwing a bit of grass like BOD. Singing during the Haka is a fair reply. No team has the right to get a psychological advantage.

How about England staying a couple of paces back from the half way line then advancing to the half way line to meet them?

Rizzo · Post by **Rizzo** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:18 pm

Rlinksteve wrote:Does anyone remember Richard Cockerill getting up close to the All Black Haka in the 1999 World Cup?

Was it Sean Fitzpatrick that he went face to face with?

It was Norm Hewitt I think

Tiger_in_Birmingham · Post by **Tiger_in_Birmingham** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:33 pm

Rlinksteve wrote:Does anyone remember Richard Cockerill getting up close to the All Black Haka in the 1999 World Cup?

Was it Sean Fitzpatrick that he went face to face with?

Anyone else remember the fuss it caused. The press were scandalised and most of the world was upst but in NZ and the Islands everyone loved Cockerill for facing the challenge and not pretending to do his shoe lace up (at the time this is what everyone did, none if this oposition team standing together and facing as a team)

Spanker · Post by **Spanker** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:01 pm

madoqua wrote:Am I alone in thinking that Hakas are a pain?
I think they look daft and see no reason why the opposing team should obey any 'code' of behaviour during these silly dances.

No - you're not alone - I think all variations of the Haka should be respected, however these days it does seem to be used as a more itimadatory tool than anything else. Remember the All Blacks at Murrayfield? Throat slitting gesture? Not sure that would have gone down too well had one player gestured that to another during the course of a match. Also has anyone seen the footage of the All Blacks before the 1973 Baba's fixture performing the Haka? Today's Haka's are a million miles away from that. Personally if I had been playing for a team that had to face the Haka, I would carry on with my warm up routine as if it wasn't happening. However a substantial lack of natural talent, a good 10 yards of pace, and a taste for anything produced by Everards have ensured that I won't have that opportunity.

Spanker · Post by **Spanker** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:36 am

Rizzo wrote:
Rlinksteve wrote:Does anyone remember Richard Cockerill getting up close to the All Black Haka in the 1999 World Cup?

Was it Sean Fitzpatrick that he went face to face with?
It was Norm Hewitt I think

It was Norm Hewitt. But it was at Old Trafford in '97, when we lost to the All Blacks. The picture of it was on Cockers' autobiography. I was there actually - and it was a great bit of sporting theatre.

England also did a lap of homour afterwards after losing. And were slated for it.

Saxon · Post by **Saxon** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:15 pm

I'm fascinated that anyone would want a part of rugby tradition to be stopped. It is true theatre. I saw a recent interview from a number of former world cup players from across the globe and all of them agreed that it is a memorable event to face a haka, in fact their attitude was: if you can't look at a bunch of guys pulling faces at you, you should probably not be on the pitch in the first place.

dailywaffle · Post by **dailywaffle** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 12:44 pm

Anyone remember Willie Anderson and the Irish marching into the haka?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqlBmszLIN0

Spanker · Post by **Spanker** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:37 pm

Great Clip - Also there is a clip on there of the Haka pre Baba's game in '73, as I mentioned in a previous post. Very funny, as half of the guys do not seem to know what they are doing.

orla - mumha abú! · Post by **orla - mumha abú!** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 7:19 pm

thanks for the link to youtube!!! i have never seen that before, that was deadly!!!!!!! go ireland!

Stu_F · Post by **Stu_F** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 7:26 pm

I think I can see an Tigers Fly Half in the Irish line out, 3rd or 4th nearest to the camera.

I've got an old BBC video of All Blacks tours, some of the earlier hakas are a bit laughable, even makes the 1973 version look quite scary.

Incidentally the 1973 team had an excuse because that BaBas match was the only time they performed it on tour due to that team being a little on the stroppy side!

keef · Post by **keef** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:29 am

i love the haka's!.they are great and a fantastic tradition and spectical!...it would be a crime to loose them!
its also a war challenge as i understand it so it has to be aggressive! and its a challenge that should be taken up and accepted!...England should stand toe to toe with the opposition as cockers did!

fantastic!

muttley75 · Post by **muttley75** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:14 am

Strange isn't it? I remember when Cockers stood up to Hewitt (unfortunately I wasnt there Spanker) and I remember the uproar in the press and the support that the Tigers supporters gave him!

Now, it seems that the whole team stands up to a 'haka' (or whatever the Tongan war dance is called) and they get villified!?! Where's the justice?

I'm all for a challenge to return the gauntlet that has been thrown down and that Irish one was brill (cheers Daily!) I see nothing wrong with it - this has been debated elsewhere on this forum and the word respect is bandied about a lot. Now where's the respect in having them force their culture (in the form of their haka) on me - don't get me wrong I love it. It's just the liberal pc idiots who shy away from offending anyone but their own culture that annoy me! Sorry! Turned that into a tiny bit of a political rant there! Had a bit of a bad day!!

Tigerama · Post by **Tigerama** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 8:42 am

I for one want to stand there with my son and watch him watch the haka for the first time, its how memories are made fcs!

imagine, having to explain to a small lad 'they used to do a war dance, but now they just sing a song' The poor lad would be heartbroken!

keep the haka alive for the sake of the young uns if nothing else!!