Rumple Foreskin
The AH Patriarch
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2002
- Posts
- 11,109
The headline caught my eye. After a careful read, however, it appears to be sports related. But since, in addition to Rugby, it has something to do with New Zealand haka and the Welch national anthem, I'm just a bit confused.
Maybe TheEarl, Og, English Lady or some other learned soul from over that neck of the woods can shed light on this All-Black incident.
Rumple Foreskin
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All Blacks hide haka behind closed doors
CARDIFF (AFP) The All Blacks performed their famous haka in their Millennium Stadium dressing room after a row with the Welsh Rugby Union.
The New Zealanders, who beat Wales 45-10, were furious that the WRU had requested the haka be performed in between the national anthems, rather than just before kick-off.
Wales had wanted their own national anthem, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers), to be their official response to the challenge.
But, to the disappointment of the 75,000 crowd, New Zealand decided to put on a private performance of the haka before taking the field.
The decision was greeted by boos from the Welsh supporters, who had not been made aware of the reasons behind it.
But, in a statement, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said the team had acted to protect the tradition of haka that is "integral to New Zealand culture and the All Blacks' heritage."
"The tradition needs to be honoured properly if we're going to do it," added McCaw.
"If the other team wants to mess around, we'll just do the haka in the shed (changing room).
"At the end of the day, haka is about spiritual preparation and we do it for ourselves. Traditionally fans can share the experience too and it's sad that they couldn't see it today."
New Zealand had agreed to the same request from the WRU last year as part of the celebrations marking a centenary of rugby between the two nations.
The WRU issued their own statement explaining they had taken advice from Maori chiefs that it was appropriate to want to respond to the haka.
The statement read: "The WRU have also been advised by a top Maori expert and cultural adviser that the haka is performed to invite a response from the opposing team and were told to stand strong in front of the All Blacks, be defiant, eyeball them and sing in a way that says 'this is us, this is who we are, we're tangata whenua', which means the traditional owners and protectors of the land.
"The WRU informed their New Zealand counterparts of the formal pre-match protocol six weeks ago (October 16). This followed the pre-match protocol from the very first game in 1905 and replicated last year's schedule."
Maybe TheEarl, Og, English Lady or some other learned soul from over that neck of the woods can shed light on this All-Black incident.
Rumple Foreskin
==
All Blacks hide haka behind closed doors
CARDIFF (AFP) The All Blacks performed their famous haka in their Millennium Stadium dressing room after a row with the Welsh Rugby Union.
The New Zealanders, who beat Wales 45-10, were furious that the WRU had requested the haka be performed in between the national anthems, rather than just before kick-off.
Wales had wanted their own national anthem, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers), to be their official response to the challenge.
But, to the disappointment of the 75,000 crowd, New Zealand decided to put on a private performance of the haka before taking the field.
The decision was greeted by boos from the Welsh supporters, who had not been made aware of the reasons behind it.
But, in a statement, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said the team had acted to protect the tradition of haka that is "integral to New Zealand culture and the All Blacks' heritage."
"The tradition needs to be honoured properly if we're going to do it," added McCaw.
"If the other team wants to mess around, we'll just do the haka in the shed (changing room).
"At the end of the day, haka is about spiritual preparation and we do it for ourselves. Traditionally fans can share the experience too and it's sad that they couldn't see it today."
New Zealand had agreed to the same request from the WRU last year as part of the celebrations marking a centenary of rugby between the two nations.
The WRU issued their own statement explaining they had taken advice from Maori chiefs that it was appropriate to want to respond to the haka.
The statement read: "The WRU have also been advised by a top Maori expert and cultural adviser that the haka is performed to invite a response from the opposing team and were told to stand strong in front of the All Blacks, be defiant, eyeball them and sing in a way that says 'this is us, this is who we are, we're tangata whenua', which means the traditional owners and protectors of the land.
"The WRU informed their New Zealand counterparts of the formal pre-match protocol six weeks ago (October 16). This followed the pre-match protocol from the very first game in 1905 and replicated last year's schedule."
