Haka Sack

I read an article recently which suggested that the Haka, the pre-match ritual traditional dance performed by the New Zealand rugby squad, had run its course. That in modern rugby union it was an outdated and unnecessary piece of showmanship which no longer bore any relevance. At around 5:10pm on Saturday this suggestion was refuted as New Zealand faced Wales at a packed Millennium Stadium.

The word ‘faced’ is more descriptive in that sentence than it would normally be in reference to a sporting event. The dial on the Welsh crowd had been slowly turned up toward eleven by the presence of Joe Calzaghi, and the sort of pulsating music and pyrotechnics that normally greet an X-Factor winner. As such, they refused to fall quiet for the Haka and the tongue waggling, and the emphasised gesturing were played out to a chorus of “Wales! Wales!” from the surrounding three tiers.

And so as the Haka ended, a piece of glorious sporting theatre played out in a very minimalist fashion. The New Zealanders remained in formation on the half-way line, and ten metres away a line of scarlet shirts looked straight back at them. And so this continued; all the time, the noise in the Millennium building as the two sides simply stood their ground in the face of their opposition.
The referee blows his whistle to get the two sides ready for action and still not a player is moved. The two sides are now embroiled in the kind of staring match that is normally only undertaken by gunslingers at a high noon-shoot-out. Eventually, eventually the referee is able to usher the two teams in position and the game can begin. I normally find the co-commentary of the less than impartial Brian Moore about as tolerable as stubbing my toe on the base of a door, but it is he who I quote when I conclude; "Why would you want to get rid of the Haka when it produces moments of pure theatre like that?"