At a press conference, Scott Robertson responded to the controversy launched by the English pillar who declared that he wanted to eliminate this war dance.
“We have to remove the haka, it’s ridiculous”. The pillar of the XV de la Rose, Joe Marler, threw a big stone into the pond on Wednesday. This Thursday, at a press conference before the clash between England and New Zealand on Saturday at Twickenham, the All Blacks coach got involved.
“I know Joe. I wonder if he would have liked to be able to express himself a little better on that”launched Scott Robertson before developing. “The haka for us is a custom. It’s part of who we are, part of our DNA. You can welcome someone with it, it’s for celebration, joy, but also use it as challenge. And we use it that way. It is a great Rugby tradition, as is the case for all Pacific nations. The haka honors. “It means a lot to us as a country.”
There is a lot of meaning behind this and responding to it should be meaningful and respectful.
While World Rugby regulations prohibit the opposing team from crossing the halfway line to challenge this war dance, Scott Robertson felt it was normal. “Obviously, because it’s a question of respect”while judging the response of England players during the 2019 World Cup semi-final as “genial and respectful”.
And regarding public reactions. “The crowd enjoys this moment, don’t they? It’s a special occasion. Some applaud, others fly a plane over (South Africa in September, Editor’s note). Regardless, there’s a lot of meaning behind it and it needs to be meaningful and respectful.” Traditionally at Twickenham, the audience attempts to drown out the warrior song of the haka by singing their anthem “Swing Low”.
Senegal
