Haka: unfair advantage?

JOHN MITCHELL navigates the evolution of the haka and explains the reason for its new formation.

The All Blacks have used an arrow formation for the haka at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which is something I really like. They have created a triangle of leadership, consisting of players who are deemed most worthy or deserving of leading the haka from a cultural perspective.

For instance, veteran hooker Keven Mealamu, who has played 127 Test matches for New Zealand and is greatly respected by the squad, led the Ka Mate version of the haka against Argentina and Namibia.

The All Blacks have their traditional haka, Ka Mate, first performed way back in 1905. However, they have done well to evolve the ritual to keep up with a changing New Zealand society. The Kapa o Pango haka, originally performed in 2005 against the Springboks in a Tri-Nations match in Dunedin, initially included a throat-slitting action, but this was dropped after it caused controversy.

The modern haka is a multi-cultural representation of New Zealand. The country is no longer just made up of Pakeha (a Maori term for New Zealanders of European descent) and Maori, but of people from all around the Pacific islands, including Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands.

Is the haka respected? It is by some rugby nations and not by others, but that doesn’t worry the All Blacks. Former England scrumhalf Matt Dawson, whom I coached at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, has been criticised for his spoof of the haka, called the Hakarena. While I don’t think there was any malice behind it, it was a stupid thing to do because some New Zealanders have taken offence.

Certain people believe the haka affords the All Blacks an unfair advantage, but the same could be said about all the Pacific Island teams, so why aim the argument exclusively at the All Blacks?

The haka has cultural intent and there is a valid reason for performing it. It’s certainly not something a player is introduced to for the first time when he is selected for the All Blacks. He would definitely have performed the iconic war dance earlier in his rugby career, most probably at schoolboy level.

When I played for the All Blacks, on tour in 1993, we as the new players in the group had the haka explained to us and we had to prepare properly in front of the team so that our movements and timing could be checked. I’m sure there were similarities between my first attempt and the classic All Black haka performed in 1973. At that particular time, it was more of a tradition than something done for cultural reasons. It was very uncoordinated compared to the haka we are treated to today.

As a player, performing the haka used to relax me and help get rid of nervous tension. Meanwhile, when I was All Blacks coach, from 2001 until 2003, the haka was important to us as a collective, but it wasn’t a huge focal point. In some ways, I wish we’d been more thoughtful in that area so as to create connectedness to our heritage, much like the current generation of All Blacks are doing now.

I recognize how the haka can prove a positive force for the climate of the team. However, I believe people outside the inner sanctum generally overestimate the amount of time New Zealand players spend on preparing for the haka. The team wouldn’t need to because, as mentioned, every All Black would have experienced a haka in the infancy of his rugby career. So it would be a case of coming into the All Blacks environment and tweaking a couple of elements. New players may also want to know the reasons for doing the haka because they are now more culturally aware.