October 30th 2024.
During international rugby matches, the New Zealand team is known for performing the Māori dance, the Haka. However, England rugby star Joe Marler has recently expressed his dislike for this tradition, calling for it to be "binned." This has caused quite a stir, especially with the two teams set to face each other in the upcoming Autumn Nations Series clash at Twickenham on Saturday.
Marler's comments have been met with widespread criticism, with many labeling them as "ill-judged." In fact, the 34-year-old prop even faced backlash on social media, resulting in him temporarily deleting his account before quickly returning to clarify that he was only trying to have some fun. "Context is everything," he posted, emphasizing that his intention was to simply spark interest in the highly anticipated rugby fixture. He also added, "Some wild responses. Big love... Also needed to satisfy my narcissism."
Marler had previously stated, "The Haka needs binning. It's ridiculous... It's only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week." This remark was in reference to a recent match where the opposing team, the New Zealand Warriors, responded to the Haka with their own pre-game ritual.
The Haka has been a long-standing tradition for the New Zealand rugby team, dating back to 1888-89 when it was first performed by The Natives, their first representative team, during a tour of Britain and Australia. It is now a customary pre-game ritual for the All Blacks before each international match.
However, Marler's comments have been met with strong disapproval from Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira CEO Helmut Modlik, who has labeled them as ignorant and ill-judged. "For those who don't know about the haka, who might speak ill of those cultural icons, it would be coming from a place of ignorance and would be ill-judged," Modlik told Stuff. "Remember, while it is part of a sporting spectacle, the haka is a cultural taonga, treasure, gifted to NZRU to perform respectfully, which they do now."
This is not the first time Marler has shown disrespect towards the All Blacks. In 2019, he crossed the halfway line while the team was performing the Haka, a breach of Rugby World Cup tournament rules. This resulted in England being fined £2,000 for their "cultural challenges."
Despite the controversy surrounding Marler's comments, it is clear that the Haka holds great cultural significance for the New Zealand team and should be respected as such. As for Marler, he will be looking to let his actions on the field do the talking when England and New Zealand face off on Saturday.
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