Liverpool FC Forum

[stmichael]

i know we played sh#te last week but 11 changes?

woodward is really in a no win situation. lose and he'll get absolutely slaughtered. win and he'll still get slaughtered for not picking a similar team last week.

this team has a lot more pace and mobility to it though so we should see a marked improvement.

[84-1106852058]

It is done as a challenge,  and is a big part of New Zealand rugby culture and why not do it ever yagem, it's a great spectacl

Dont wish to rake up the arguement,and I agree it is a spectacle which I personally enjoy here comes the but;Is the Haaka a traditional challenge,or is it used nowadays to try and intimidate opponents.

If it is to intimidate,are opponents expected to just stand there and watch.I ask this out of ignorance and not to have a pop at New Zealand.

[woof woof !]

Is the Haaka a traditional challenge,or is it used nowadays to try and intimidate opponents.

If it is to intimidate,are opponents expected to just stand there and watch.I ask this out of ignorance and not to have a pop at New Zealand.

That is a point All Black supporters seem happy to overlook .It is an intimidating ritual ,why should the opposition and THEIR fans be expected to take it lying down.  When one team did turn their backs on it many All Black fans were upset.Moaning that it was an insult to their tradition .Would they be happier if the English team revived the tradition used by our bowmen in medieval times when prior to start of the fighting just to let the enemy know they had all their  fingers and were capable of firing their bows they would give the enemy the V (fu'ck off) sign . 

Anyway , who give's sh'it , it's only Fu*king rugby . 

[84-1106852058]

What about the other one Woof,calling in air strikes to soften them up.

[woof woof !]

Yeah ,you could fly over in your Fokker Driedekker and drop some roasted Dodo's .
Oh ! hold up , your can't they've already eaten them to extinction .   


( p.s. thats a joke , i know the Dodo was not indigenous to NZ)

[stmichael]

from next season, the irish are going to do the riverdance before every international. if that doesn't put the fear into you as the opposition nothing will.

   

[woof woof !]

the Scots are gonna count their match fee 

[LFC #1]

Perhaps it is used for intimidatory purposes these days but that is not the point of it. The Haka was used as a challenge to another Maori tribe which was expected to be met. I am a bit hazy on the exact details but if the tribe accepted the challenge they had to place some sort of traditional object on the ground to indicate that they accept the challenge.

It is not expected to be taken lying down, it is respectful to face up to it, but to turn your back is a disgrace as Australia found out one day in Wellington about 8 years ago when they turned their backs and were beten by 40 plus points, not a good idea.

Australia no longer feel intimidated by it they claim and nor should England or any other country, it's just a traditional challenge used by the natives in our country, and a big part of NZ rugby culture.

All the Pacific Island nations like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga do their own traditional dance in all their rugby matches, as does New Zealand which has a large number of Pacific Islanders or "Polynesians" living there, and the Maoris are believed to be of similar origins to these pacific islanders, Hawaiian natives often resemble Maoris.

It's just a part of the culture, and with the All Blacks being such a focal point to the culture of the whole of New Zealand, it seems appropriate that they do the Haka IMO.

[Fowler_E7]

i always enjoy the Haka and find it a great pre match entertainment, give me the Haka over the rugby anyday! Seriously though the Haka is obviously an important part of the new zealand culture so i think it should be respected, just like the way you respect a national anthem before a match i think the same should be said of the Haka

[LFC #1]

well said Fowler E7, dead right.

[stmichael]

Clive Woodward (coach of the British Lions rugby team) and Graeme Henry (coach of the New Zealand rugby team) both die and enter the Pearly Gates. God takes Clive on a tour of heaven and ends up at a little two-bedroom bungalow with a faded Lions rugby banner hanging from the front porch. "This is your house, Clive," says God, "You're very lucky. Most people don't get their own houses up here, you know." Clive looks at the house, then turns around and looks at the huge mansion on top of the hill. A massive, multi-storey affair with white marble columns, balconies and attractive gardens, All Black banners line both sides of the footpath and a huge New Zealand flag hangs between the marble columns. "Thanks for the house, God," says Clive, "But let me ask you a question. How come I get this little two-bedroom bungalow and Graeme Henry gets a huge mansion with all those marble columns and things." God looks at him seriously for a moment. "That's not Henry's house," God says. "That's my house."

[LFC #1]

Ain't it the truth.