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All Black calls into question Bok fans behaviour and stunt during haka
All Black flyhalf Damian McKenzie said he disagrees with the Ellis Park crowd’s behaviour during their performance of the traditional pre-match haka and the decision to do an aeroplane flyover simultaneously.
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McKenzie was also loudly booed every time he lined up a kick at goal.
Replacements Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams scored late tries as South Africa came back from a 10-point (17-27) deficit, to record a dramatic victory over New Zealand in a Rugby Championship thriller in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The result put the Boks in a prime position in the tournament, if first place – eight points clear of the All Blacks.
However, the pre-match build-up was shrouded in controversy by an aeroplane flyover during the performance of the haka.
The home crowd’s loud chanting also ruffled a few Kiwi feathers, as it drowned out the haka.
“It is the first time I have played here in Johannesburg,” McKenzie told a post-match media briefing.
Rugby Championship
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L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
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BP
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South Africa
3
3
0
0
14
2
New Zealand
3
1
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6
3
Argentina
3
1
2
0
5
4
Australia
3
1
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4
“I was told it was [going to be] pretty loud.
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“You can understand the roars of the crowd, and the music is a little … yeah.
“I probably don’t agree with it as much.”
He said he wasn’t sure if the timing of the flyover was meant to occur at the same time as the haka’s performance.
“It is an opportunity for us to connect with our [people] back home and our ancestors,” he said of the reason for the traditional pre-match war cry.
“We knew the noise was going to be there, but it is out of my control.”
The 29-year-old No.10 described the mood in the All Black camp as “pretty disappointing” after a match they could so easily have won.
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“Late in the [second] half we put ourselves under pressure with our [lack of] discipline,” he said about the late Bok rally – the hosts coming from 10 points down in the wake of an Ofa Tu’ungafasi yellow card.
With the All Blacks struggling late in games – having gone scoreless in the last quarter four games on successions – McKenzie said accuracy is the key to breaking that late-maTCH drought.
“It’s those 50-50 ones [calls] you want to have a crack, but shouldn’t,” he told a post-match media scrums.
“It’s about pushing the boundaries too far.
“Against this South African team, they have great kickers that put the ball in the corner and their set pieces were good.”
With the Freedom Cup – in All Black hands since 2010 – up for grabs, McKenzie said they know what is required of them in Cape Town next Saturday.
“For the majority of the game we were in control and then we just took our foot off the pedal a bit,” the No.10 added.
“We know what is on the line next weekend.”
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Ah hahaha here we go again! Pure entitlement attitude again here... Welcome to an away test match at the home of the world champions my friend! How is the crowd responding with chants any different to a bunch of okes waving their arms, pulling their tongues out, and giving throat slicing gestures? They just getting the response they are provoking anyway!
Have they apologised for injuring Siya? Have they apologised for all the entitlement comments about luck and the referee after the world cup final? Have they apologised for kicking SA teams out of Super Rugby? Next week in fact Cape Town crowd should chant back even louder and the SAAF should bring a few Gripen fighter jets over during the haka to raise the noise levels even higher!
Looking forward to another cracker on Saturday.
They trot out this boring ass topic every season.
RESPOND HOW EVER YOU WANT ITS ALL GOOD.
If any NZer moans tell them to harden up or save the haka for home tests.
And the DJ at Ellis park was probably just some poor rave head who’d just smashed back a line of blow and forgot what he was doing. Honest mistake.
All Blacks fan here… the Haka is a challenge and should be met anyway the opposition ( and their crowd) see it… within reason obviously. Just a shame for the people who would have liked to have heard it.
I don’t think we will see the same happening in CT this weekend, it was a massive occasion following the WC final so the crowd was pumped IMO. Bok players love facing it and give it the respect they feel it deserves, can’t ask for more than that! heres hoping for less refereeing howlers.
Perfect example of Kiwi entitlement. 90% of that crowd don't know anything about your haka or even care about it or about you connecting with your ancestors. They are there to watch rugby. Get over yourselves.
Airplane and music was a timing thing.
Harsh but fair!
Haka well overdone and too precious for words, NZ always whining about respect and need to get over themselves.
The throat slitting gesture in one of the Haka variants is offensive and should be dropped.
Rgds Kiwi Realist
I can see both sides of it. The Haka is definitely part of the heritage of this rivalry, and should be respected. That said I think it should be only done on NZ territory. The crowd at Ellis Park has always been fanatical. But overall they are paying admission, and should have some fun
Agree that the haka should be simple and inoffensive. Not sure why our eighthcastes want to connect with an eighth of their ancestors: where does that leave the Pakeha and the Islanders?
Mckenzie just another losing winja if you can't handle your stupid fukn haka getting drowned out then do it in the changing room you don't do it for the people back home it's always been an intimidating tactic glad you fuckn lost and hope you lose the next one
You'd be fun at parties
I like the haka. I am not sure it's as intimidating as it's made out to be it...
Bok fans range from classy to rude just like any other group of fans...
DMac is a good player but needs to toughen up a bit I think...
If Siya is out, who starts at 6?
This was really bad from SA. The planes have gone over the statium for years without any issues. This year it was done on purpose. Even the DJ started playing music before the haka was done. This is done in bad spirit. And if you can't see it is wrong then you are a part of the problem and there is no point in talking about it to you.
We should do better. I can see now why SA supporters are some of most arrogant and least like supporters out there. And yes, I am a Springbok supporter and have been my entire life. But how we are conducting our selfs at the moment is not good.
Speak for yourself. Dont pretend to speak for all SA supporters. That’s arrogance personified.
South African rugby is a disrespectful scandal
Burner account alert.
#Saru and the Sport Minister need to start a drive to #educate these, low class, so-called fans.
The disrespect, arrogance and entitlement is simply next level.
What they don't realize, is that they don't have any regard for values and traditions, for visiting teams and travelling supporters.
They are an embarrassment, to themselves, and SA, but somehow, they don't know it.
Educational campaigns will probably not be that effective, because #education is not for everyone.
I've seen a pic of a disrespectful and hateful poster in the hands of a 7/8 year old, white child.
Where does he learn that?
Who is teaching him to hate other sporting codes, and ultimately people of colour?
These people, are simply out to disrespect and abuse visiting teams and their supporters.
Spoiling the experience of opposing supporters are all they're interested in.
To the NZ rugby squad and visiting supporters, the majority of South Africans are good and decent people.
We don't deserve the #haka !!
Consider dropping the #haka when playing here.
F#k Sokker?
It’s a joke. A little bit of fun and humour.
Was with you a 100% till you brought race into it. Guess what? You are no better than those you try to call out. Sies man.
You have to be old enough to remember the movie the F*k Sokker thing comes from. Got nothing to do with race.
Were you hatched from an egg?
Ou tannie met n nat broek.
May be its time for all blacks to do haka at home only
Either that, or accept that people around the world do not share the same cultural etiquette.
That would mean all the other nations as well.
If SAF had something like the Haka all the saffy crowd would shut their bloody mouths for it and cheer the hell out after it.
Every other nation would "respect" them. Sadly the saf fans dont eh.
Jy moet wakker word
Personally, I’d like to be able to hear the haka. But I don’t think you can expect the ticket paying home crowd to comply. The main thing is that the stands are full and the people are having a good time.
Yes you can, it is called manners. And if you say you can't expect 1000's of fans to behave then that says all there is to say about bok supporters. If 60 000 fans can be dead silent when they take a kick at goal up north the surely these things in SA can try and behave?
Nothing wrong with the crowd drowning out the Haka, the plane flyover was obviously unfortunate the timing.
No it was not bad timing, they knew what they were doing. Even the DJ started playing music before the haka was over.
I very much doubt that Emirates Airlines exactly timed their flyby to deliberately spite the All Blacks. Seems like unfortunate timing.
Your comment is unfortunate.
I agree - but I'll like the crowd to more quiet - difficult to hear the haka on TV and takes away viewer experience.