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Bok legend weighs in on haka, sends message to fans ahead of Cape Town
By Ian Cameron
Former Springboks captain John Smit has weighed in on the debate surrounding the haka and the respect afforded to it by South African fans.
The controversy reared its head again during Saturday's Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand in Johannesburg, where the Springboks secured a dramatic 31-27 victory at Emirates Airline Park.
The match itself was a thriller with the Boks trailing by ten points with just ten minutes remaining. Late tries from replacements Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams turned the game in favour of the home team.
The All Blacks managed to score four tries compared to the Springboks' three - but it was the Boks who had the last laugh. The home side only led the match for a total of nine minutes, but they ended up being the minutes that mattered.
Much of the focus of the post-match discussion on social however shifted from the game itself to the pre-match events and specifically the treatment of the haka.
During the haka an aeroplane flyover and loud chanting from the home crowd drowned out the traditional Maori war dance. It's a spectacle that traditionally commands silence and respect from those in attendance and it's ruffled feathers in NZ.
2007 Rugby World Cup winning captain John Smit expressed his disappointment over the handling of the haka at Ellis Park, posting on X: "What a test match, but my only disappointment was the noise made and music being played during the haka. It’s a privilege to watch and hear for player and fan alike; please let’s respect it in Cape Town…"
The vast majority of replies to his post on X were in agreement.
"100% agree, JS. It was a timing error, not planned is the word. But still a very bad look. So much respect between the two teams and nations. There should be an official apology from someone in the event planning team," wrote one fan, while another pointed out: "Couldn’t agree more. Not sure if the Springbok players on the day would agree to that interference of the Haka from management, or whoever [is] responsible. Great post cap".
Not all fans were in agreement with Smit's take on the controversy, however.
One fan wrote: "Our house our rules. They should be glad we allow them a couple of minutes of our time to perform their dance. We have better things to do with our time."
How the Cape Town Stadium crowd react to the haka this coming weekend will now no doubt be a talking point this week.
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Latest Comments
There's no easy fix here. From a geography standpoint, South Africa is kind of on an island alone in the rugby world, much like Argentina.
They don't have enough talent to have a top tier domestic league of their own, and it won't support the union financially. Best case you could hope for would be the five extant franchises (including Cheetahs) and perhaps a team from Namimbia. Gives you a 6 team league, that's not enough. Plus again, it's just not financially sustainable either.
At the same time, it's not really great for them to be involved in either the European or the Pacific rugby set up. That said, as bad as the travel is, at least Europe makes more sense from a time zone perspective. I still think it's the least bad option. Also has done wonders for the URC.
I don't think though, that it makes very much sense to have 4 teams from the URC excluded from European qualification. Not to mention, being able to compete in the Champions Cup was a big draw for the South African clubs anyway.
So yeah, I don't really see a change that makes more sense than the less than ideal situation that already exists.
Go to commentsMoriaty refused to play for wales also he’s injured, France’s is being coy about wales, North in the dark but Sam David and jerad are you joking their not good enough
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