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Watch: American college football player performs All Blacks 'Ka Mate' haka with Dad before game
By Online Editors
LSU defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko lit up social media after performing the All Blacks 'Ka Mate' haka with his dad and brother before his college football match outside the stadium.
His family started a rendition of the haka as he was entering the stadium, so the Hawaiian-native decided to join in.
Fehoko explained to The Advocate what the haka was to US media in a post-game interview.
"The chant comes from the Maori culture.
"Basically what the words mean is that it’s preparing the young man, the soldier, back in the old days the warrior, to go to war. He’s saying either he’s going to live or he’s going to die. I’m going to fight, I’m going to scratch, I’m going to claw for every breath I have and until the last breath I take I’m going to give it all I have. I’m going to fight for what I love.
"You take a lot of pride in it, especially knowing what you’re saying.
When asked about how to perform the haka, Fehoko gave a passionate answer but is sure to rub some Maori the wrong way, saying it 'doesn't matter' how you do it.
"It really doesn’t matter.
"There really isn’t a right or wrong way. I saw (my dad) do it and in our culture, when somebody gifts you with the haka, you usually sit there, you receive it, you accept it.
"But I was about to go play a game. I’m not about to just sit there and let him do it. About to go play Georgia, the No. 2 team in the nation. I’ve got to get fired up somehow. I just dropped my stuff and the switch just flipped for me.
LSU fans surrounding the stadium enjoyed the performance and were hyped up after seeing it.
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Let’s make them both Capt. I think we'd get the best of both of them and it would help alleviate some of the pressures of the role. They'd have to confer over on field decisions which should lead to “ learnings “ for both. They are our two best consistent performers.
Go to commentsForget what was said or how many players said it. TONY BROWN IS THE NEW ATTACK COACH. That’s the only story worth freaking out over. The springboks are going to grow their game an awful lot over the next cycle and it’s not just the 19 disgustingly arrogant Irish players who refused to shake Ebens hand and said “see you in the final if you can cheat your way past France” who will find that out first hand.
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