I’m taking a break from rugby so this will be my last post on that topic until the raw wounds from the All Blacks’ demise in the Rugby World Cup heal. For some time, my friend and New Zealand Edge co-founder, Brian Sweeney, has been advocating a couple of dramatic changes involving the Haka. Brian thinks the All Blacks should do the Haka after a game, and only if they have won. I have the feeling that performing it before the game has become a distraction and might be emotionally de-energizing for the ABs. Going forward, it should be used as a reward to the team rather than an exhortation. The Sevens side, which has had unprecedented success over the last decade, uses the Haka in this way. As a reward and celebration.
Brian goes even one step further. He’d like to see the Haka set aside from every upcoming test and only used if we win the Rugby World Cup in 2011. It would become the ultimate reward for the team. I agree.
What say you?
