I disagree, Rugby is a very physical sport
they will take eachother down, it's agressive, not two ways about it, it's not for nancyboys, nor do you see barbie girls in the women leagues

The main "social" rules in Rugby are,
what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch
the Ref is right, you don't argue the ref
and then you meet each other in the cantine and have a drink...


Doing a Haka, war dance or not, does not change that
And if you're going to run around in the mud going head to head with BIG lads, you might as well do a friggin war dance.

If you look at soccer, you'll see something else
they don't do a war dance, they walk on the pitch and pretend to be civil
shaking hands and what not... then they will kick eachothers knees out if they think they can get away with it... or pretend to be tackled when they think they can get a penalty
and b1tch and whine to the ref for each intervention, and after the game, each goes his own way...

Rugby's alright, they have no problems like that, despite what you call the poor taste of doing haka's

I think you and I are saying the same thing -- except the part about the Haka. I'd hate to see all that is right with rugby start to go bad because of pre-grame posturing and rituals that may or may not be in the spirit of the game.

No doubt it's physical. No doubt it's better than soccer :)

In Rugby they (all blacks) have been doing the Haka, from back when there was no color tv
so it's not a new thing, nor has it done anything in those 50 years to spoil the spirit...

A hakas OK, it's a bit of a laugh. Good at the start of a Rugby game. Sort of a trademark for the All Blacks. But we get a bit sick of it each time Prince Charles comes to visit.

It origionates from Moari tribes posturing before fighting eachother. The crazed rolling off eyes is to say "I'm so hyped up I can't wait to attack you", the poking out of tougues means "You are going to taste great when I have killed you and I eat you (yes the Moaris were canabiles)." And the slapping of thighs and arm waving depends on which tribe you are from. I'm from the tribe of SWB (skinny white boy) here in NZ.

Please excuse spelling.

And as a professional team with a signature thing I can see that. However, at the amateur level (and in North America, all rugby is bordering on the amateur level) I don't think the same thing can be said. I'd really hate to see minor league hockey teams, for example, embrace Hakkas before a game. That would lead to even more nonsense.

Again, I worry that pre-game posturing may have a negative influence. A hallmark of rugby, in my opinion, is the spirit and collegiality of the players. It is truly remarkable. It could be, though, that the spirit I'm talking about is more prevalent in Canada, where rugby is still a non-traditional sport, without the huge following it enjoys elsewhere in the world. Therefore, players tend to see themselves sharing something in common, rather than being "at war".

Your views may vary -- which is the beauty of an online forum.

Sure the Haka is intimidating for those it's directed at, it's supposed to be. But isn't most sport also about the 'psychological win' as well? I think it's kick--ass. They do it to us Ozzies and we (the spectators) enjoy it. I believe it is in the spirit of the game. It's two tribes going for it, no padding no protection, just balls out muscle and toughness.

The AllBlacks are pussies.

The Maoris, Samoans and Tongans are some of the largest people Ive encountered. Im surprised more havent graviated to US football, trhey would be perfect.

We see the Haka a lot in the South Pacific. But I saw one a few years ago that I will never forget. A NZ soldier on peace keeping in Timor had been killed by guerillas. His battalion sent off the casket on the journey home with a haka. The first three rows were enormous Maoris and Samoans in combat fatigues but stripped to the waist, many covered in Ta Moko, traditional tattooing. It was something else. I wouldnt have liked to have been a Timorese guerilla that week.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...mages/skin.jpg

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<a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/869043/haka_rabbits/">Haka Rabbits - video powered by Metacafe</a>

Yeah, but the other hallmark is five bog blokes pushing three other big blokes up some another big bloke's bum.

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