‘Officials need the uppercut’ – All Blacks respond to Haka saga after Springboks apology
Jason Ryan has joked that the officials need an 'uppercut' after the Haka was interfered with.
All Blacks forward coach Jason Ryan says that the officials need ‘the uppercut’ after the Haka was interfered with ahead of the clash against the Springboks at Ellis Park.
It was all a bit messy ahead of the clash between South Africa and New Zealand last week as the timing of events ran over time, leading to the All Blacks’ pre-game challenge being interrupted.
Haka at Ellis Park
As is the tradition at Ellis Park, an aeroplane was scheduled to fly over the stadium after the cultural challenge but because of delays caused by dignitaries shaking hands with the players, the anthems and the All Blacks praying before the Haka in a tribute to the passing of the Maori King, the plane flew over during the Haka instead.
Adding to the chaos was the stadium DJ blasting music during the Haka with Springboks fans also cheering and jeering – which is usually the case during Hakas in South Africa – while fireworks were also set off.
On Monday, SA Rugby issued an apology explaining that it was caused by human error and timekeeping challenges.
Springboks apologise for ‘highly regrettable’ All Blacks’ Haka interference
“I apologised in person and have written to the NZRFU to formally express our regret and apologies for what occurred,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.
“It was never the intention to schedule any activities that would coincide with such an iconic moment of any Test match against the All Blacks. That it occurred was a result of timekeeping challenges and simple human error.
“In the confusion, the crowd’s excited cheering was mistaken to have marked the conclusion of the Haka by an unsighted sound engineer who restarted the music programme. It was highly regrettable but in no way deliberate.”
He added: “We hold dear the values and traditions of the game. The unfortunate events in no way represent any lack of respect that South African rugby holds for the significance and history of the Haka. We will ensure such errors cannot be repeated.”
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All Blacks’ react
Following SA Rugby’s apology, All Blacks’ forward coach Ryan and flanker Ethan Blackadder provided their reactions.
Ryan was happy to accept the apology and added that the Springboks players were not at fault and respected the challenge but he did take a jab at the officails.
“We accepted the apology, yeah look in all honesty sometimes get a bit of chaos around that but the South African players themselves stood there and respected it as they always do,” he said.
“It’s probably the officials are the ones that need the uppercut so if they’ve made the apology that’s fine,” he added with a chuckle.
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Meanwhile, Blackadder said that he didn’t even notice the chaos around him as he was in the ‘zone’ having locked his focus into the Springboks.
“Obviously, there’s been talk about the pre-game Haka stuff but we don’t mention it it’s all outside stuff,” he said.
“It’s nice of them to apologise but it’s pretty hard to get the timings right for an aeroplane I’m picking so stuff like that happens.
“Personally, I didn’t notice it, we were all just eyeing up our opponents and I didn’t see it or hear it so just in the zone.”
The events that unfolded at Ellis Park have been hotly debated and critised with even former Springboks captain John Smit weighing in with a post on X, formerly Twitter.
His post read: “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…”
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