Epic scenes graced AAMI Park before Australia’s clash against New Zealand with the Kiwis’ haka ending with an intense and lengthy staredown of the Kangaroos.
After a passionate rendition of their nation’s war dance, the New Zealand players held their position about ten metres away from the Kangaroos and stared down their opponents for a full minute.
The Kiwis then advanced to be right in front of the Australian players, with Ronaldo Mulitalo getting up into the face of Sharks teammate Nicho Hynes.
“Well the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. Next week they go again, how do they top that?” Andrew Voss said on Fox League.
Cooper Cronk called standing in front of the haka “one of the great moments in world sport”.
“That was super impressive, a couple of big boys staring each other off,” he said.
It was almost looking for someone to blink first. Someone to bourk first.
“That pscyhs me up,” Steve Roach added.
Despite the fiery pre-game theatrics, it was a bit anticlimactic at kick-off as NZ winger Jamayne Isaako put the ball over the dead ball line to give Australia a penalty on halfway.
“It’s almost as if the emotion of the haka is then wiped away with one error,” Voss said.
Discussion about this post