New Zealand will now face Ireland on Friday night in what is expected to be one of the biggest clashes of the autumn series, with the home side’s former player now replacing Marler. The 34-year-old said in his apology that he simply believed the opposition should have been allowed to respond to the haka, a view that Gordon D’Arcy agrees with.
“Former England pop singer Joe Marler may have chosen the wrong words to express his views on facing the haka ahead of last week’s game, but I don’t think the feelings he was trying to express were wrong. ” times. “The haka has to be answered in some way or it becomes a one-sided procession.”
The former centre, who won 82 caps for his country and toured with the British and Irish Lions, cited past instances of teams accepting haka challenges without being rude. And he insisted those opportunities were added to the theater for both players and fans.
“Whether it’s England during the 2003 tour, South Africa regularly participating in the Rugby Championship, France in and around the World Cup or, more recently, Ireland, the Haka is being seen as a challenge, as it was intended,” he added. “The aforementioned teams have the ability to rise to the challenge and that tension is felt throughout the stadium and shared by the players and fans facing each other.”
In 2008, then-Wales captain Ryan Jones told his team to go toe-to-toe with New Zealand players as they encroached during the haka. This led to a historic staredown that ultimately forced officials to intervene after both sides turned their backs and refused to take their seats for kickoff.
On Saturday, the England players took a less confrontational stance, slowly invading towards the halfway line and staying there to hold their ground. Throughout the show, fans sang ‘Swing Low’ loudly to drown out the noise.
In his pre-match press conference, Ireland coach Andy Farrell avoided the issue, choosing instead to focus on last year’s Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat to the All Blacks. And he denied his team would be aiming for revenge in Dublin.
“No, that’s not a factor. “That is true,” he said. “We want to constantly compete with the best. Unless that doesn’t motivate you. I mean playing against the All Blacks has always brought an edge to any type of game. His matches are top-level Test matches that everyone wants to be a part of.”
