Former All Black Craig Dowd claimed that he "cringed" at the sight of New Zealand's haka before the test match with Ireland in Chicago last weekend, and his words quickly gained traction around social media.
Claiming that the act was disrespectful considering the recent death of Ireland legend Anthony Foley, Dowd criticised the decision and paid tribute to the Irish players for their response as they formed a figure 8 to honor Axel.
But this idea has not gone down well back in New Zealand, specifically on ESPN's 'The Breakdown', where the pundits claimed that what Dowd was saying was factually incorrect, and that the Kapa O Pango, the version of the haka used in Chicago, was actually a show of respect as it is usually reserved for very special occasions.
Have a look at what they had to say below:
He refers to the fact that a lot of hakas have weapon actions in them, Kapa O Pango doesn't, simply because it is ceremonial and not a war challenge, so therefore, if you look at that column, the issue that I have is that it's factually incorrect, what he's saying, and he's having a spray at something that is actually, in it's entirety, wrong.
We've found the Derek Lardelli video that was referenced in the clip above, so have a look at the explanation and see for yourself:
Was this a big deal over nothing? Or was Dowd right to criticise the decision to perform a haka?
At the end of the day, it could have been what focused those Irish players who went on to produce an incredible performance, but there was a number of people upset by it, which is where the lack of understanding of the various different type of haka outside of New Zealand can be an issue.
[via RugbyDump.com]
