Welsh sevens players enjoy unique Rotorua experience

Welsh rugby sevens players have watched many a New Zealand sports team perform the haka, but yesterday in Rotorua they were given the opportunity to have a go themselves.

Ahead of this weekend's New Zealand Sevens tournament in Hamilton, the team got off the practice pitch and travelled to Rotorua for some sightseeing.

They were given a tour of Maori arts and crafts institute Te Puia and enjoyed a full Maori cultural performance. At the end of the performance the players, along with members of the public, were invited on stage to learn the haka which, after looking slightly nervous at first, they did with great enthusiasm - pukanas and all.

Captain Luke Treharne said he and the rest of the squad felt privileged to receive such an insight into Maori culture.

"It's been amazing, the whole performance they put on and the welcome and going up on stage. They told us we'd be doing that so we've been looking forward to it for the last couple of days. To be fair they walked us through it really well.

Wales sevens captain Luke Treharne and his teammates made the most of being invited on stage at Rotorua's Te Puia to learn the haka. Photo / Stephen Parker

"A few of the boys have [faced a haka on the sports field], but I personally haven't. In sevens we only really see it if the Kiwis win the tournament, so we never actually have it done in your face - that was quite something," Treharne said.

He said Rotorua and New Zealand as a whole were "amazing".

"Obviously the first thing you notice [in Rotorua] is the smell, but I think we've just gotten used to that. I really like it, I like how they promote the Maori culture which is something all us Welsh boys are really interested in and intrigued by."

The Welsh team were looking to bounce back from a disappointing Sydney Sevens tournament, during which they let themselves down with "silly errors" and were knocked out by France in the Cup quarter-finals.

"I think being in New Zealand and getting stuck into the culture is only going to help this weekend. We had a pretty rough first day in Sydney last week so we've tried to make a few changes to stop those mistakes, but as you can see the boys are all in high spirits and have heaps of energy."

The team had lunch at the Skyline adventure centre and tested their speed on the luge before heading back to Hamilton to prepare for the tournament, which starts on Saturday.