All Blacks v England: Joe Marler’s haka comments predictable for visit to Twickenham – Editorial

England facing the haka earlier this year. Photo / Photosport

EDITORIAL

As surely as the ball is oval and the field is a rectangle, an Englishman moaning about the haka has become a staple of the international rugby season.

At least there were two interesting things with this year’s whingeing – which was served up by England prop Joe Marler who this week said: “The haka is ridiculous. It needs binning.”

Firstly, current players don’t tend to bag the haka. Occasionally, a former player might pipe up but, generally, anyone who has faced the thing tends to get it. As players, they’ve recognised and accepted the challenge and they’ve been raised in a sporting environment that has a unique and cool space for the haka and other Pasifika war dances.

In the past, haka-bagging has been the preserve of Kiwi-baiting British sportswriters such as Oliver Brown and Stephen Jones. The dutiful typists happily rehash their past seasons’ grumbles as the black jersey approaches Twickenham or Cardiff.

But Marler is unusually outspoken – most active athletes won’t speak out as loudly on issues as he willingly does. And it’s great that he does – athletes in all sporting codes should be encouraged to share their views, even when (like Marler’s in this instance) they’re poorly thought through.

The second – and most interesting – aspect of his comments is the speed with which he retracted them. A professional rugby player in his day job, Marler is a semi-professional provocateur – when he’s no longer playing the game, being outspoken and a wee bit controversial will be his bread and butter.

His hasty withdrawal from a tedious debate suggests a back-end telephone call from teammates and others within English rugby.

Similarly, the people asking Marler to face the haka are most likely his teammates.

The All Blacks aren’t asking England’s players to face the haka respectfully. Do what you want, mate. If you fancy winking at someone, turning your back or practising kicks (as the great David Campese once did), then go for it.

It always seems to be the English who complain the loudest about the haka, their feelings perhaps juiced up by the notion that a game their ruling classes invented could be mastered by South Seas Islanders. For more than a century, dominant rugby teams have brought the haka to London – a proud expression of an indigenous culture playing out to spluttering, cherry-faced Twickenhamites outraged at seeing their game usurped by others.

Their indignation about experiencing the culture of Aotearoa contrasts unsurprisingly with the English presumption that teams visiting Twickenham will stand patiently in line to shake hands with members of their royal family.

All Blacks v England, Sunday 4.10am. Live commentary on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Live match blog at nzherald.co.nz