Black Ferns: Doing haka 'like having super powers'

The haka gives the Black Ferns a boost before the game even starts.

Black Ferns star Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate has opened up about how leading the haka inspires her.

Ngata-Aerengamate, usually joined by wing Renee Wickliffe or halfback Aroha Savage, in leading the haka told the Daily Telegraph in Britain what the haka meant and what it meant to the players.

"We do the haka before we go out to war. It gets us in a hyped sort of mode, ready for war. This haka talks about the Black Ferns of New Zealand getting ready.

"The leader goes through her calls. One lyric is 'Who are these women?' It's to show the opposition who we are. It also talks about the spiritual realm of things, about our land and mountains."

So what does it feel like to lead and perform the haka?

"Like a rumbling in your heart. You get into this zone of extra energy, like you're on the next level.

"For me, it's like I'm getting my second wind before the game has even started. You feel so fired up; it's like you've had some sort of upper that gets you really going. It's an adrenalin rush."

With this high also comes a deeply emotional and spiritual experience for the hooker.

"I remember being up in my room the other day and just tearing up thinking about when I do the haka, my ancestors are spiritually behind me. I could really feel the spiritual side of it and just how wicked it felt. It is like having super powers."

The Aucklander is convinced the haka gives her side a boost before the game even starts.

"Definitely, because we feel that adrenalin rush."