On their first away trip, they would sink their beers and lose their Jockeys on the Brynderwyns.
Some fought it, others surrendered meekly, and the adventurous sprinted out of the bus undressed and hung their own underpants on the sign.
We never did find out if the cafe owners on the hill wondered where the garments came from.
As a late arrival in Northland, I somehow missed being inducted. Perhaps it was because I was in my late 20s when I got there, one of the more experienced players in the squad and as a part of what professional sports teams now call the "leadership group", no one felt daring enough to try it.
But for young bucks like Kakai, a Solomon Islander at secondary school in Northland, there was no escape.
And it didn't go down well. He fought, he cried, then his underpants made it to the sacred site. After a handy session on the Lion Reds, no one had thought about the cultural differences, and it almost broke the team.
He refused to play a week later. The bus driver, our physio, demanded a team apology and it is one of the few incidents I was involved in as a sportsman that I remain embarrassed about.
That event came to mind this week after the naming of Steve Hansen's first All Black squad, which took the field against Ireland at Eden Park last night.
It featured on the right wing one Zac Guildford, the Hawkes Bay and Crusaders flyer who late last year had one of the most bizarre nights out of any Kiwi sportsman.
As reported in the Herald on Sunday first, he was on holiday in Rarotonga, post the World Cup victory, and went loopy.
He drank until he lost control and wound up, after various altercations, naked, bleeding and angry in a beachfront bar and restaurant.
He then tried to whack a few people before being carted away by police.
He admitted to an alcohol problem, missed three pre-season games and one competition outing for the Crusaders as penance and played in the first game of the All Blacks' season last night.
After being involved in the most weird altercation of an All Black in most of our living memories, he missed exactly ... zero games for the national side. And just one game of any meaning.
Young men in any era do stupid things, especially where booze is involved. But at a time when we have never been more worried about our binge drinking culture, shouldn't sports be sending a better message?
It may have made emotive reading through the week as hacks trotted out the tried and true clichés like "redemption" as Guildford was first named in the team, then fronted the media.
But at home as parents watched with their rugby-playing sons, what message was being sent? What values does the sport hold dear, what do sports administrators and leaders need to do to stop their rising stars repeating Guildford's errors?
A few years back on the Brynderwyns, a silly thing happened. No one was stood down, the mistakes probably kept being repeated.
If he'd been on the bus back then, I'm picking Guildford would have downed his own daks and marched up the hill. He seems the type.
But Paul Kakai, an outstanding talent and a decent bloke, wasn't like that. He deserved better.
So, too, do the children looking up to men like Guildford.
NO MATTER what the result at the French Open this weekend, surely we have confirmed Roger Federer's crowning as the greatest tennis player in history.
When he went past Jimmy Connors' record of 233 singles victories at Grand Slams a week ago, the final barrier was breached.
Statistics alone should never be used to measure greatness.
Federer's 16 Grand Slam titles are the best of any man. But Pete Sampras had 13 when he was all-time leader, and his inability to master the French clay corrupted his claims.
The Swiss has only won in Paris once, so far. But he has broken every barrier possible. Most titles, most wins, mastery on any surface.
We are watching greatness.
