All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson defends haka after Joe Marler jibe ahead of England vs New Zealand
Scott Robertson says words could have been chosen more carefully after Joe Marler claimed the pre-match haka should be scrapped ahead of England's autumn opener against New Zealand on Saturday; Marler: "It's only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply"
Last Updated: 31/10/24 4:31pm
New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson has responded to Joe Marler after the England prop called for the haka to be scrapped.
Ahead of England and the All Blacks' autumn opener on Saturday at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Marler wrote on social media site X on Tuesday that "the haka needs binning. It's ridiculous."
The 34-year-old then added: "It's only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week." Marler then deleted his X account.
- Latest rugby union headlines, highlights and reports
- Stream rugby and more with NOW
- Rugby union: Latest fixtures, results and tables
- Autumn Internationals 2024: All the fixtures and full schedule
The second comment was made in reference to England's rugby league side facing Samoa's Siva Tau war dance and standing defiant on the halfway line, players coming face-to-face once the Samoan team reached them.
The initial message from Marler prompted an inevitable backlash from some.
Hours later, Marler reactivated his X account and posted: "Context is everything. Just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture. Some wild responses. Big Love x."
He added: "Also needed to satisfy my narcissism."
Robertson believes the 34-year-old, who left the England camp on Monday for personal reasons, could have chosen his words more carefully.
"I know Joe. I wonder if he wishes he could have articulated himself better on that," he said at New Zealand's team announcement.
"It's a great tradition of rugby that all Pacific nations do before to honour where they come from. It means a lot to us. The crowd enjoy it."
In rugby union, World Rugby laws state that teams must stay within their own half while the All Blacks are performing the haka.
England were fined by the governing body back in 2019 after they lined up in a 'V' shape during the Rugby World Cup semi-final, with Marler crossing the halfway line.
As a result, the Rugby Football Union were ordered to pay £2,000 for breaching tournament rules "relating to cultural challenges".
In 2007, New Zealand staged their cherished pre-match haka in the dressing room after a dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) over the timing of the traditional war dance.
Wales refused the All Blacks' request for the haka to be performed after the anthems just before kick-off.
At that year's World Cup France got up close and personal in the quarter-final, with the imposing Sebastien Chabal one of those to stare down the New Zealand players.
England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (c), 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford.
All Blacks: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele'a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cordez Ratima; 1 Tamaiti Williams, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 4 Scott Barrett, 5 Tupou Vaa'i, 6 Wallace Sititi, 7 Sam Cane, 8 Ardie Savea.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie
England's George and Sinfield back haka
England skipper Jamie George told Sky Sports
"Joe [Marler] and I don't always agree on everything and we certainly don't agree on this. I'm a massive fan of the haka.
"Growing up a huge rugby fan, I loved it when I was growing up and I've loved the opportunity to face it.
"I love the theatre that it brings, I love the reaction from the fans. I'm a massive fan.
"I think as long as it's [a response] done in a respectful way, that's something that adds to the theatre and spectacle of it all.
"It's a challenge that's been laid down, so how you respond is then up to you as long as you do it in the right way.
"Terrifying is the wrong word. I love it. There are two ways to think of it, you can be terrified or you can stand up tall and think, 'how amazing is this' and take yourself back to telling seven-year-old you that you're stood there facing the haka in front of 82,000 people. There's no feeling like it."
World Rugby rules on Haka responses
World Rugby rules limit how close opposing teams can get to each other when facing the Haka, a Maori war dance, and prevent them from crossing the halfway line.
Team positions
If both teams plan to perform a cultural challenge, a coin toss determines field positions. The winner can move up to the halfway line, while the other team must stay behind their own 10-metre line.
Team separation
If only one team is performing a challenge, the other team can't cross the halfway line, and the performing team can't cross their own 10-metre line.
Penalties
Teams that breach these rules can be fined. For example, in 2019 England were fined £2,000 for crossing the halfway line while facing New Zealand's Haka in the Rugby World Cup semi-final. In 2011, France were fined £2,500 for advancing on New Zealand while they performed the Haka before the World Cup final.
England coach Kevin Sinfield told Sky Sports
"Joe [Marler] left camp earlier this week due to personal reasons. In the unlikely event something is not right with our front row, he is available for us.
"I love the haka. I was fortunate enough to face it as a player, fortunate enough in the summer to face it as a coach.
"I think it's a brilliant part of rugby, a brilliant part of professional sport. I think people like to see it, and it represents their culture so it adds a bit more to the game on Saturday.
"I'm sure it will be a special haka this weekend, I'm sure the support at the Allianz Stadium [Twickenham] will get right behind the haka when it happens and it's great for our players to experience facing it, so I'm all for it.
"There are laws in place and rightly so [regarding Haka responses]. I don't think what happened in rugby league is normal. I did see the clips from last week but I don't think that's a typical response to a haka.
"I know there have been occasions where similar events have happened, but I think we're quite respectful as a nation and should continue to be so."
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
