SA Rugby apologises for Haka interference

NEWS: The South African Rugby Union has apologised to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union for a sequence of events that led to the conclusion of the Haka being obscured during Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

The closing moments of the Haka were overlaid by music and fireworks – as well as a flyover by an A380 airliner – as pre-planned scheduling failed to be observed.

After the match, All Blacks flyhalf Damian McKenzie said he disagreed with the Ellis Park crowd’s behaviour during their performance of the traditional pre-match Haka and the decision to do an airplane flyover simultaneously.

The home crowd’s loud chanting also ruffled a few Kiwi feathers, as it drowned out the haka.

“It is the first time I have played here in Johannesburg,” McKenzie told a post-match media briefing.

“I was told it was [going to be] pretty loud.

“You can understand the roars of the crowd, and the music is a little … yeah.

“I probably don’t agree with it as much.”

Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby said it was never the intention to schedule activities that would coincide with the iconic moment of the Test.

“I apologised in person and have written to the NZRFU to formally express our regret and apologies for what occurred,” Oberholzer said.

“It was never the intention to schedule any activities that would coincide with such an iconic moment of any Test match against the All Blacks.

“That it occurred was a result of timekeeping challenges and simple human error.

“In the confusion, the crowd’s excited cheering was mistaken to have marked the conclusion of the Haka by an unsighted sound engineer who restarted the music programme. It was highly regrettable but in no way deliberate.”

Oberholzer said that SA Rugby was distressed by the breach of protocol and the apparent display of lack of respect it may have suggested.

“We hold dear the values and traditions of the game,” said Oberholzer.

“The unfortunate events in no way represent any lack of respect that South African rugby holds for the significance and history of the Haka. We will ensure such errors cannot be repeated.”

The second Test between the teams in the Rugby Championship will be played in Cape Town on Saturday.