The IRB have hit France with a ridiculous £10,000 fine for advancing on the New Zealand haka, an idea first coined by Ireland’s Willie Anderson 22 years ago.
In a laudable effort to set down a marker from the off against the All-Blacks yesterday, French captain Thierry Dusautoir led his teammates towards the opposition and stared them down as they performed the haka, a ritual that is beginning to get a little old at this stage.
But Dusautoir had nothing on Willie Anderson, who heroically refused to be intimidated by the haka when captaining Ireland against the All-Blacks at Lansdowne Road in 1989.
As is evident from the footage above, Anderson was positively chomping at the bit prior to kick-off and roaring in the faces of the All-Black players, who were no doubt taken aback by the ramblings of this mad Irishman.
By the end of the haka, Anderson was nose to nose with Wayne Shelford, but he saved the best for last when waving his hands wildly in the air to rouse an already excited Lansdowne Road crowd once it was all over.
While Anderson’s passion was obvious for all to see, it is also noticeable that a couple of players at the end of Ireland’s V formation were digging their heels in a bit in an effort to avoid coming too close to the All-Blacks.
In any case, the cowards at the IRB have decided to fine France for not staying the prescribed distance away from the haka rather than doing away with any rules that protect the precious ritual and save the need to address this sort of nonsense for good.
Can you imagine the reaction if they had tried to impose a fine on Willie Anderson? Now, that we’d love to see.
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