England international Ellis Genge said the team would plan and decide on its haka response for Saturday’s Test.
Ellis Genge says England will decide and plan a challenge to the haka after Joe Marler caused a storm by calling for New Zealand’s pre-match ritual to be scrapped ahead of Saturday’s Test.
Marler apologized, saying there was “no ill will” after branding the haka on social media as “stupid” and saying it should be “banned”, but skipper Jamie George was concerned his comments may have “provoked the bear”.
Coaches George and Kevin Shinfield said: sky sports Earlier this week they both “love the haka”. Sinfield even said the current World Rugby rules on responding to the haka were “correct”.
All eyes will be on the Maori war dance at the Allianz Stadium (Twickenham) on Saturday when the All Blacks kick off their Autumn Nations Series and England could add to the spectacle with their response.
“We’ll talk about it later. We’ll have a meeting and find out what the problem is,” said Genge, the Bristol representative.
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New Zealand’s haka was described as ‘nonsense’ by England international Joe Marler this week, after which he apologized.
“We’re not going to start climbing on each other’s shoulders, we’re going to sit there respectfully and watch.
“I’ve only faced it once (in 2022). It’s a huge thing in the history of the game. Most people who aren’t necessarily that interested in rugby still know what the haka is.
“It’s a big part of rugby in general. I know some people are divided about it, but I quite like it. It’s a bit of a challenge. I’m a huge fan of it.
“Isn’t it allowed to go there anyway? I don’t know the ruling on that. It’s a good part of the game and I don’t think we should get rid of it.
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Jamie George, Ben Spencer and Kevin Sinfield reflect on what it means to play against the All Blacks.
“I think you have to be able to respond, but everyone is respectful when you do that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone take Michael, so to speak.
“I quite like the impact it has, but isn’t it challenging? Obviously we want Twickenham to play on their own feet, whether there is a haka or not. I am sure they will have an impact in their own way.”
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Tom Curry, who suffered a hip injury last year, is delighted to be back in England’s squad for the autumn internationals, which begin against New Zealand on Saturday.
England’s George and Sinfield are back with the 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 huge fan of the haka.
“I grew up a huge rugby fan, I loved it growing up and I loved the opportunity to be exposed to it.
“I love the theater it brings and I love the response from the fans. I’m a huge fan.
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England’s George, Sinfield and Spencer said they support the All Blacks’ haka ritual after Mahler commented on social media.
“I think that if (the response) is done respectfully, it adds to the theater and the attractions.
“This is a predetermined task, so it is entirely up to you how you respond, as long as you do it the right way.
“Scary is the wrong word. I love it. There are two ways to think about it: You can be scared, or you can stand up and think, ‘How amazing is this,’ and go back to telling your 7-year-old. “It doesn’t feel like standing in front of 82,000 people facing the haka.”
World Rugby rules limit how close opposing teams can get to each other when facing the Haka, the Maori war dance, and prevent them from crossing the halfway line.
team position
If both teams plan to conduct a cultural challenge, a coin toss determines field position. The winner can move up to the center line, while the opposing team must stay behind their own 10m line.
team separation
If only one team is performing the challenge, the other team may not cross the center line, and the performing team may not cross their own 10m line.
punishment
Teams that violate these rules may be subject to fines. For example, in 2019 England were fined £2,000 for crossing the halfway line during a match against New Zealand’s haka in the Rugby World Cup semi-final. In 2011, France were fined £2,500 for taking on New Zealand while performing the haka before the World Cup final.
England manager Kevin Shinfield told Sky Sports:
“I love the haka. I was lucky enough to play against it as a player and as a coach in the summer.
“I think it’s a great part of rugby and a great part of professional sport, people want to see it and it represents their culture so it will help the game on Saturday a little bit more.
“I am sure it will be a special Haka this weekend. I am sure the support of the Allianz Stadium will come right after the Haka. And it is good for our players to have the experience of facing that, so I give my best to it.
“There are laws in place (about haka reactions) and yes, I don’t think what happened in rugby league is normal. I saw the video last week and I don’t think that’s a typical reaction to the haka.
“I know there have been cases where similar incidents have occurred, but I think we have a great deal of respect as a country and we need to continue to do that.”
England vs New Zealand confirmed team
uk: 15 George Furbank, 14 Emmanuel Fay-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Ellis Genji, 2 Jamie George (c), 3 Will Stewart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl.
shift: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Finn Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford.
All black: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Lieco Ioane, 12 Jody Barrett, 11 Caleb Clark, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Latima; 1 Child Williams, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 4 Scott Barrett, 5 Virgin Mary, 6 Wallace Street, 7 Sam Cane, 8 Ardie Savea.
shift: 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
Check out Skysports.com/rugby-union this November for all the news as England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and France meet the Southern Hemisphere’s heavyweights in the Autumn Nations Series.
