The South African Rugby Union has apologised to their New Zealand counterparts for the shambolic haka during the Rugby Championship Test in Johannesburg.
The All Blacks were nearing the end of the famous pre-game challenge when the finish was disrupted by loud music and fireworks and the flyover of an A380 airliner.
New Zealand No.10 Damian McKenzie said he wasn’t a fan of the aircraft flying over during the haka.
“I don’t know when the plane was supposed to fly over. It’s an opportunity for us to connect with back home… we knew the noise was going to be there but it’s out of my control,” he told reporters.
Coach Scott Robertson said the haka was “a pretty iconic tradition in our game”.
“Everyone has their own way of receiving it. We’re prepared for that (the response), it’s not the first time, so they try and take away our advantage they believe we have from the haka. I think it adds to the theatre of it. It’s not going to change, so just embrace it.”
On Monday, SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer released a statement of apology.
“I apologised in person and have written to the NZRFU to formally express our regret and apologies for what occurred,” the statement read.
“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 added 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 Castle Lager Rugby Championship will be played at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
