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England loosehead prop Joe Marler had described the Haka as “ridiculous” on Tuesday and suggested it should be “binned” in a since-deleted social-media post.
The touchpaper had been lit, though, and all eyes were on the Maori war dance ahead of kick-off, which started amid a deafening rendition of ‘swing low, sweet chariot’ by the crowd in Twickenham.
England captain George led his team a few steps forward to the halfway line at the start of the pre-match ritual as Steve Borthwick’s men fronted up after days of discussion over the Haka.
“It was something we had spoke about or I had been thinking about for a couple of weeks really,” George explained.
“I spoke with the senior players, I spoke with Steve and it wasn’t a reaction to Joe. I had actually spoken to Joe about the possibility of doing it and he enjoys putting things on social media so that was how that went.
“I was very thankful for Joe for that, I told him that today. But no, look, as ever, in terms of a response to the Haka, we always wanted to do it in a very respectful way.
“I thought the atmosphere was electric. New Zealand advancing as well, I think that just adds to the theatre, adds to the spectacle and I think everyone at the Allianz Stadium today massively enjoyed the atmosphere.”
Marler’s post on X on Tuesday shifted the narrative in the build-up to the Autumn Nations Series opener.
A day after his post, Marler – who had departed the England camp by this point for personal reasons and already been left out of the matchday squad – briefly deleted his X account.
New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson stated Marler could have “articulated himself better” before England captain George conceded pre-match the comments had “prodded the bear”.
Marler did apologise on Thursday night and expressed his gratitude for the “education” received over what the Haka meant to New Zealand culture.
The damage had been done, however, and as England remained tight-lipped over how they would respond to the Haka, it raised the scrutiny on the pre-match All Blacks ritual.
Rugby union regulations prevent opposing teams crossing the halfway line while New Zealand perform the Maori war dance, but England contravened this ahead of a memorable World Cup semi-final victory in 2019.
Despite not being included in the matchday squad, Marler was at Twickenham and engaged in conversation with New Zealand head coach Robertson before it was show time.
It was great and you can certainly feel the atmosphere. It was a special moment
Scott Barrett
New Zealand captain Scott Barrett said: “Yeah, I think the week showed there will be plenty of feeling between the teams in regards to the Haka and we expected a strong challenge, even before the whistle.
“It was great and you can certainly feel the atmosphere. It was a special moment.”
