Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says the Haka is something South Africa should embrace rather than try to neutralise.
Erasmus said his attitude towards the Haka had changed after Springbok attack coach Tony Brown, a New Zealander, explained to the team what it means to the All Blacks.
“It’s a very emotional thing to have the privilege to face the Haka,” Erasmus said on the eve of the opening Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at Ellis Park.
“And I will even take to WhatsApp or X or whatever to ask the Ellis Park people again to respect it with silence.
“Since Tony told us what the Haka means to the All Blacks, we have a better understanding of it. We have always respected it, but we admire it a little bit more.”
Previous Springbok teams have occasionally sought to defuse the impact of the Haka with tactics such as wearing tracksuit pants and then taking their time removing them after the All Blacks had performed their challenge.
Erasmus made it clear there would be no such gamesmanship from his team.
“You won’t see us doing funny tricks when they do the Haka,” he said. “Years ago, we had this weird opinion about the Haka, that it gave the All Blacks an advantage, and why were they allowed to do it?
“But since Tony explained it to us, we embrace the honour of facing it.
“I faced it as a player. I wish I could stand there again, because I miss it. And the players are looking forward to it.”
Erasmus said the Springboks had come to understand that trying to undermine the Haka misses the point because its primary purpose is not to intimidate the opposition but to strengthen the All Blacks themselves.
“In the past, we always wondered how we could cancel the Haka,” he said. “But since Tony has explained what it is all about, it’s not what it does to us. It’s what it does to them.
“And you can’t nullify what the Haka does to them.”
For that reason, Erasmus said the Springboks would not stage their own response while the All Blacks perform the Haka.
“So we’re not going to go into a huddle or something like that,” he said. “That’s why I ask the media to help convey the message that we’d like the crowd to be quiet because it’s really special facing it.
“And if the crowd really hears it and they see the guys’ faces, it’s wonderful.”
Erasmus believes the Ellis Park crowd will have plenty of opportunity to make its presence felt once the Haka is over.
“After the All Blacks have finished, South Africa can erupt. We can go crazy,” he said. “But if we experience it properly, it’s something very powerful, and it’s something that you’re proud to face.”
The Springbok coach said there was also little point in trying to deprive the All Blacks of the emotional benefit they gain from performing the Haka.
“It is pointless trying to take away what the All Blacks just got out of the Haka – you can’t,” he said. “They do it for themselves. And since Tony explained to us, it doesn’t scare us. We enjoy it.
“And then it’s about who’s kicking off. What’s my role at the kick-off? So, that’s how we handle it.”
