The All Blacks have accepted an apology from South Africa following a disruption to their Haka performance caused by fireworks, music, and a jet fly-over before last weekend’s Test match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The final moments of the Haka—a traditional Maori war dance performed by New Zealand before international matches—were affected when the pre-match schedule went off track. The South African Rugby Union acknowledged the mishap and issued an apology to their New Zealand counterparts, which the All Blacks graciously accepted.
Speaking to New Zealand media in Cape Town, All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan said the team did not view the noisy interruption as disrespectful. “In all honesty, you sometimes get a bit of chaos around the Haka,” Ryan said. He added, jokingly, that “it’s probably the officials who need the uppercut,” before noting, “They’ve made the apology, and it’s fine.”
The disruption did not detract from the intensity of the match, as South Africa came from behind to secure a 31-27 victory, solidifying their lead in the Rugby Championship with an eight-point advantage over the second-placed All Blacks.
The Haka, a symbol of New Zealand’s rugby tradition dating back to 1905, is typically performed after the national anthems and just before kick-off. Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, explained that the disruption resulted from timing errors, as a sound engineer mistook the crowd’s cheers for the end of the Haka and resumed the music programme prematurely.
Oberholzer clarified, “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.” He attributed the issue to “timekeeping challenges and simple human error” and assured that such mistakes would not occur when the teams meet again in Cape Town on Saturday.
All Blacks loose forward Ethan Blackadder also appreciated South Africa’s apology, acknowledging that timing events like a jet fly-over can be tricky. He added that the team remained focused during the Haka, saying, “Personally, I didn’t notice it. We were all just eyeing up our opponents.”