Wallabies captain James Slipper has defended his team’s response to the All Blacks haka in Melbourne, saying the players forming a boomerang shape is a recognition of Australia’s first nation.
The build-up to Saturday’s Rugby Championship test at Eden Park took a dramatic turn on Thursday when Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said Rieko Ioane got off on Folau Fainga’a around disrespecting the haka after the last attempt at Marvel Stadium that took a 39-37 win in New Zealand.
However, All Blacks skipper Sam Whitelock clarified on Friday that he had no disdain for the Wallabies’ boomerang formation, nor for those who stepped forward to challenge the haka directly.
Rennie explained the team’s line-up that way to meet the challenge and, speaking of the Wallabies captaincy on Friday, Slipper went into more detail on the boomerang formation.
“We respect the haka, we respect the All Blacks team,” said Slipper. “In every game we play against New Zealand, we know it’s going to be a tough outing and you have to respect that.
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Wallabies coach Dave Rennie says All Blacks center Rieko Ioane accused the hosts of being disrespectful to the Melbourne haka.
“Historically they are a successful team and country in rugby. They have won the Bledisloe for the past 20 years, so we respect them. We’re just taking up the challenge.”
Slipper said the Wallabies have been doing the boomerang since Rennie became Wallabies coach in 2019 and it was the team’s unique way of taking on the challenge.
“We talk as a team, but he initiated the boomerang and we guys all want to involve indigenous culture within our nation,” he said.
“We think that’s very important. We now play in the native jersey a few times a year and we are very proud of that.
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James Slipper and Dave Rennie at the Wallabies’ traditional pre-test photo on Friday in Eden Park.
“So it’s a taste of our nation, our way of meeting the challenge.”
Rennie said on Thursday that he expected the team to be back in boomerang form on Saturday night, and Slipper confirmed they would also be looking at Pacific countries like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, who are running their own challenges for the tests.
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James Slipper and the Wallabies formed a boomerang formation and headed for the All Blacks haka in Melbourne.
Whitelock, who has taken over as All Blacks leadership from the injured Sam Cane, was asked if he felt the haka was disrespected during his captaincy’s run on Friday.
“Not at all,” he said. “They are clearly doing something they want to do, to show that they are together as a country. Everyone knows the boomerang comes from Australia, so that’s cool for them.”
Asked by stuff is there any disrespect for a team advancing to the haka, in any formation, Whitelock added: “For myself no. I do the haka for the team with me… they can do whatever they want. If they want to do something that makes them feel connected, that’s great, and it probably adds to the occasion.”
In terms of Rennie’s accusation around Ioane, the All Blacks center, Whitelock said he felt there was nothing significant in it.
“On the field everyone is pretty excited and they want to put it together,” he said. “Sometimes the tensions get a bit high. The reality is that we are moving forward and worrying about this week.
There was a lot of spirit leading up to the test after the controversial end at Marvel Stadium, when French referee Mathieu Raynal took a 79th minute relief penalty from the Wallabies for wasting time, allowing the All Blacks to launch their winning streak. to score.
The haka debate has further fueled the fire, but Slipper had no problem with that.
“Every time you pull on the Wallabies shirt, it’s a proud moment for us players. But to play against the All Blacks, we love it. There’s a lot of riding on this – we haven’t won here since the ’80s,” he added.
While the Wallabies were sad to lose in Melbourne the way they did, it was still an impressive feat to come back from 31-13 in the final quarter.
“We talked about the character we showed in the second half. We were at 13 for a while and then the ABs piled on the points,” said Slipper.
“It’s hard enough to play against” [them] with 15 players, so in the end we did well to get there with our noses in front. It was just a hard way to lose, but I’m extremely proud of the way the guys showed up. What we’re looking for is another performance like that.”