University rugby team responds to All Blacks haka furore

The captain of a South African university rugby team that performed a controversial All Blacks haka prior to a match says the haka is part of their team’s culture, reports the NZ Herald.

Walter Sisulu University (WSU), nicknamed the All Blacks, performed their rendition of the All Blacks’ haka Kapa O Pango in the opening match of the Varsity Shield against the Durban University of Technology, with the video since going viral and sparking outrage online. Many fans on social media accused the team of cultural appropriation, saying that the haka belongs to New Zealand and Maori culture. Some even called the WSU’s version of the haka “disrespectful” and “an insult to Maori people of NZ”.

Following the backlash, WSU Captain Litha Nkula explained that use of the haka stems from an admiration of the All Blacks’ brand of rugby. “The players wanted to bring in the haka because they admired the way the All Blacks play … It has become part of our culture. We explain to new players that come in why it is done and how it influences us as a team. That’s why we feel that we can’t play without it; it’s part of our team culture, even though we adopted it from New Zealand,” he told varsitycup.co.za.
Full report on the NZ Herald site