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Prior to 1985 the All Black haka was a sorry affair. The guys were a mixture of european (pakeha), māori and others. Most of the european players had no experience with the haka at all let alone any idea of what it represented, therefore, it was performed badly.

Players could be seen to be looking at each other to see what the moves were. They wouldn't be in time and the moves had no meaning or purpose. The players were doing their best though and people still loved it.

When Wayne was approached by a player about doing the haka before a game in Argentina he passed it onto Hika Reid - another Rotorua player - who also wasn't keen because, "… the Pakeha, they don't know what they're bl…y doing."

They talked further and when more players said they wanted to do it Wayne said to them, "If we're going to do it, we're going to do it right… perform the haka properly or not at all. Vote on it…"


All the All Blacks bar one voted to do it properly and once they got into it, they got into it. Big time. They went into training - for the haka.

Hika and Wayne taught them what it was all about and the guys began to get a sense of pride in doing it well. It helped that it is a huge psychological booster for going into a game, it would pump them up like nothing else, not to mention intimidating the opposition.

Wayne laughs when talking about teaching some of the European (Pakeha) members of the team. About how they couldn't get some of the movements and they would do a women's movement instead of a man's. And how their timing sucked.

Once the team had the haka up to a high standard it made for electric viewing. New Zealanders were sold. I love this description from Mike King, a well-known New Zealand comedian, "They took it from a whole lot of white guys dancing at a disco and turned it into what it should be…"

And this from Willie Jackson - broadcaster and political commentator, "And then all of a sudden, this Buck Shelford came along and introduced rugby to Mana Māori. He changed it overnight. He captured not just Māori, but the country's imagination."

http://www.rotorua-travel-secrets.co...acks-haka.html

He took over from David Kirk as captain for the tour of Japan in October and November and played in each of the five matches. Upon becoming captain, Buck brought his teammates to Te Aute College, a Māori school, to see the students perform a traditional haka. Although the All Blacks had been performing the haka at the start of their matches since the team's inception, it was Buck who taught them the proper way to perform the "Ka Mate," the haka they still use to this day at the start of their matches.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU110...ck-is-back.htm