Steve Gordon: former All Black on the controversy surrounding the team's haka at Ellis Park

There were a few raised eyebrows as the All Blacks' pre-match haka was drowned out at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park.

The team's rendition of Kapa O Pango was interrupted by chanting - and music, pyrotechnics and a flyover from an Emirates Airlines A380 jet.

Former All Black Steve Gordon says this felt disrespectful to the All Blacks.

"I think they really overstepped the mark. Rugby's built on tradition and the culture - the game's bigger than any team or individual. I think they overstepped it there."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now. Also here a timey bit of drama about the
fact that the All Blacks hocker at Alice Park and
Joe Berg at the weekend was interrupted by chanting by
stadium music by Piratetechnics and then also by a low
flying plane. Some people think this was disrespectful. Steve Gordon
is a former All Black and with us now, hey Steve,
how are you doing very well? Thank you mate. It

(00:20):
obviously frustrated the players who were doing the hacker by
the judging by the looks on their faces. What was
your take on it?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
I thought it was pretty disrespectful, thought that South African
players as a team, their group showed a lot of
respect in that, as they always do well. I think
as the whole of the Johnny Come Lately's in the
marketing department of the Southern Rugby Union that coordinated all
those other hijinks, which which was a little bit above
and beyond what would normally be expected, and I think

(00:47):
quite disrespectful, especially given the fact that you know Will
aware the fact of malty Ky passing and that was
sort of to him as well. I think they really
have to set the mark, and you know, rugby's built
on tradition, and you know that the culture about the game,

(01:09):
the game's bigger than any team of individual and I
think they overstepped up there, and yeah, it was a
bit of a shambles.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Do you reckon it was deliberate, Steve, because I reckon
it must be so hard to time a jumbo line
and to be flying right over the stadium at exactly
the minute that they're doing the hacker. Given the Harker
grit can be done early or late.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
It must have been the holding pattern outside. But yeah,
it was perfect timing on that. But then they're loud
views and so fair enough the crowd. You know, they
can raw and screen and so forth, and they've always
have done. But you know, the pyrotechnacs and the music
and whatnot. Yeah, I thought that was rather unclassy. And
you know, I think with any great traditions in sport,

(01:50):
you know the class of it, you know, and jurors,
you know, the Whites and Wibleton and Barron, simple things
like that, and they still have sellout crowds and still
got their course of orders. I think they probably tried
to ras me tears it up a little too much
and it didn't really come off and I thought it
was quite tocho Hey, what.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
About the game itself, how do you think the team play?
Do you worried about them or are you chalking this
up to kind of its early days to let them
have a chance.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Early days, I thought they were fantastic and the fantash
and the way they came out and started and just
boulted the South African said that is a massive You know,
it's the best team in the world at the moment.
We've had a lot of a lot of changes and
a lot of a lot of new guys that were
new to Alice Park, the Caldron there, and they really
stepped up. Sure, we didn't finish, finish it out, and
that's that's a learning process with a lot of those

(02:38):
young fellows coming into the side how to close the
game out. But the start and some of the structures
that they employed to cope with those massive South African
forwards and some pretty special South African outside backs. They
were outstanding in the centers of Juty Crail and so
and forth. Unleashing them really made it difficult for us,

(02:59):
but we contained really well, and you know, the re
emergence of Caleb Clark on the wing in his finishing
was something that does really well for us, So a
wealdly a good position. If we can hold the intensity
for the next one is going to be the big
challenge for those guys. But you know, I think they'll
be pretty disappointed that they didn't finish it, and they
know that they weren't outclassed by world class at aericon side,

(03:24):
they're right in the hunt to the last to at
ten eleven minutes. So yeah, I think they'll be pretty
void and I've got to tune up a few things,
eliminate a few silly mistakes in the penalty count, and
they're right back in it to right.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Steve, thank you. I appreciate that you're being moderate about
it because I'm also giving them a chance at Steve
Gordon for more Black For more from Hither Duplessye Alan Drive,
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