One of the highlights of watching the World Cup is that you get to see New Zealand perform the haka on a weekly basis. The pre match ritual of the All Blacks is seen by many as an unfair advantage before kick off but it is still seen as a crucial part of of a New Zealand game.
The most recent haka was seen last weekend in Newcastle when the World Champions played Tonga in their final Pool C match. The haka came as a direct response to the Tongan Sipi Tau.
One of the earliest pieces of footage of a haka shows how much it has changed to the version we see today.
The haka was not always that fearsome and theatrical though. A haka from the a 1979 game against the Barbarians shows the players facing the crowd as the Barbarians players continued their warm up. It was certainly not something to frighten opponents.
The Ka Mate haka is possibly the best known and was used up until 2005. We can see as the years passed by, the war dance became more intense, especially as opponents began to challenge it. Willie Anderson in 1989 and Richard Cockerill in 1997 and both challenged the haka which has gone down in folklore.
In 2005, the Ka Mate was replaced by the Kapa O Pango and was used for the first time against South Africa in a Tri Nations game. It was a haka specifically designed for the All Blacks, but gained controversy over its throat slitting gesture at the end.
Despite its many changes up to the version we see today, the haka remains as one of the greatest sights in sport.
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