There are several sports channels on the TV here. They show golf, soccer, cricket and rugby. I love watching Houston Rockets basketball and usually have a bit of withdrawal during off-season. I don't know if I will even be able to watch the regular season when in starts in October. I know that they did show the NBA semifinals and championship games when I first got here.
Anyway, when I surf the channels here and see the various sports, I come across golf and think NO!, soccer: I would rather see that one in person; cricket: absolutely not, they break for tea!; but rugby looked like a possibility.
Today, as I was surfing, I saw that Australia and New Zealand were playing a round in the southern hemisphere Championship. It was just coming on, so I thought why not.
Well, before the game starts, the two teams come to center and "face off" against one another. But the fascinating thing is that the New Zealand team lines up and starts doing a tribal chant and dance. Their faces get contorted and they end up sticking their tongues out. It was crazy!
I looked it up. It is called a Haka. According to Wikipedia,
The Haka (plural is the same as singular: haka) is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.[1] The New Zealand rugby team's practice of performing a haka before their matches has made the dance more widely known around the world.
So...I looked up videos of it. Here is one that they performed against Japan:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=new+zealand+all+black+rugby+%26+video
They also have flash mobs performing the Haka in support of the team.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14798867
Look at these young boys doing it:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=haka+%26+businessmen
Then, I HAD to watch the game. At first, it did not look good for the New Zealand team, but then they came on strong. It seems to be a crazy combination of American style football and soccer. There were several guys on the sidelines with bloody noses and lips. They wear cute short shorts. There are lots of pileups (and it looks like a lot of stuff happening in the pileup), tossing the ball down a line of players, kicking the ball, jumping high in the air to divert a ball. It is very fast paced, which I like.
OK, now I am hooked! Now that I have found a sport to watch, it may be too late in the season if they are playing championship games. But I will be ready for next season. Go Kiwis!!
Anyway, when I surf the channels here and see the various sports, I come across golf and think NO!, soccer: I would rather see that one in person; cricket: absolutely not, they break for tea!; but rugby looked like a possibility.
Today, as I was surfing, I saw that Australia and New Zealand were playing a round in the southern hemisphere Championship. It was just coming on, so I thought why not.
Well, before the game starts, the two teams come to center and "face off" against one another. But the fascinating thing is that the New Zealand team lines up and starts doing a tribal chant and dance. Their faces get contorted and they end up sticking their tongues out. It was crazy!
I looked it up. It is called a Haka. According to Wikipedia,
The Haka (plural is the same as singular: haka) is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.[1] The New Zealand rugby team's practice of performing a haka before their matches has made the dance more widely known around the world.
So...I looked up videos of it. Here is one that they performed against Japan:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=new+zealand+all+black+rugby+%26+video
They also have flash mobs performing the Haka in support of the team.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14798867
Look at these young boys doing it:
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=haka+%26+businessmen
Then, I HAD to watch the game. At first, it did not look good for the New Zealand team, but then they came on strong. It seems to be a crazy combination of American style football and soccer. There were several guys on the sidelines with bloody noses and lips. They wear cute short shorts. There are lots of pileups (and it looks like a lot of stuff happening in the pileup), tossing the ball down a line of players, kicking the ball, jumping high in the air to divert a ball. It is very fast paced, which I like.
OK, now I am hooked! Now that I have found a sport to watch, it may be too late in the season if they are playing championship games. But I will be ready for next season. Go Kiwis!!
This NZ soccer team seems wild. Watching the opposing team faces is funny. I watched a video for some minutes and I guess it was a montage of NZ pre-game dance against different teams. But the opposing team's response seemed to be linking together for unity and calmly watching this crazy, primitive dance. It seemed to go on forever. I wonder if all opponents of NZ would stand opposite while they perform? And if there is a time limit? And if its done only on their home field? This ritual makes Drew Brees & the Saints pre game chant & pumping look very meek. :)
ReplyDeleteI asked Ken's co-worker who is British and watches rugby whether it is just for NZ home games. He said that it is for all the NZ games. The fans demand it. :) I loved it. It made me a fan. :)
DeleteAwwwww Nanan! You have to go for the Aussies!!!! When I was in Australia, I saw a Haka performed. I'm sure it wasn't as intense as the rugby guys (as it was only young girls who performed it), but it was still interesting :)Miss you!!!
ReplyDeleteP.S. - Your blogs keep my roommate and I entertained frequently
Well, when I saw that it was going to be a game between Australia and New Zealand, I thought that I would pull for Australia. Then I saw the Haka and I had to pull for NZ. :)
DeleteI am glad that I can still communicate with you in some fashion, not that you are not in NO anymore. :)
Miss you too! I hope to see you in October!