The All Blacks danced the famous haka at the Longueval Memorial on Thursday August 31, – in this region of the Somme where the terrible trench battles took place -, to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the New Zealand fighters of the First World War . This war dance was originally used to prepare Maori warriors for combat. Then the haka was gradually adopted towards the end of the 20th century by the New Zealand All Blacks: a way of challenging their opponents before their rugby matches.

In Maori culture, this half-martial, half-funeral dance expresses passion in the noble sense of the term, that is to say the warriors’ capacity for suffering and resistance. It is now for everyone a tradition anchored in the history of sport: a few minutes before the kick-off of the opening match of the World Cup between France and New Zealand on September 8, the eyes audience at the Stade de France and millions of viewers will be riveted to the choreography of the men in black.

For New Zealand flyhalf Beauden Barrett, the haka is an important part of pre-match preparation. “This is a time for us to come together and be united,” he said. “For me, it’s our heritage, what was done before us. Be in the moment, and prepare for battle,” explains the eldest of the famous Barrett brothers. Before each match, the All Blacks perform one of two versions of the haka. Either the Kapa O Pango, specially created for them and performed for the first time in 2005, or the traditional Ka Mate, which remains the best known. In New Zealand law, the Ngati Toa Maori tribe, based near Wellington, are recognized as cultural custodians of Ka Mate.

Ka Mate was composed by the warrior chief Te Rauparaha around 1820. It was then intended to celebrate his escape from a rival tribe who were pursuing him. For New Zealanders, Ka Mate is performed “as a sign of deep respect, whether at funerals, birthdays or weddings,” explains Taku Parai, a member of the Ngati Toa Maori tribe. “It’s about maintaining the ‘mana’ (prestige) of an event.” But New Zealand rugby players have not always known how to chant the war dance, punctuated by big blows on the chest or thighs, with the same coordination and the same rage as today. Originally, the All Blacks only performed the haka when playing away and with sometimes mixed results: players not of Maori origin were nowhere near as comfortable with it as they were. ‘with the oval ball. Video of a particularly poor haka, performed in Cardiff during a tour in 1973, is a reminder that, with the exception of then-Māori scrumhalf Sid Going, few New Zealand players seemed to know the choreography. It wasn’t until Sir Wayne “Buck” Shelford broke into the All Blacks team in the mid-1980s that the haka began to resemble the fierce dance it knows today. “Until Buck, they were waving their fingers like bells,” jokes Taku Parai.

“I was disappointed to see that they couldn’t coordinate, to present themselves like warriors, rather than like puppets who swing their arms and stamp their feet,” said Shelford, former third line center. So while on tour in Argentina, Shelford and Maori player Hika Reid decided that the haka should be performed correctly or not performed at all. “We insisted that the players and staff adhere 100% to the project. I didn’t want to be part of a team that misinterpreted the haka,” recalls Shelford. “It would have been a lack of respect for our fellow citizens.” Shelford insisted that each player memorize the words and gestures of the haka. “All of a sudden, they started liking it because it was well executed, and because we were doing it for a good reason,” Shelford recalls. With the third row in charge, the haka became, from 1987, an essential element of All Blacks matches. That same year, New Zealand won the first Rugby World Cup on home soil. In the years since Shelford’s last match with the All Blacks in 1990, other Maori players like Piri Weepu, TJ Perenara and current scrum-half Aaron Smith, have led the haka with equal passion. am very proud of what it has become. As a Kiwi, it’s part of our culture and people respect it,” says Shelford.