Kapa o Pango

"Kapa o Pango" is a prematch haka or challenge unique to the New Zealand national rugby union team, the All Blacks. Since 2005 the "Kapa o Pango" haka has been performed before rugby test matches by the All Blacks as an alternative to the usual "Ka Mate" haka. The longest sequence of "Kapa o Pango" performances is four, which occurred in 2014.

In August 2005, before the Tri-Nations test match between New Zealand and South Africa at Carisbrook stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand, performed a new haka, "Kapa o Pango", specially composed by Derek Lardelli and "...designed to reflect the multi-cultural make-up of contemporary New Zealand – in particular the influence of Polynesian cultures". "Kapa o Pango" was to be performed on special occasions and was not intended to replace "Ka Mate".

John Smit, the Springbok captain who faced the debut performance of "Kapa o Pango", said after the match: "To stand there and watch it for the first time was a privilege."The Daily Telegraph columnist Mick Cleary criticised the new haka as "unmistakably provocative … There is a fine line and the All Blacks crossed it. Carisbrook is a rugby field not a back-street alley."French coach Bernard Laporte requested New Zealand not to perform "Kapa o Pango" during their November 2006 tour of France, claiming that "It's no good for the promotion of our sport."

On 24 September 2011, for their Pool A match against France at Eden Park, the All Blacks performed "Kapa o Pango", which included the act of drawing the thumb across the throat at the end. The French had ousted New Zealand at the 2007 World Cup. It had since been a fixture since the knockout stages against Argentina and Australia.

"Kapa o Pango" concludes with what has been interpreted as a "throat slitting" gesture that led to accusations that "Kapa o Pango" encourages violence, and sends the wrong message to All Blacks fans. However, according to Lardelli, the gesture represents "drawing vital energy into the heart and lungs".

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Wikipedia