No haka for Hurricanes Poua in Blues game

The Hurricanes Poua did not perform a haka against the Blues’ women’s rugby team this afternoon, after recent controversy.

The two sides are playing at Bell Park in East Auckland.

The Hurricanes Poua have caused controversy with their haka on two occasions, with the first labelling the coalition government as “redneck”.

The coach and captain of the Hurricanes Poua said it was a team decision that they did not perform a haka at today’s match against the Blues.

At today’s game against the Blues at Bell Park in East Auckland, neither side started with a haka.

The Hurricanes Poua will only say it was a decision made by its players.

The second haka last weekend also made references to the government and some bilingual te reo Māori speakers heard Poua haka leader, Leilani Perese, saying the government should “whakangarongaro” or disappear.

It sparked the Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters saying the team could lose support because of naive players damaging the brand.

But the New Zealand Rugby Union said that was misinterpreted.

Chief adviser Māori Luke Crawford said the words could be translated in a number of ways, and must be taken in context.

In this context, it was about refocusing the team.

“It needs to be taken in the context of the whole haka and the other part about it is that it can be translated in in a number of different ways.”