On this day, the Blues responded to the New Zealand “Haka”.
In 2007, during the World Cup quarter-finals, France faced New Zealand. When the All Blacks unleashed their legendary haka, a ritual that threatened their opponents, the Blues faced it down. They wear the colors of France and accept the challenge. Fabian Bellos tells how it happens in ‘Rugby Giants’, an original podcast produced by Europe 1 Studio.
In 2007, French striker Serge Pitsen assembled a board of referees from among the players of the French XV. The goal of this encounter is apparently simple: we must find an idea to stand up to their opponents on the day of the match between France and New Zealand, in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, when they will perform the famous “Haka”. “The Haka is a Maori dance that is part of the legend surrounding New Zealand.
This ritual, used to dazzle their opponents, leaves no one indifferent, whether in the stands or on the field, as Fabian Bellos tells us, in the “Rugby Giants” podcast. The blacks are then motivated by this dance which ends with a tongue sticking out as a sign of defiance. They appear in a trance, distorted by grimaces and with terrifying looks. On the other hand, the players of other teams wait and bear this “haka” with as much pride as possible…
Tri-color “Anti Hakka”
That is why, in every competition, the question arises among the Blues: What do you do during the Haka? What can be done, while respecting this tradition, to meet the challenge before them, or even restore it? An idea soon emerged… Before the match, the French XV wore blue, white and red shirts. “We manage as much as we can, even as rugby players, to sort ourselves out and face them,” laughs Fabian Bellos.
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The Blues then march towards them as the New Zealand team begins their legendary ritual. The spectacle is impressive: the blacks finished the “haka” and stuck out their tongues barely 20 cm from the faces of the French! With 118 caps and three World Cup appearances, Fabian Bellos has seen many “hakas”, “but the moment of pride that I felt in that moment, I have never felt before.”
That day, “we launched the challenge,” recalls Fabian Bellos. The provocative Frenchman sent a clear message: “You are certainly the best players in the world, but to beat us today, we will have to run in our colours,” says Bellos, “and he is not at all prepared to let him do that.” “He – she.” Will the French XV be able to take the challenge from the quarter-finals to the end? So says Fabian Bellos on ‘Rugby Giants’, an original podcast produced by Europe 1 Studio.
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