By Les Tan. Picture contributed by reader Mr Wee Ban Bee. Catch highlights of the game on RedSportsTV.
While the dust may have settled on the A Division Rugby Championship final between Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and St Andrew’s Junior College, the buzz continues among supporters and neutrals alike about the merits of the game.
One of the highlights of a rugby final featuring these two teams is the haka both teams always perform. For some reasons best known to the organisers and the Saints, the Saints haka was performed before the traditional “meet-and-greet” session with the guest-of-honour (GOH), leading to the emcee spoiling the start of the Saints haka with the announcement of the GOH arrival. I’m sure the GOH is a jolly good fellow but most fans would have loved to watch their Saints perform the haka without interruption.
Likewise, when the post-victory ACS(I) haka was about to start, the clueless DJ continued to play music, drowning out the start of the haka, a moment that ACS(I) supporters were waiting for.
With the B Division Rugby Championship earlier in the year also suffering the same fate with mistimed announcements and music, true sports fans can do without this getai sideshow at rugby finals. We hope the C Division final does not suffer the same fate.
Here again are the hakas by both teams. Enjoy.
httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=NGSWjZ2OR9w
LOL I have to say, the saints’ one looks weak… The acsi one was really good, they look almost as good as the all blacks!
[…] by Ng Cheng Cong and Marvin Lowe. Additional pictures by ACS old boy. Catch game highlights and the hakas by both teams on RedSportsTV. Md Khairulanwar of ACS(I) evades the tackle of Roy Tong to score his team’s […]
*Saints Battle-Cry originated in 1963, not 1968.
[…] holding up a banner painted by the house council.  Up and On! Saints war-cry link (youtube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGSWjZ2OR9w&eurl=http://redsports.sg/2008/05/14/saints-acsi-haka-… written by: Asyrafpictures: Robson and […]
AC,
apart fm d DJ being oblivious, i surmise you were either not present during d RJ -ACSI semi pre-game haka or you were also oblivious.
Like acs old boy said, d sequence and response of both matches were different.
I am saying we were awed by ACSI team overcoming RJ’s haka.
Simply AMAZING–so cool, yet confident.
ACSians r not belittling another’s haka, we all r just supporting ours.
Every school supports their own . This is sports’ spirit.
“And I believe SA’s ‘battle cry’ is part of their school song too?”
Yup 🙂
part of the sch song..
2nd stanza to be exact.
AC
I think you failed to see the sequence of events here. What ACSi did was a response to RJ’s haka. In the SA match, SA initiated the act of intimidation and not as a response.
That is the difference
Somebody should have tackled the oblivious DJ. And I believe SA’s ‘battle cry’ is part of their school song too? SA’s #4 also did exactly what ACSi did to RJ: intimidation as part of a show of confidence, so BB– ‘condescending arrogance’ should not be the most accurate description, unless of course you are implying that ACSi is arrogant too, which I desperately hope is not the case.
kudos to both teams for their hakas. as long as those doing the haka keep the meaning of their individual meaning in their hearts, it doesn’t really matter who’s haka is better or where it is adapted from right? 🙂 m proud of the performance and fight that ruggers from both colleges put up during the match. all of you are true champions indeed.
I m a haka fanatic and i always look forward to d 1 executed by ACSI.
Tis yr’s victory haka no exception
However, d coolest thing tis yr was d handling of RJC’s haka by d ACSI captain and his team. ( not seen before )
Exuding such confidence to overcome any ‘ threats ‘. Its like….’bring it on man, we are overcoming.
Winning traits – COOL…
…..”.Readers who come here to comment should mind their words at times. While it is good to realise that there are so many people out there who are concerned about the games, we should also trust that all games played are fair and conducted with sportsmanship. We should give them our respect”
Oh yadayada, please tell this also to d ‘not so saintly’.
( no pun intended…..haha )
the throat-slitting action was a spur of the moment decision. Normally the jump is used.
Oh well, I’d just like to comment on what BB has said about “condescending arrogance”. Well, we should rejoice that all sports players out there give their best efforts to battle out with their opponents. While I can’t justify whether Tambu went up with the intention to intimidate, I must say that it shows that he had the confidence to play a great game and the team are ready to give it their best.
Kudos to both teams who have played a well-deserved game and not disappoint the supporters!
Readers who come here to comment should mind their words at times. While it is good to realise that there are so many people out there who are concerned about the games, we should also trust that all games played are fair and conducted with sportsmanship. We should give them our respect.
And finally, thank you once again, RedSports, for giving SingaporeSports our significance again!!!
Dawn,
d SA guy walkg up n down eyeballing d ACSI team merely tryg to ‘intimidate’. This is NOT d practice by d natives.
And such condescending arrogance.
freeze,
who r u to judge wat others choose to do?
anyone can come up with their own version of haka. But how commanding?
ACSI was imparted with d haka tradition by the natives when they were in NZ yrs ago. They probably see it befitting to use it to honor one of the best team ( ALL BLACKS ).
U can say copyrights given to ACSI!!!
Eat your heart out man. haha.
hurhur i like how tambu is wearing number 4. hahaha. and acs haka is pretty fast
conspiracy, thanks. Assuming the Wikipedia write-up is authoritative, I can’t help noting that:
(a) the current interpretation of the Ka Mate is a sanitised version of traditional meaning;
(b) the throat-slitting action (which I think the ACS(I) performance retains?) faced some controversy and was withdrawn by the All Blacks in 2007
(b) use of the Ka Mate by other teams is “something generally felt to be inappropriate at best.”
All this I suppose it goes back to the question of who and how the haka was “given” to ACS(I).
Dawn
check this website..you wil find your answers there
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka_of_the_All_Blacks
acsi’s upane is almost like japnese’s gambateh …do they know the word at all?
Dawn
The “Ka Mate” haka arose as a wily plan to defeat the aims of an enemy. Inspired by this, the All Blacks are believed to have first used the “Ka Mate” or “Te Rauparaha” haka in 1906. The origin of this haka dates to 1810 when chief Te Rauparaha of the NgÄÂti Toa iwi (clan or tribe) was being chased by enemies. In a cunning stratagem, he hid in a food-storage pit under the skirt of a woman. Because this was an unthinkable thing for a chief to do, Te Rauparaha thought he would be safe. He climbed out to find someone standing over him, who, instead of killing Te Rauparaha, turned out to be another chief friendly to Te Rauparaha. In relief Te Rauparaha performed a haka with the words (translated from MÄÂori) â€â€
It is death, it is death: it is life, it is life; this is the man who enabled me to live as I climb up step by step toward sunlight.
These words are still used today. Te Rauparaha’s escape from death is commemorated in the haka, which can be interpreted as ‘a celebration of life over death’ (PÃ…Âmare 2006).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka_of_the_All_Blacks
So the HAKA saga resurfaces after it appeared in the 2nd longest running comments featured in last year’s Rugby Report here. Those who want to know more especially the origins and facts surrounding the ” Kama Te Haka” and other related information should click on Archives Section, April 2007 for the Rugby B Final Report [ ACSI vs Saints ] and the 100+ comments following.
Scroll down to April 22 , 2:56 pm and check out my comment which came with
2 official NZ websites about the history of the Haka etc…
Also check out the comments by Glenn Lucas, a Maori from overseas at 6:19pm,
same day.
Coach Dick Yip