Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga has revealed that his drive to defeat England was always fuelled by what he perceived as disrespect toward the Haka.
This week, tensions flared when England's Joe Marler called for the iconic Maori challenge to be scrapped, branding it something that "needs binning". After facing backlash, Marler, 34, retracted the statement and apologised, clarifying his intention was to encourage retaliation to the tradition rather than its removal.
Umaga, now 51, is no stranger to challenges to the Haka, recalling how in 1997 he watched the Red Rose's Richard Cockerill confront the ritual head-on. The Kiwi legend said rather than taking offence to Cockerill's brash approach, it served only to stoke the competitive fire within him and his teammates.
Talking to Prime Casino, Umaga expressed his particular zest for matches against the English, saying: "I loved playing England because I always wanted to beat them. They were one of the teams that I really got up for and I probably played some of my best games against them.
"I was always motivated. It goes back to the time in 1997 when I toured there. In the last game of the tour, Richard Cockerill and Norman Hewitt, the two hookers squared up during the Haka. I was sitting on the sideline not playing.
"I watched as they went nose to nose. Being a proud All Black and fan and being part of it, to know the Haka means to us, to see Cockerill up in his face taking the challenge and showing disrespect, ever since then I have been really motivated against England."
England are gearing up to face the All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon. Following the reaction to his comments, Marler has taken to social media to express his regrets.
He posted: "Just wanted to jump on here and say sorry to any New Zealand fans I upset with my poorly articulated tweet earlier in the week. I meant no malice in asking for it to be binned, just want to see the restrictions lifted to allow for a response without sanction.
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"How good were the [Richard] Cockerill/[Norm] Hewitt, [David] Campese, France '07, Tokyo '19 or Samoa v England rugby league responses? Create some entertaining drama before kick-off.
"My flippant attempt at sparking a debate around it was s***house and I should have done better at explaining things. I'm grateful for the education received on how important the Haka is to the New Zealand culture and hope others have a better understanding too."
Looking ahead to the game, he added: "Now roll on 3pm on Saturday for a mega rugby occasion. I'll get back in my attention-seeking box now."
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