Scott Robertson Reflects on Haka Incident and Narrow All Blacks Loss at Ellis Park
Scott Robertson, the head coach of the All Blacks, took a moment to consider his response after being asked about the crowd’s behavior during the haka at Ellis Park. As TJ Perenara led the traditional pre-match challenge, it wasn’t just the crowd that created a distraction. The All Blacks, wearing black armbands in honor of Maori King Tuheitia, also paid their respects with a prayer before launching into Kapa o Pango. However, their challenge was met with more than just the expected cheers and boos from the passionate Johannesburg crowd of 60,000. Music began to play in the stadium, further drowning out the haka, and an Emirates jet’s flyover during the moment added to the tension.
Flyhalf Damian McKenzie, playing in Johannesburg for the first time, expressed his disapproval of the crowd’s reaction. But Robertson remained philosophical about the incident, saying, “It’s a pretty iconic tradition, isn’t it, in our game, and everyone has their own way of receiving it. We’d prepared for that; it wasn’t the first time. They try to take their advantage on it, take away the advantage they believe we have in the haka, and I think it just adds to the theatre of it all. It’s not going to change, so you just embrace it.”
Despite the challenging atmosphere, the All Blacks quickly refocused on the task at hand—a highly anticipated Rugby World Cup Final rematch against the Springboks at one of the sport’s most iconic venues. New Zealand started strong, with backrower Ethan Blackadder nearly scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes. Codie Taylor eventually broke the deadlock from a rolling maul, and Caleb Clarke added another try late in the first half, followed by another early in the second half. Jordie Barrett also contributed with an intercept try, giving the All Blacks a solid 27-17 lead.
However, the altitude, the Springboks’ experienced bench, or a combination of both, proved too much for New Zealand in the final 15 minutes. Replacement prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi was sent to the sin bin, and the Springboks capitalized on their numerical advantage, with Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams scoring decisive tries to snatch a 31-27 victory from the All Blacks.
Reflecting on the game, Robertson said, “We gave ourselves an opportunity to win probably the biggest Test in the hardest place to win a Test in world rugby, which is Joburg. There was so much good, and then there were a couple of moments that didn’t quite go our way. That’s footy, that’s Test footy, that’s the big stage.”
He acknowledged the All Blacks’ strong performance for most of the match but also recognized the moments that slipped away. “There’s some pretty upset boys and a really upset changing room because we knew there were key moments we didn’t own in that last 15 minutes, but we had such a brilliant 65 minutes in terms of our efforts and ball play.”
Looking ahead, Robertson emphasized the importance of learning from the match while also celebrating the positives. “Our job now is to make sure that we deal with the things we can get better at but also acknowledge what we did well.”
