re-haka

It seems (noticed via DeadSpin) the all-blacks have a new haka, Kapa O Pango, which they're going to use for special games as a complement to the more traditional but less custom-made Ka Mate. For those not familiar with them, this is the old one, and this is the new one, from the Wallabies game a fortnight ago.

Two reasons I'm not digging the new one. First, I think the throat-cutting is a bit over the top, and equivocating about radically different meanings in Maori culture are, frankly, bullshit. Second, it just doesn't have the vibe. Ka Mate is a more team thing, has more history behind it, and frankly just looks cooler.