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Left 4 Dead
I really need to find more time in the day. This is one of those “perfect storm” times of the year when tons of quality games come out and there’s simply not enough time to play them all. I saw a video for Left 4 Dead the other day and was convinced that [...]
Read MoreThe Haka of the New Zealand All Blacks
I was bored and watching some reruns of World Cup rugby a few nights ago. Yes, rugby. I’m not sure how many people know what rugby is or how it’s played on this side of the pond but it’s a great sports for both watching and playing. Well, playing if you happen to be rather big and like hitting people. If you think the big hits in the NFL are rough, imagine the same hits but by dudes that are much stronger, probably in better shape and wearing no equipment.
Yes, that’s right, no equipment. I played rugby in high school for a couple years and you get zero protection…even for, um, vital parts. The only thing you’re usually allowed is ear protection so players in the scrum don’t get their ears ripped. I’m by no means a small dude but I was pretty much the smallest guy on the team. The good news was, we were bigger than most teams and heck, I like tackling people hard. It’s quite dangerous, actually. I know a couple guys with some serious injuries. The worst I got was a few holes in my leg (from metal cleats) and a dislocated shoulder.
Anyways, one of the coolest parts of the game other than the hitting is the traditional haka performed by the New Zealand All Blacks. It’s a traditional Māori (who I believe are native New Zealanders) dance and the haka the All Blacks perform is a war cry. It has to be one of the most intimidating spectacles in all of sports.
For all the lyrics (yes, lyrics) and an in-depth look at the haka, click here.
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- 5 Comments
- In Sports and Health
Unfortunately for the All Blacks, their demonstration of the haka is more impressive than their performance on the field.
ReplyI played rugby back in high school too, I was prop (front of the scrum, supporting the hooker). Suffered the regular cuts and bruises, almost broke my spine once when I positioned wrong in the scrum and I alos suffered a weird injury that made my calf look like it had rigormortis for a couple weeks. Good times cause it was the only way for me to satisfy my violent tendencies at school without getting in trouble.
The worst injury I witnessed was when a teammate got clipped in the face with a cleat that severed a major blood vessel (apparently there’s one beneath the nose, over the top lip), he bled a LOT and passed out. But he lived, the ambulance picked him up and they sewed him up good
Rugby, that’s pretty much the only thing we watch here, you can count out American Football out on the spot in Europe. We find it very slow played, and all the safety gear just makes it a pansy sport
Rugby is for real men with scull fractures etc, no protection and sometimes the games look more like a straight on “gang” fight (well pretty much every time).
The huge difference with A. football and rugby is, that in rugby you don’t see the tactics and different set up as in A. football. Although it seems there are no tactics involved, there are.
ReplyYeah, one of my teammates had a really bad spine injury too. I played wing.
ReplyYeah, you were called a pussy if you used a band-aid. We never used ear protection either, we’d tape them down or just accept that cauliflower ears were a possibility. I always wore a cup though, I’m not risking my boys.
ReplyRugby is the real men’s sport! American football is just too lame with all those protective gears.
The famous All Black Haka dance is not to be missed before every All Black games but sadly, they always choke at the World Cup, which they fumbled again recently.
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