this piece has been a long time coming. about eleven years in fact. i was introduced to the world of rugby union and the ALL BLACKS by my partner, paula, whose a kiwi so naturally a staunch supporter for the new zealand all blacks. love the game. but as much as i love to see the intensity, tackles and tries, first and foremost i love the haka, to sum up in layperson's terms, a maori battle cry/dance ritual performed by the all blacks just after the national anthems and before the game's kick off. it's tradition. and it's the best amalgamation of culture and sports i have ever come across. it's inspiring to say the least.

i also do like their uniform. lol. best uniform in sports, i reckon. love the simplicity of it's design. black. easy for the supporters to wear the colours too. heh.

so i thought i'd share this piece with former captain tana umaga leading the haka. no disrespect to richie mccaw's current all blacks line up, but i loved the reign of umaga as captain. followed his 8 year career from no.11 all the way to a successful captaincy campaign and then retirement from international test rugby. ok, so i'm not that good at caricartures, but u get the idea.

so yes, u may say it, i haven't got an ounce of patriotism in my body. i'm a malaysian born australian, who would rather live in united kingdom but supports new zealand sports. ahh diversity. love it.

to find out more about rugby union, all blacks or the haka, click the link below. [link]