Wallabies coach Dave Rennie slams All Blacks star for saying Aussies disrespected the haka during Bledisloe Cup clash – and says his team will do it AGAIN
- Dave Rennie has hit back at claims Australia were ‘disrespecting’ the haka
- The Wallabies stood in a boomerang shape in response to the All Blacks
- New Zealand star Rieko Ioane claimed that the response was disrespectful
- However, Rennie insists that his side will not hesitate doing it again
Dave Rennie has hit back at All Blacks star Rieko Ioane after his Wallabies side were accused of disrespecting the haka, and insisted that Australia will not be changing their stance moving forwards.
The Wallabies’ first Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand ended in drama as the Australians were angered over late officiating decisions they felt swing the match in the All Blacks’ favour, who won by two points.
There has been plenty of back-and-forth in the aftermath of last week’s clash but one comment from Ioane regarding Australia’s response to the haka has left the typically mild-mannered Rennie seething.
Dave Rennie has hit back at a New Zealand star’s claim Australia ‘disrespected’ the haka
The back claimed that the Wallabies’ decision to stand in the shape of a boomerang as New Zealand performed the haka was an act of disrespect, a statement that Rennie has since labelled ‘a bit odd’.
‘I know Rieko Ioane had a lot to say to our boys after the final try, mouthing off at Folau Fainga’a about disrespecting the haka,’ the Wallabies coach said via Fox Sports.
‘Which is a bit odd because as New Zealanders would know, when a team does a haka you respond with a haka; we don’t have the luxury of responding with a haka.
‘So our response was in the boomerang shape and to move forward, and by throwing down a challenge we’re accepting it.
The Wallabies stood in a boomerang shape and stared down their rivals in the Bledisloe Cup
Rieko Ioane claimed that the act was disrespectful but Rennie was having none of it
‘There’s a fair bit of banter that goes on the field, and it just adds to the theatre I think.’
He added that Ioane’s comments would not deter his side from walking towards the haka again, insisting that it is a ‘respectful’ way of responding.
‘No, I mean, that’s our reply, it’s how we respond,’ he said. ‘I was just a bit surprised that he thinks it’s disrespectful.
‘That there’s an expectation that we just stand there and they throw a challenge at us and we do nothing. Just take it.
‘We think it’s a very respectful way of responding, and it’s unique to us because of the boomerang shape, so we won’t we won’t be stopping that.’
