‘Honour the haka with bagpipes’
In a report sent to The Scotsman and the SRU, John McLister claims the IRB’s ruling that New Zealand’s opponents should honour the haka by facing it in silence is at odds with Maori tradition, and urges Scotland fans to play bagpipes and sing Scots Wha Ha’e in response to it.
A mature student at Canterbury University in Christchurch, Mr McLister has interviewed Maori leaders and a variety of other New Zealanders for a research project on the haka, a challenge that has become a controversial part of the New Zealand warm-up.
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An SRU spokesman would not be drawn on whether it would take on Mr McLister’s idea, but confirmed that bagpipes were welcome in the stadium, stating: “We would encourage supporters to give the team their usual tremendous backing.”