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'I was wired': Ex-Ireland skipper on infamous All Blacks haka row
Former Ireland skipper Willie Anderson has revealed how ex-All Blacks captain Andy Leslie unwittingly gave him the idea to infamously confront the haka by marching forward towards Buck Shelford’s team in Dublin in 1989. The 66-year-old Irishman has just written his autobiography, Crossing The Line, and graphic details of the now 32-year-old Lansdowne Road bust-up are contained in it.
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Anderson created headlines around the rugby world when he led a V-shaped Ireland advance over the halfway line which resulted in them going nose to nose pre-game with Shelford’s New Zealand.
It was an incredibly raucous piece of theatre but what has now emerged in a book that is being published this month by Reach Sport (click here to purchase) is that the seed for Ireland’s confrontational approach was planted by Andy Leslie, the ten-cap ex-All Blacks skipper who went on to live in Limerick in the early 1990s where he coached Garryowen in the early days of the All Ireland League.
How to handle the haka was on the top of the to-do list of Jimmy Davidson, the Ireland coach at the time, and how Munster had lined up directly opposite the All Blacks at Musgrave Park in 1989 dominated the conversation between the coach and Anderson on their drive home from that match in Cork.
In the end, though, what Ireland decided to do with the haka for the subsequent Test match versus the All Blacks stemmed from a casual chat with Leslie. “In the week of the game we got some interesting insight from Andy Leslie, the former New Zealand captain,” wrote Anderson in The Flag, the Haka and Facing My Life, the entertaining book of his life and times written in collaboration with Brendan Fanning.
This day 27 years ago Willie Anderson walked down the Haka! pic.twitter.com/WP9BojRfRW
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) November 18, 2016
“Jimmy knew him [Leslie] well from Ireland’s tour to NZ in 1976. Andy was in town leading a supporters group and we met up for a chat. Off his own bat, Andy mentioned how the All Blacks loved it when teams wouldn’t meet the challenge of the haka full-on. Better still if they conceded ground. ‘It’s like we’re taking your territory – that’s the mental advantage,’ he said.
“Andy wasn’t giving us advice. He had no idea what we planned, but the moment the words came out of his mouth I could hear the wheels spinning in Jimmy’s brain… The plan was to link arms on the halfway line, look them in the eye, and stand our ground. I was wired. From the moment the All Blacks were getting into their wee shape my focus was locked on Shelford. I started shouting at him: ‘We’re gonna bate ye! We’re gonna bate ye!’
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“Then I started inching my way forwards towards him. He had the loosehead prop, Steve McDowell, sharing the leadership role. They were out in front with the rest of the team spread out behind them. Shelford was already halfway to ‘Kamate Kamate’ land with his nostrils flaring and eyes bulging. And I was en route to joining him.
“The march forward was spur of the moment stuff. It just felt right. They were able to stomp their feet and make all sorts of gestures and we had to stand there and admire them? No, I wasn’t having that. But it rattled some of our lads who weren’t sure how this was going to end Davy (Irwin) and Phil (Orr) managed to find a balance between supporting the cause and not starting World War 3!
“Not easy in the circumstances. If anyone had taken my lead it would have been mayhem,” reckoned Anderson, the no-nonsense second row who was capped on 27 occasions by Ireland before embarking on a varied coaching career that included stints with Dungannon, London Irish, Leinster, Scotland and his native Ulster.
“I wasn’t thinking about that at the time. It was incredible how quickly the mood escalated. In an instant, the crowd were on board and my heart was beating out of my chest. Thankfully we hadn’t made contact before Shelford got to the last line, by which point the crowd were going mental. I was nose to nose with him. McDowell was pretty close to Nick Popplewell, a few yards to my left, who was winning his first cap.
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“As it all broke up Sean Fitzpatrick was hovering with a menacing look on his face. We didn’t budge as the All Blacks broke up to take up their positions for the kick-off. That wasn’t planned either but the wee pause added dramatic effect. Then we broke ranks and I waved my arms to encourage the crowd as we went to receive the kick. The noise was incredible. Honestly, I’ve never been as pumped in all my life. My adrenaline rating would have been off the charts.”
Ireland’s confrontation of the haka ultimately didn’t work in their favour as the All Blacks ran out winners on a 23-6 scoreline. “When the media asked me about it I said New Zealand won the game and we won the dance,” continued Anderson. “On the day they recovered quickly enough to win well. That’s what good teams do, and they were excellent.”
"As a technical rugby coach, he was clueless"
– Ex-Ireland skipper Willie Anderson has written an excellent autobiography which includes a vivid account of his short-lived stint working as an assistant to Clive Woodward at London Irish
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 2, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments