Munster's Maori 'emptied' his tank
Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:37
Munster's very own Maori, centre Rua Tipoki, said he was thrilled with both his performance on the field and the opportunity to do a pre-match Haka, to challenge the All Blacks in Limerick on Tuesday.
It took a 76th-minute try by flying wing Joe Rokocoko to seal a 18-16 win for New Zealand against a determined Munster outfit at a packed Thomond Park.
The game, arranged to mark the 30th anniversary of Munster's win over the All Blacks, was a great spectacle - from the very moment when All Black Doug Howlett, New Zealand Sevens player Lifeimi Mafi and former Marlborough player Jerry Manning joined Tipoki in fronting the All Blacks with their own Haka.
And for Tipoki, who lead the Munster Haka, it was "a once in a lifetime opportunity".
"I wasn't going to come off wondering if I had anything left in the tank," Tipoki said.
"But the knee got a bit of a knock and it wasn't one of those games where you can bluff your way through. If you are half lame and you are not 100 percent then you have to get off," he said of the injury that forced him off early in the second half with a knee injury that saw him hobble into the press conference on crutches.
Tipoki also spoke of the pride he had in leading the Munster Haka.
"As a Kiwi boy you grow up hoping that you are going to play for the All Blacks one day and as a Maori to do the haka for the All Blacks," he said, adding that to challenge the All Blacks was the next best thing.
"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity I suppose. We got asked to represent our team. We weren't sure but we spoke to everyone and that's what they wanted us to do on behalf of our team. So it was a special moment in my career and I will always remember it."
It was an electrifying moment for the crowd as well, setting them off in a frenzy.
"The crowd just went ballistic. The adrenalin just pumped, we were trying to keep together," said Tipoki who was equally delighted with the way the All Blacks responded.
"They did an awesome haka. I have faced plenty of Hakas and that was awesome."
Piri Weepu, a Maori player who captained the All Blacks against Munster and led the New Zealand haka, was equally impressed with the effort from the Munster quartet.
"It was quite noisy so you couldn't really hear it but you could see the expression on the boys faces," said Weepu.
"It was a challenge for me to step up and challenge them back and I think the boys stepped up to that tonight. We met the challenge."
Munster skipper Mick O'Driscoll said there was never any doubt about the haka being performed in the club's famous red jersey.
"Rua is one of the proudest men you'd ever meet and it was something he wanted to do. We all rode in behind him.
"As a team and our management I think it was a very proud occasion for them to do that. We were over the moon for them."
