Kia Ora !! (which means Greeting or Hello in Maori language)
Even though there was a silence for 2 weeks with the schools rugby season, the heat is still on and hasn’t got any lower.
Bradby encounter is Sri Lanka’s most iconic rugby encounter no matter what. However this year’s 2nd leg in Colombo was an unique one.
Trinitians coming to Colombo for the 2nd leg with a lead of 8 points never would have expected a retaliation from their traditional opponents for their first ever Haka in public. Though some rugby fans thought it was totally a wannabe factor and not part of the traditional Bradby protocol. But there is no other bigger occasion than the Bradby to launch it and it THE MATCH of a lifetime for both Trinity and Royal.
However no one would have ever expected the Royalists to retaliate in that manner openly two weeks after the Hoo ! Haa ! in their game against Isipathana. Even though the Greens go to town with that video counter attacking the MURC video to prove who is right and who is wrong. Absolutely funny !
The word HAKA is very familiar among Sri Lankans because of All Blacks and many thinks it a war cry done scare your opponents. However Wikipedia gives some interesting facts as stated below.
“The Haka (plural is the same as singular: haka) is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.[1] The New Zealand rugby team’s practice of performing a haka before their matches has made the dance more widely known around the world.
Although the use of haka by the All Blacks rugby union team and the Kiwis rugby league team has made one type of haka familiar, it has led to misconceptions.[2] Haka are not exclusively war dances or performed only by men.[3] Some are performed by women, others by mixed groups, and some simple haka are performed by children. Haka are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements, occasions or funerals.
War Haka (peruperu) were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitutes an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion.”
I spoke to the Head Coach of Trinity college – Mr.Neil Foote who is coming from the country where the HAKA started. He said“This haka has been one year in the making a lot if thought has gone into. It has never been heard outside of Trinity college prior to Saturday. It is not copied or borrowed from anyone it is unique and specific to the Trinity College. The boys have spent their own time outside of school and rugby trainings learning not only the Haka but the meaning and significance of it. Raiona Manawa ( Lion Heart) does not belong to New Zealand the words originate from Trinity were sent to a respected elder of the Rangitane tribe of which I am affiliated. They were transcribed into Maori and bought back to Sri Lanka by Nathan Riwai – who is the coach our junior development consultant and we taught the boys. When the All Blacks performed Kapa O Pango for the very first time they chose their greatest and most revered foe in South Africa for to do it to. We chose our greatest and most respected rivals Royal College to receive this honor along with the greatest occasion we meet at, the bradby. There is nothing derogatory in this Haka towards Royal College it is simply about our values, our qualities, our identity and the pride we have in being in the chosen few to represent this great institution of Trinity College. It is a treasure that has been gifted to Trinity rugby by Nathan and myself. It is disappointing that this has overshadowed a great fight back by Royal College or the determination in defense by the Trinity team to win the shield for the third year in a row”
The English meaning / Translation of the TRINITY HAKA
*Raiona Manawa (lion heart)*
The earth will tremble under my feet
We have travelled alone on different paths to stand here together as one
We were forged in the hills by earth and fire and turned into steel by water
We hunt as a pride with the heart of a lion
We are ready to die for red gold and blue. We stand on the shoulders of the past. When one warrior falls another will take his place
We are the future. We are the chosen from Trinity, the school on the hill.
The best school of all !
I think there is no better explanation to this other than the above.
On a funnier note it’s excusable for Royal to retaliate as they would have never faced a Haka. Therefore they didn’t know how to react / respect it. But in the end, it was a sweet revenge for the little dynamo – Halique Wadood and company who won the 69th Bradby Shield Encounter with a 46-38 aggregate and retains the Shield for the third consecutive year. However I am sure this game was a memorable one for the referee Mr.Dilroy Fernando as he retired after a 22 years’ with the whistle in his career where he officiated over 550 games.
I am not a Trinitian , Royalist nor a Thomian. Even though some of the other schools claim that they did a HAKA first in a school’s rugby match, I would like to mention something.
Way before Kingswood, Wesley or CR & FC did the Haka before or after their matches, It was St.Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia had their own little unique thing in the middle.
If I can remember right, in the 90’s the Thora players huddle in the middle , scot down and say raw Sinhala poem (which I don’t want to mention here) with their fists hitting on to the grounds and a jump at the end. I am sure many who played against Thora back in the 90’s or even in the early 2000’s would have experienced this and all those great Thomians who wore the 1st XV Blue, Black and Blue striped jersey would still remember those words in that Haka or huddle they did before every game. I got to know that the pet name what they call that drill was “Kotanawa” and there were many instances the crowd of the opposition team scream out words like “PITI KOTAPUNG NONEY” when the Thomians starts it. No matter what – it was also an unique thing from Thora which went for generations to generations.
Coming back to the schools rugby season, Thora beat Joes last weekend to regain the Lady Jayathilleka Memorial Shield to Mount after a laps of 3 years. The Anthonian eagles passed the Science test with a ding dong battle in Kandy.
The remaining matches will continue as planned.
St.Peter’s will meet Wesely on Friday – 21st June at Royal Complex.
On 22nd June – Trinity will meet Isipathana at Pallekele while St. Anthony’s with lock horns with their rivals in the same town Kingswood at Bogambara. Joes will face Science at Royal Complex and Royal will play the Unbeaten Rajans on 28(Saturday) – at Royal Complex.
Editor’s note : Paka – means fine –(Sinhala term maru) it’s a lightly used term and the correct word is ‘pukkah’ but the writer has coined the phrase to rhyme with the Haka.
