The New Zealand All Blacks' Haka is one of the wildest spectacles in sport

International games always seem to have a little bit more behind them. 

There’s just something about representing your country that feels a little bit bigger than sport, and the New Zealand All Blacks have always kept tradition at the root of their international games. 

We’d argue that the All Blacks have the most effective and mesmerizing pre-game tradition in sport - the famed haka. 

The Haka is actually an ancient dance from the Māori tribe, used traditionally as a dance to prepare warriors for battle either on the field before it began, or just before setting off to battle from their own village. 

The dance, almost primal in the frenzy it creates, effectively preparing soldiers for the brutality of war, has famously been adopted by the All Blacks as a part of a dizzying pre-game ritual, and at the Rugby World Cup, we were treated to it once more.

Honestly, if it were us on the other side, we’d probably walk right off the field. 

That is INTIMIDATING.