Bring attitude. But bring it to the pitch.
Doug Howlett doesn’t buy into the changing room nonsense before games.
He doesn’t like punching lockers. He doesn’t like roaring and shouting. He doesn’t like spoofing, basically. He likes to do his talking on the pitch.
Where it matters. When it counts.
For Doug Howlett, the Haka isn’t even a form of psyching himself up nor is it an objective to intimidate opponents. It’s simply paying homage to the tradition and history of New Zealand.
International athletes don’t need any false bravado before games. When the whistle blows, they spring to action. And they do it time and again.
“It’s how an individual prepares,” Howlett spoke with SportsJOE. “Of times gone by, there was a lot of razzle and ginger – or whatever you call it – in the changing room. However, the way the game has gone, it’s all about knowing your job, bringing attitude, and not showing that attitude in the changing room, but once you’re on the pitch.
“Because there’s nothing surer than, once you’re on that field of play, you’re going to be called upon to stand up. And to stand up to the challenge. And that’s where we want to see all the aggression and attitude and all these things that we’ve spoken about.
“There’s a time and place for everything – but you can’t do that shouting and punching walls every game. Just like anything you do, if you do it too often, it loses its shine. There may be a time once or twice in the tournament where that’s called for but consistency is the key in this tournament and what you need to do is just replicate that perfect performance – or that close to perfect performance – time and time again. That’s how you win.”
The Haka, for Howlett, wasn’t part of any psychological build-up. Simply honour.
2008 was one of the finest memories in the life of the former Munster player when he got to perform the Haka face-to-face with his compatriots in one spine-tingling night in Thomond Park.
“Different people do the Haka for different reasons,” Howlett explained. “Personally, as an All Black, I perform to honour those that have gone before us, to honour the tradition of being an All Black and that’s probably the reason I do it – it’s a hundred years of history.
“For me, it’s not to intimidate or to impose myself on anybody. The opposition are welcome to receive the Haka in whatever way they wish.
“Like I say, it’s not to impose ourselves on anybody. It’s more for the history and the tradition – you know, over a hundred years, there’s a lot of tradition in that – and how people respond is entirely up to themselves. And, as we perform the Haka, we respect how it’s treated.”
He respects a certain Irish setup too.
As the World Cup inches closer, Irish people are trying desperately not to get ahead of themselves. Of course though, all we want to do is get ahead of ourselves.
Ireland could face the All Blacks in the quarter finals and that doesn’t exactly thrill the New Zealander.
“As an All Blacks fan, that quarter final weekend is going to be a difficult weekend regardless of the opposition,” Howlett said.
“The All Blacks are obviously going in as favourites. They’re world number one, have been for a long time and they’re playing some great rugby, some super athletes.
“However, it’s a World Cup. Every team is at their best for this tournament. I say the All Blacks but I’m not entirely confident. There are some good teams once you get to the knockout stages, Ireland being one of them that could certainly challenge the All Blacks.
“You have to go in to these tournaments thinking you’re going to win everything. Any of those top six or seven or eight teams – if you’re ranked in that position – have to be going in to win this tournament and they have to have the confidence to do so.
“If Ireland are going to get to the World Cup final and perform, it’s going to take a group. It’s not going to be an individual. 10 of the 15 are going to have to play the best games of their lives,” Howlett said.
“In terms of wildcards, someone like Keith Earls can really open up a game. Simon Zebo, it’s the perfect stage for someone like that come in and just blast a hole through whoever the opposition is.
“Then you go back to the mainstays like Paul O’Connell and Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray – these types of guys. Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien, you could go through the group but every guy that I mention has to have the best game of their life – at the same time. And that happens.
“Everyone’s talking about avoiding a potential quarter final against the All Blacks but, in terms of building confidence within the group, striking form at the right time, Ireland-France is the last pool game so, leading in to the following week, they want to be hitting some good form – more importantly than who they play in the quarters.
“And if they do have to play the All Blacks, I think they have to go all guns blazing and they’ll take confidence out of what they almost did a couple of years ago in Dublin.”
*Howlett was speaking to help launch AIG’s Haka 360˚ Experience, an app which uses 360 degree video technology to give the viewer the feeling of being on the field with the All Blacks and in the midst of the powerful Māori ritual. The Haka 360˚ experience is available via aig.com/haka360, on the App Store and Google Play.
