Maro Itoje has revealed that England's pointed response to the haka before their 33-19 victory over New Zealand was devised by the team's leadership group. The win at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, was England's first against the All Blacks since the 2019 World Cup semi-final and their first on home soil since 2012.
The home players formed a semi-circle as New Zealand performed their traditional haka, with former captain Jamie George and young firebrand Henry Pollock at the front points. Pollock licked his lips and stared intently at the All Blacks, reminiscent of England's V-shaped response in 2019, which had led to fines for crossing the halfway line. This time, no rules were breached.
Itoje explained in his post-match press conference: 'As a group of leaders, we came up with what you guys saw. We were trying to achieve the same thing they were trying to achieve. The haka is a war dance to get themselves up for the game, and our response was to show ourselves, the team and Allianz Stadium that we were ready.'
Despite falling 12-0 behind inside the first 20 minutes, England scored 25 unanswered points to seal a comprehensive win. The victory was only England's third over New Zealand in their last 22 encounters.
