Footy great Willie Mason has set the record straight on the controversial time he was called out for ‘disrespecting’ the New Zealand Haka during an international match.
The opening game of the 2006 Tri-Nations competition between Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain was soaked in controversy.
And it all began before a ball had been kicked, with Mason attracting the ire of New Zealand players and supporters by swearing at the Kiwis during their traditional pre-game war dance.
As the New Zealand side performed the Haka, the camera panned to Mason who could be clearly seen mouthing the words ‘f*** off’ at the Kiwis.
Around 24 minutes later, Kiwi enforcer David Kidwell got square by ironing out Mason in a bone-rattling tackle that left him with a swollen and bruised eye and bloodied face.
But speaking on his Levels podcast with former Kiwi international Justin Horo, Mason said he was never swearing at the Haka at all, but was actually engaging in some banter with one of his mates in the New Zealand side.
‘Just say back to the Haka where they think I disrespected it, it was me and f***ing Brent Webb calling each other names,’ he said.
‘Because Webby was just there and I was like, “You can’t play for this Aussie [team], you can’t get this Aussie jersey, guess what, you’re playing for New Zealand”.
‘That’s what was f***ing said. You’re f***ing not good enough. Because I’m taking the p***. Because he was taking the p*** out of me when we were singing the anthem, because we’re mates.
‘It wasn’t anything rude, it wasn’t disrespectful.’
Television footage showed Mason (centre) mouthing obscenities at the Kiwis when they performed the Haka in a 2006 match between New Zealand and Australia
Brent Webb (pictured front left) allegedly sledged Mason while the Aussies sang their anthem
Previously, New Zealand-born Mason said he would never intentionally disrespect the famous dance.
‘I was born in New Zealand [and] the whole disrespecting the Haka, it’s pretty hard to do,’ he said.
‘There’s nothing but respect to the Haka.
‘To Kiddy [Kidwell], I reckon it just probably made his whole career,’ Mason added.
‘It’s just like it couldn’t have happened any better for him.
‘I was like, “How could I disrespect the Haka?” I’ve got nothing but love for New Zealand and nothing but love for the Haka and respect.
‘It was just taken out of context. I didn’t understand why and how you could disrespect the Haka by just telling another bloke to get effed.’
New Zealand forward David Kidwell ironed Mason out in the same match in a bone-crunching tackle in response to his apparent disrespect of the Haka
Mason was left bloodied and bruised, but played the match out and has revealed he was not disrespecting the Haka, but engaging in banter with a mate
Mason and Horo also spoke about the Samoan war dance the Sipi Tau which has been used in recent internationals between Samoa and England.
Horo said that Samoa crossed a line by getting up in the faces of the English players and said they should only get that close against nations that also had a war dance.
‘I don’t like it when they get in their faces when the other team isn’t doing the war dance back,’ he said.
‘Now I might get roasted by my Kiwi counterparts here on my Pacific Island counterparts.
‘Let me clarify, if it’s Tonga versus Samoa, get in each other’s grill. Because you are both going through a war dance.
‘But when the English players are just standing there and have got to cop it like little Mikey Lewis did … I just don’t like when they create that boundary.’
‘I would be like ‘you better be starting’,’ Mason added.
‘If you were f***ing going to deliver that, you better be in the middle and f***ing laying people out in that first set.
‘You can’t roll there and just go back on the bench and let the big dogs handle it.
It also comes after England rugby star Joe Marler was forced to apologise after sensationally called for the All Blacks Haka to ‘be binned’ during the week.
Marler had also claimed that war dances should only be performed when both nations had a chance to perform one.
‘It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week,’ he posted.
Nevertheless, his comments outraged English fans and even politicians, forcing an apology.
‘Hey rugby fans,’ he posted on X.
‘Just wanted to jump on here and say sorry to any New Zealand fans I upset with my poorly articulated tweet earlier in the week.
‘I meant no malice in asking for it (the haka) to be binned, just want to see the restrictions lifted to allow for a response without sanction.’
