Don’t haka off the All Blacks!
What has been the best response to the New Zealand All Blacks’ haka? The haka, based on the traditional Maori ceremonial challenge, is one of the most formidable sights in sport. The opposing team is expected to stand still and watch, but this is not always the case.
It has been claimed that the haka confers an unfair psychological advantage over opponents. This is hard to prove as the All Blacks are such a great team that they may well win without it.
however, it’s possible that it gives a physical pre-match boost. One of the buzzwords in sports physio is myofascia — the thin, tough layer of tissue that surrounds muscles and bones. This gel is semi- solid under static conditions, but moves easily when shaken, heated or stressed — as during a haka.
So, the haka may work as a deep physical and emotional warm-up while the static opponents get cold. Those who joke that england players should do a Morris dance or Scotland perform a highland fling before a run-in on the pitch with the All Blacks may be on to something.
Over the years, only a few haka responses have been successful. In the 1997 match between england and the All Blacks at Old Trafford, england hooker Richard Cockerill famously wandered out of the england line to stare down his opposite number, Norm hewitt. The response? A 25-8 win for the All Blacks.
At the 1991 World Cup semi-final at Landsdowne Road in Dublin, the Australia winger David Campese treated the haka with total disdain.
he refused to even entertain it as a concept, leaving the rest of his teammates to stare at the All Blacks while he spent his time practising his kicking between his own posts.
The Aussies went on to win 16-6 (before beating england in the final), with the outstanding Campese scoring a try.
The All Blacks’ 2008 tour of Britain and Ireland saw them play Munster on the 30th anniversary of a famous match where the provincial team had beat them 12-0.
The game was meant to be a formality as 33-1 outsiders Munster were a second string outfit. however, it turned out to be a cracker. Munster’s Kiwi contingent — Doug howlett, Rua Tipoki, Lifeimi Mafi and Munster cheers Jeremy of 26,000 haka Manning backed fans in Thomond — by led the a raucous one- Park. off
The All Blacks’ response was then given the silent treatment by the crowd — the famous ‘Thomond hush’. There followed a scintillating match that Munster lost 1816 after a last gasp try by the All Blacks.
And who could forget the extraordinary 2007 quarter final between France and the All Blacks?
During the haka, France, including the giant, bearded flanker Sebastien Chabal aka The Caveman, came face to face with the Kiwis to stare them down. The French went on to win 20-18 with a mix of Gallic flair and good fortune.
Alan Davis, Liverpool.
Did the Hudson’s Bay Company invade Russia in the 19th century in defence of its fur trapping rights?
The hudson’s Bay Company had surprisingly good relations with Russia during the 19th century, despite the Crimean war. The company was established by Royal Charter in 1670, becoming Canada’s premier fur trading company for more than 200 years.
Just 2½ miles of sea separate Alaska and Russia at their closest point. This proximity led Russia to develop interests in Alaska, and it granted sole rights for trade in America to the Russian American Company.
The hudson’s Bay Company was by far the more successful. Relations were fairly cordial, though it did attempt to gain an interest in Alaska. It eventually struck a deal with Russia to lease part of the Alaskan mainland.
During the Crimean War, the Russian American Company feared an invasion of its Alaskan settlements by British forces. Discussions with the hudson’s Bay Company began in the spring of 1854, with each company pledging to continue peaceable relations and to press their governments to do the same. In 1921, the hudson’s Bay Company decided to explore the prospects of fur trading in eastern Siberia independently and launched the Kamchatka Venture. however, by early 1923, the political situation in the region saw it withdraw and, two years later, liquidate its Russian assets. Alex Kirtley, Thirsk, N. Yorks.
Is snoring caused by the difference in breathing when we are asleep and awake?
OuR breathing patterns do change during sleep, but this general process of relaxation is not the cause of snoring.
When we are awake, breathing is mostly irregular because it is affected by speech, emotions, exercise and posture.
During non-ReM sleep (which accounts for 80 per cent of an adult’s sleeping time), you breathe slowly and regularly, though a little more shallowly than when awake. During ReM sleep, the pattern is more variable, with an overall increase in breathing rate.
Snoring occurs when air flows past your tongue, soft palate and airway as you breathe. The sagging tissues narrow your airway, causing them to vibrate. It is the act of breathing across these relaxed tissues that causes snoring.
A. P. Singh, Birmingham.
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