... Sports teams around the world have been known to perform war hakas immediately prior to international matches, as an alternative to just standing still while the national anthem sounds. The haka reflects the importance of the game, it motivates the teams and their supporters to greater efforts, and, of course, like in the old days on the Māori battlefields, the hakas challenge the opponent in an intimidating way. And crowds go wild … Sports is war. And entertainment. The International Rugby Union Team of New Zealand, the All Blacks, have been doing hakas since 1906. Sometimes hakas written especially for the occasion, occasionally since 2005 a new haka named 'Kapa o Pango', but most commonly the 'Ka Mate'. The 'Ka Mate' generally opens with a set of five preparatory instructions shouted by the leader, before the whole team joins in. These are the words:

 

Leader: Ringa pakia! Uma tiraha! Turi whatia! Hope whai ake! Waewae takahia kia kino! Leader: Ka mate, ka mate Team: Ka ora, ka ora Leader: Ka mate, ka mate Team: Ka ora, ka ora All together : Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā Ā upane, ka upane Ā upane, ka upane Whiti te rā, hī!

Leader: Slap the hands against the thighs! Puff out the chest! Bend the knees! Let the hip follow! Stamp the feet as hard as you can! Leader: ’Tis death, ‘tis death (or: I may die) Team: ’Tis life, ‘tis life (or: I may live) Leader: ’Tis death, ‘tis death Team: ’Tis life, ‘tis life   All together : This the hairy man that stands here… …who brought the sun and caused it to shine A step upward, another step upward A step upward, another step upward The sun shines! It is death, it is death: it is life, it is life; this is the man who enabled me to live as I climb up step by step toward sunlight.

(Source: Internet)