Is V for victory or vendetta?

By ALPHATHOUGHTS

It'd be rude of us not to make at least one blog post about the recent rugby world cup commotion going on. There's been a lot of mumble and grumble throughout the country over the past week or so since New Zealand lost to England 19-7 leaving them coming third for 2019.
But all the uproar is not only because of the loss, but the pregame affair of England forming a V-shape around New Zealand as they performed the Haka. England's coach Eddie Jones was apparently behind the plan to combat the New Zealand ritual, saying he wanted everyone to know they were “ready for anything”. The English rugby team was told repeatedly to stay back from the halfway line by officials but failed to listen, resulting in a fine rumoured to be a whopping four digits, leaving them at a deficit of roughly $4500NZD for breaching a “cultural ritual protocol”.

Players of the English rugby team are claiming that they responded out of respect, to show that they are accepting the challenge, that they are just as up for the game as the AB’s. But England’s Captain Owen Farrell has now been made into a meme for sporting a dirty smirk and winking at the team, standing at the head of the V while the Haka was performed, claiming “we wanted not to just stand there and let them come at us”. Mako Vunipola also admitted “we knew it would rile them up”, proving maybe it wasn't so friendly and respectful.

Controversial Welsh columnist Stephen Jones is also joining in on the ruckus by calling the Haka “bogus” writing "It is now interminable; it takes up ages with the other team freezing. It is now a means of rank bullying on and off the field, and has become a posing strut rather than a tribute to the Māori heritage in New Zealand."

While many are taking the response from England as an offence, All Blacks coach said their response was “fantastic” he went on to explain “The haka requires a response. It's a challenge to you, personally, and it requires a response. I thought it was brilliant and quite imaginative, too." He also pointed out that the fine issued wasn't for retaliating to the Haka but for crossing the half way line.
Regardless of whether the response was out of respect or an attempt to upstage the team, The All Blacks kept it classy and took the retaliation from England on the chin like absolute champs.

So what do you think? Did the All Blacks respond accordingly or should we have done more? Was England’s response out of respect or malice? Do you feel sorry for the opposing team “freezing” whilst we do the Haka?