DTNZ: Fiery reaction as All Blacks make divisive ‘political’ statement

In an unusual and divisive departure from tradition All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara made a political statement during the haka in what was his final test match, sparking debate over the mixing of sports and politics.

Perenara’s controversial gesture was added to post-match with several teammates posing with a Tino Rangatiratanga flag.

The actions may lead to a potential alienation of fans who view the All Blacks as a unifying force, not a political platform.

Critics warn that such actions risk diluting the team’s iconic global brand, which has long been celebrated for its discipline, tradition, and focus on excellence, transcending divisive issues.

Passionate debate on X followed, with thousands of long-time rugby union fans expressing their disappointment, while others predicting the actions will tank the All Blacks brand in yet another case of going “woke and broke”.

When I heard TJ Perenara start speaking about the hikoi and the unity of Maori, I thought “you really need to stick to rugby”. Maori are hardly unified.

So the ABs are not representing NZ anymore, just the flag with a scribble on it. There goes my support as I am a New Zealander.

Reminds me of “Black Lives Matter” this thing has external influence written all over it. I kept saying it’s starting to look like another CIA umbrella revolution. The government needs to cut them to size in time.

@NZRugby what do you have to say to your diehard rugby fans for this political stunt and the haka at the beginning of KA mate, because what you have done is made the haka WOKE

AB management need to get this sh*t under control, it has the potential do big damage to their brand

Fkn c**ts!! Management the coaches RugbyNz need to go fk themselves and not us!!!!

People are losing interest in the AB’s anyway. Let this be another knock to their popularity.

Hope sponsors withdraw funding

I think they just lost me.

Go woke go broke all blacks

So they were woke and dumb after all. Next a Jaguar style commercial? Why help radicals like TJ divide NZ? We need to be united to remain competitive.

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Daily Telegraph New Zealand (DTNZ) is an independent news website, first published in October 2021. - where this article was sourced.