Intimidation Tactics

Ahead of the 21 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the All Whites are included in a Vanity Fair article about the 32 participating teams. The author apologises for “an earlier version of [his] post incorrectly stated that the All Whites actually do begin each game with the Haka. But we’ve been corrected by our many … um … fans in New Zealand.” And in this post: “If only the team could start each match with the Haka — à la the rugby team — as a little pre-game intimidation ritual! But it’ll need more than that to emerge from its group, in which Italy is the clear favorite, and Paraguay and Slovakia won’t be pushovers. This is New Zealand’s first trip to the World Cup in 28 years.” The All Whites open their tournament against Slovakia at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on June 15 and then take on world champions Italy on June 2 before Paraguay on June 24. The team will be captained by centre-back Ryan Nelsen.