#2. Nice T-Shirts
France not only delivered their own message of defiance, wearing T-shirts in the colours of the tricolore and standing inches away from their opponents’ noses, they also won the game, 20-18, to prompt the biggest bout of World Cup agonising in New Zealand since the previous one.
#1. England’s epic V
England’s incredible response to an intense All Blacks Haka during the 2019 Rugby World Cup has been viewed more than 12m times on Youtube.
While most teams stand in a line while facing the Haka, English players adopted a V-formation with a number of players standing over the halfway line.
Eddie Jones men were fined £2,000 by World Rugby for standing too close to the Haka before their 19-7 win.
All Blacks hooker Dane Coles called England’s response “awesome,” while head coach Steve Hansen praised the players for standing up to it.
“They didn’t get fined for responding to the haka – they got fined for coming over halfway,” Hanson said.
“Joe (Marler) didn’t go back when he was told two or three times. The haka requires a response. It’s a challenge to you, personally, and it requires a response.