The South African Rugby Union has cited “time-keeping challenges” after the All Blacks’ Haka was interrupted by fireworks, the song “Sister Bethina,” and an A380 airliner at Ellis Park on Saturday.
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SA Rugby issued a formal apology to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) on Monday for the sequence of events that led to the premature conclusion of the Haka ahead of the Rugby Championship match between the Springboks and the All Blacks.
SA Rugby chief Rian Oberholzer says he has apologised in person and have written to the NZRFU to formally express their regret for what occurred.
“It was never the intention to schedule any activities that would coincide with such an iconic moment of any Test match against the All Blacks. That it occurred was a result of timekeeping challenges and simple human error,” said Oberholzer.
“In the confusion, the crowd’s excited cheering was mistaken to have marked the conclusion of the Haka by an unsighted sound engineer who restarted the music programme. It was highly regrettable but in no way deliberate.”
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