Once the opening whistle went in Saturday’s quarter-final between New Zealand and Ireland, there was only one team in it.

The match, which ended 46-14 in favour of the All Blacks, serves as a reminder that even though they may not be as formidable as they were at the last Rugby World Cup, they remain the team to beat.

When it comes to singing, however, the Irish fans take some stopping, and their prowess was on full show during the All Black haka.

In a powerful rendition of the Irish folk ballad, ‘The Fields of Athenry’, the marker was laid down:

As has been pointed out by many already, it may not have been a good idea to rile up the All Blacks moments before the match with what could be considered a show of disrespect.

By the way, at least one haka expert disagrees.

Thankfully, the All Blacks play the tournament’s other form team, the English, in Saturday’s semi-final, which kicks off at 10AM South African time.

That leaves the Springboks to face Wales at 11AM on Sunday. If the Springboks intend to employ the same tactics that they used against Japan, they better be icing Faf de Klerk’s foot as we speak.

[source:mashable]