ABSTRACT

It is the Rugby World Cup fi nal-New Zealand versus France-and expectations are high. The stadium is packed. There is an international television audience of tens of millions all expecting to see a game of rugby at top level. The spectacle promises to be thrilling, where athletes with muscles of steel are about to pulverize each other for 80 minutes. There is the likelihood of injuries and extreme athleticism. But fi rst, the fi fteen New Zealand men, dressed in their national uniform of black, perform a dance.