England have been fined an undisclosed amount after their V-shape formation response to New Zealand's haka at last weekend's Rugby World Cup semi-final, despite a positive response from both All Blacks players and World Rugby's social media channels.
Protocol states opponents must remain in their own half while the All Blacks perform their traditional war dance, but several England players strayed across halfway despite the efforts of officials to usher them back.
Despite the fine, New Zealand's beaten coach Steve Hansen on Wednesday praised the way England's players faced down the haka, calling it "brilliant and imaginative".
All Blacks hooker Dane Coles described it as "awesome", joking that England would be happy to take the financial hit.
Additionally, World Rugby's YouTube channel captioned the video as "incredible" while also accumulating more than four million views.
The amount of the fine was not revealed but in 2011, France were docked £2,500 (Dh11,800) after they formed an arrowhead shape and marched towards the haka before the World Cup final in Auckland.
England won the blockbuster semi-final 19-7 to dethrone the two-time defending champions and will take on South Africa in Saturday's final.
As New Zealand lined up to begin the haka, England's players opted not to face the challenge shoulder-to-shoulder, as is customary, and instead lined up in an inverted V with the two prongs arrowing towards their rivals, as if to envelop them.
At the tips of the formation, six players - Joe Marler, Billy Vunipola, Mark Wilson, Elliot Daly, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ben Youngs - appeared to be in New Zealand's half as referee Nigel Owens tried in vain to order them back.
After the blockbuster clash, New Zealand scrum-half Aaron Smith claimed that England captain Owen Farrell, who stood at the apex of the V, had winked at him.
Videos of Farrell and centre Manu Tuilagi smirking at the haka, while prop Kyle Sinckler rolls his eyes, have gone viral.
England's Mako Vunipola revealed that head coach Eddie Jones, one of rugby's great wind-up merchants, had come up with the idea as a ploy to "rile up" the All Blacks.
Farrell added: "We wanted not to just stand there and let them come at us."
World Rugby said England had breached tournament rules "relating to cultural challenges", but Hansen applauded the actions of the English players.
"I thought their response was fantastic," he said. "They didn't get fined for responding to the haka - they got fined for coming over halfway.
"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. I thought it was brilliant and quite imaginative, too."
Marler continued to remonstrate with Owens as he left the pitch to take his place on the bench. Coles, though, insisted there were no hard feelings.
"That's what it's about, I thought it was awesome," he said. "All the boys were pretty pumped. They earn a [lot] of money so they can afford the fines.
"They'd be like 'I'll take the hit!' We were looking around at each other, going: 'Bring it on'. It was awesome. We enjoyed it."
Asked about England's haka challenge, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus said: "I don't think it was disrespectful ... I wouldn't make a big issue about it."
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
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13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
RESULT
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Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
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3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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7pm: Flood Zone
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8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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