A young Waikato rugby club is going viral for the serious mana their tamariki are bringing to the field.
The Ngāruawāhia-based Turangawaewae under-8s blue team are being praised for their fierce pre-match haka, where their pūkana is next level. “Blue and Gold Mana 😤,” the team captioned the clip.
Honestly, this wee bunch might just have the most powerful expressions I’ve seen in ages.
The comments are full of love, with one person writing: “Tuuuuuuuffff 🔥🔥🔥”
“Grounding our babies through haka - love this ❤️🔥,” said another.
Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke also chimed in with a simple “😍😍”, while Stan Walker added: “Yeeeeeaaaah 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾.”
And it’s not just their haka that stands out - if you take a scroll through their page, the team looks like a mini Super Rugby squad with those action shots.
It’s wicked seeing young Māori owning their space and repping the culture with pride.
It’s got the same energy as the kotiro who wowed everyone with her powerhouse vocals at the Kia Hukere Te Hoe kapa haka comp last year.
“She ain't playing around,” one commenter wrote. “I tear up every time I see the young warriors do this...so beautiful.”
If we’re talking about starting them young, one cheeky bubba still rocking his bib and nappy was caught on camera throwing a cheeky mana wave.
He left it to the last second, but with a cheeky pukana and a quick flick, young Wyatt executed the tiniest and adorable wave.
This new gen of tamariki are showing us how it’s done.
