Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Kelleher the Frenchman and his Haka on top of the Toulouse bus
The former All Black has now revealed that he plans to stay with the champion club for as long as possible, and says hes very much in love with the place and the people.
I am very happy. The World Cup was a big disappointment for me but I came to Toulouse and I have been adopted by the people here, Kelleher said.
The 31-year-old, who was in tears at the end of the win over Clermont, added that he hopes to renegotiate his contract this week to extend his stay in La Ville Rose.
The scrum-half has another 12 months left on his contract but wants to stay on longer at the French giants.
"I'm happy here in France, enjoying my rugby in France. I've started a new life and I feel like I'm 21 again. Here it's a dream come true. To come here and play the European Cup final, and now the final for Top 14, I'm pretty happy about that.
He also added that he still hasnt given up hope of playing for the All Blacks again in the 2011 World Cup, but for now its all about Toulouse and his enjoyment of the French rugby experience.
I didn't think the intensity was here, but now that I have seen it, I can see why the All Blacks can be beaten in the World Cup - because there are such good players here.
"I wanted to come to France because they actually play rugby, not like some northern hemisphere teams where they kick the ball a lot, there is a lot of structure, it's all about pattern.
"When you feel adopted by the people, it's important to make sure they see that you are here playing for the right reasons. I'm very excited, because I feel that in the short time I have been here, I feel really like a Toulouse person now, in my heart."
So, Kelleher is a genuine Toulousian these days, and during their championship winning customary victory parade through the streets of the city, Kelleher decided to whip off his shirt and give a little something from his culture back to the French fans who have given so much of theirs to him.
Intense while in some ways humorous, this clip makes us wonder if someone forgot to tell Byron that scrumhalfs are meant to be scrawny little guys.
Posted at 2:10 pm | 54 comments
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Viewing 54 comments
Chazza July 02, 2008 12:40 pm
Great that was awesome, as an Australian i respect the haka 100% although someother people dontgood result for Toulouse and isnt he buff????
MunsterManic July 02, 2008 1:24 pm
Good job that bus is owned by Toulose I'd hate to see the damage done to the roof, Kelleher isn't the lightest of scrumhalf !!
webby July 02, 2008 2:06 pm
Christ i thought he was carrying a bit of timber but look at the size of the f**cker!
Matt July 02, 2008 2:14 pm
.........i guess im the only one who thinks this guy is a cock....I think the haka is awesome but there is something not entirely formidable about a white midget (muscley but still a midget) doing it.....any of the south sea islanders, like nonu or Umanga are impressive, this guy, along with Ali Williams is a joke!by the way dont give me the whole "you wouldnt say it to their faces" crap because obviously i wouldnt, its exactly the same same as you wouldnt say to martin johnson he looks like the missing link, but we all think it! (no cheek to Johnson...he is/was awesome1)
Shaft July 02, 2008 2:29 pm
Lol the end of the Haka was pretty funny when it looked like he was going to go into spasm from flexing so much. Is Byron single? Maybe he's hoping to get himself a French mrs, flexing his pecs like a peacock flutters it's feathers. Good on him though. A fun bit of showmanship and enjoying for the crowd and viewers.
Chazza July 02, 2008 2:32 pm
@matt he is just performing a ritual and sure maybe it doesnt look as scary as when a huge islander does it, but he is a true new zealander
stephanie July 02, 2008 2:43 pm
obviously hes not gonna look as scary as umaga, seeing as umaga looks like predator! secondly his height doesnt make much difference, nonu's only 5"10 and hes not exactly a pussycat.brave/confident/little cocky to do it on his own, though you gotta give it to him hes definately an entertainer!
Rod July 02, 2008 4:34 pm
Don't think he was going into spasm, think he was just pissed. mind you if I was built like that I'd never wear a top
Don July 02, 2008 4:52 pm
AwesomenessHe is ripped...a lil bit too much for a scrumhalf.But that's the awesomeness of being an All BlackKA MATE KA MATE KA ORA KA ORA!!!
elRocho July 02, 2008 5:15 pm
hahaha classic, he was clearly pissed out of his mind, as could be seen when he finished the haka and had to be stabilised by his team mates!serious beef cake tho!
Anonymous July 02, 2008 6:13 pm
Haka slow motion, yes, but Haka!A great 9, a forward and a back too. He represents perfectly NZ every game. Respect.
Anonymous July 02, 2008 8:21 pm
Toulouse really does seem to bring out the best in everybody.
Joe July 02, 2008 8:25 pm
i like how Elissalde snapped a photo with his phone lol it just cracked me up
Anonymous July 02, 2008 9:24 pm
hmmmmm... ...doesn't want to leave france... ...and hints toward returning in an All Black jersey for 2011... ...I think many of these NZ players have been sent on "SUPER SECRET SQUIREL" missions. Their job, to steal secret French intellence and us it against them in 2011!!!
felix July 02, 2008 9:35 pm
yeah that or make the french clubs bankrupt by taking such massive wages...awesome effort from byron by the way, he's not the best scrum-half technically but his spirit and passion makes him a legend
adedayo adebayo July 02, 2008 9:50 pm
Heroic! Much as I don't think Kelleher is that good a player, this is a bit legendary! Good on the bloke!
Anonymous July 02, 2008 9:59 pm
i agree with matt. im a kiwi and even i think he's a douche. he always flaps his arms higher then the other all blacks it made him look stupid. then he'd cry to the national anthem.
AK July 02, 2008 11:38 pm
Mmmmm, Napoleon syndrome. Napoleon at least had a bigger army. Chunky for a scrum half though.
Anonymous July 03, 2008 12:16 am
hes mustve been bladdered to act like such a cock
scotty July 03, 2008 2:44 am
I think any player thats had the talent to play for the All Blacks has the right to whip out the haka when they want to. The have earned it.
Scotty doesn't know July 03, 2008 9:53 am
I totally agree with you scotty. In all honesty it was a bit cringeworthy in parts, but he's earned the right to whip it out whenever; be it on top of buses, while queuing in the post office or while stopped at traffic lights etc.
Just a Fan July 03, 2008 10:37 am
What a body!!!! And great to see that the rugby players are ready to pass on a bit of team spirit to their supports. Some of you guys need to lighten up - too much crap in this world to takes things like this so seriously.I, however, will be adding this clip to my desktop top so that I can have a perve every now and then...thanks RD.
pcasey July 03, 2008 12:15 pm
I think the haka is brilliant, can't see how anybody doesn't respect it.The three kiwi lads in the munster team did the haka when they got back to limerick after the heineken cup, the video is on youtube. There's less bare torso invloved since we don't have the weather for that type of thing over here :)
Sander July 03, 2008 12:45 pm
@ pcaseyThat's a bit weird, because neither Mafi or Tipoki have been capped by the AB's, as far as I know.I think it just devalues the Haka, when it's done so much. I'm not a kiwi, so I wouldn't know what their stance is, but seeing a wasted Kelleher on a bus might not be the thing the real Maori's appreciate...For some reason drunk Kiwi's like doing Haka's. We had a coach who kept doing it...
Chazza July 03, 2008 2:13 pm
In Australia no matter how hammered a kiwi is and how much his aussie mates are urging him on he wont do the haka because its a sacred thing, that said its ok if you are a kiwi and you feel the need to do the haka cause frankly im not going to stop you
Anonymous July 03, 2008 2:37 pm
The haka should be kept on the field... it is a tradition that people respect when done in the appropriate manner. this bloke is a joke up there on a bus by himself. looks like something a frat kid would do at a keg party to get attention.
felix July 03, 2008 2:39 pm
mafi played all black u19 and u21 and would have done the haka with them.tipoki has played junior all blacks so would have done the haka there and also played a lot for nz maori so would have performed the Timatanga.i think it's important to keep the haka important but it's also suposed to be a spectacle and entertaining. guys don't usually just bust it out everytime they fancy it. you can guarantee that the media and team mates were all strongly encouraging byron and the munster lads to do it.
Matt July 03, 2008 4:33 pm
"looks like something a frat kid would do at a keg party to get attention." EXACTLY!!!An yeh i guess all islanders would look scarier, but then look at McCaw he looks pretty formidable doing it. I just think Kelleher is a cock and really tries to hard.... Im not a kiwi like someone above and so im the same as him, i dunno how they feel about this, but personally i reckon its embarressing and yeh i reckon it does devalue the Haka!I dunno i dont really care all that much i just know that if i was an All Black player id shake my head at this!
Matt July 03, 2008 4:33 pm
"looks like something a frat kid would do at a keg party to get attention." EXACTLY!!!An yeh i guess all islanders would look scarier, but then look at McCaw he looks pretty formidable doing it. I just think Kelleher is a cock and really tries to hard.... Im not a kiwi like someone above and so im the same as him, i dunno how they feel about this, but personally i reckon its embarressing and yeh i reckon it does devalue the Haka!I dunno i dont really care all that much i just know that if i was an All Black player id shake my head at this!
Benson July 03, 2008 5:25 pm
As a non Kiwi, I like to think I'm someone who at least has respect for them and understands their culture and history to an extent, therefore have absolutely no problem with this personally. Kiwi kids grow up doing the Haka from a young age. It's something they're extremely proud of and it's a symbol of their background and tradition. He does flap his arms and pull funny faces at the best of times there's no disputing that. But I'd say a former All Black, who's certainly no flash in the pan, has all the rights in the world to do this, and it's not up to us to judge surely. After all, 90% of us are sitting behind our desk with no international caps to our names so can't really criticise someone who's been there and done that. I've seen clips of schools in the US doing the Haka before a game. Surely Kelleher has more rights than them? Just a thought. Anyway just my two cents. I think it was done in good spirit (spirits maybe), and the crowd loved it and certainly didn't over analyse like we're doing. :) And at the risk of sounding naive, would they have been drinking in this situation? Champagne surely, but besides that? Anyone who was there know?
cecile July 03, 2008 9:25 pm
hahaha even the All Blacks are entertained by this haka. Here's a quote from Adam Thomson's player diary on allblacks.com:"We had some comic relief when Ali Williams showed a video of Byron Kelleher doing a haka on top of a bus in France so that was a bit of inspiration to start the day..."
Anonymous July 03, 2008 11:39 pm
Old kuzzy looks pissed hahaha a bit of crowd anticipation too lol. Yeah I think this nearly makes Ali Williams seem pretty mild
bangbang July 04, 2008 12:45 am
lol, we all have to learn that haka in primary
Anonymous July 04, 2008 3:23 pm
Moi j'aurais prfrer que a soit Sam Broomhall qui nous fasse a place de jaude... :(
Anonymous July 06, 2008 3:22 pm
lol brilliant hahah he looked so pissed at the end lol!
Anonymous September 13, 2008 1:21 am
i agree with matt at the top there. this guy is a class - A cock, a real piece of crap. Him and ali williams doing the haka just really gets to me. They are two big attention seekers.
Anonymous February 11, 2009 10:21 am
can I add that he refused to do the haka all the year whan his mates of the team asked him, so I think he does respect the haka, but he wanted to offer toulouse people something that means a lot to him, to thank them for welcoming him. And I think everyone in toulouse knows it's not something funny that he's going to do again very soon... It's just the best gift he could give us and we thank him for the honor!
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