The Australian rugby league team are moving closer to opening international contests with an indigenous war cry.
The war cry is currently limited to New Zealand and Pacific Island teams, who perform their own Haka before a game, while Fiji starts a match with an on-field prayer. The NRL Indigenous All-Stars have incorporated a homegrown war cry into the annual All-Star Game, and the Kangaroos could soon introduce themselves in a similar fashion.
Ahead of the 2016 NRL Indigenous All-Stars game, members of the World All Stars team including Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith have been invited to participate in cultural activities leading up to the game.
Former Eel and Rabbitoh Dean Widders spoke to NRL.com about the importance of celebrating Indigenous culture on a global scale.
"If you were never taught [about Indigenous culture] you can't blame people for not having a clear understanding so it's up to us to teach it in a positive way and to invite people in to celebrate it," Widders said.
The Kangaroos actually started international contests with a war cry as early as 1908 and as recently as 1967. The Indigenous All Stars war cry looks great, but could Kangaroos like Cameron Smith pull it off?
