League: It's the curse of bad-mouth Willie

Australia's Willie Mason - in the gun for disrespecting the New Zealand haka - gets into the action as he tackles Kiwi Tame Tupou during the first Tri-Nations test. Picture / Richard Robinson

Willie Mason waited longer than most expected to enter the fray against the Kiwis after Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart changed his starting lineup and sent Mark O'Meley out for the initial exchanges at Mt Smart Stadium.

But Mason had already stepped over a line in the opening Tri-Nations test, won convincingly by Australia 30-18.

"What the f*** is that?," the Auckland-born Aussie prop mouthed towards the Kiwis' pre-match haka.

Well, those who have shed their lip-reading training wheels reckon that's what he said.

But even a lip reading rookie could tell you what Mason said next.

"F*** off."

There's a theme to this, and a speech coach might suggest to Mason that he needs more variety in his attack.

Who knows what continually eats at Mason, the best go-to league bloke in media history. There is no such thing as a slow news day if Mason is in range of a voice recorder.

While the cameras caught Mason's mouth brilliantly, the Kiwis apparently did not and David Kidwell's smashing hit on Mason which knocked him flat in the first half, causing an eye injury, was not a direct response.

What is clear, though, is that tension between the Kiwis and Kangaroos, who also brawled in the 24th minute, is wound tight.

The performance of English referee Ashley Klein, who will also officiate in their second Tri-Nations clash in Melbourne on Saturday night, is among the bones of contention.

The response from New Zealand to Mason's outburst was varied.

New Zealand Rugby League chairman Sel Bennett said: "If it's part of his vocabulary, you can accept that. I'm not worried about it at all. The haka is a challenge and he answered it."

But Kiwis coach Brian McClennan was furious after being told of the Australian prop's vocal discord, and said it would figure in team talks.

"It's disrespectful to our culture, disrespecting what our heritage is," McClennan told the Herald.

"The guy wants to have a good look at himself or his coach needs to have a good talk to him.

"You just don't act like that. If he was my son, I'd ask him to change his name. There should still be respect between the two countries.

"If the Australians celebrated their heritage and did something from their indigenous people, we would respect it totally ...

"For Willie Mason to start mouthing off ... he's disrespecting every person who lives in our country."

Mason, meanwhile, was aiming his post-match shots at Kidwell's twisting shoulder charge.

"He came in from the side, like he always does. I never see him taking the ball in the middle of the ruck so I don't care what he says. Do I owe him one? Yes I do."

Kidwell did not see Mason's response to the haka, but said: "I am Maori and Kiwi, and the haka is very close to my heart."

McClennan also hotly disputed Stuart's claim that a "skinny" 10 metres played into the hands of the Kiwis, because they were mentally fresh but lacked endurance.

Klein is known to always use a bare 10m minimum.

Stuart said: "It makes it even more of a physical contest when you've got the defence sitting on top of you. It played into their hands, not having to do a lot of backtracking."

McClennan responded that the Australians had narrowed the 10m gap, jumping the gun on defence.

"Some of the Australians must be good enough to run in the Olympics," he said. "They were leaving before the ball cleared the heel. Does Ricky want the rules changed? The real problem was the Australians were leaving early."

Some of the crowd also left early, but it was the gaps at the ends of the stands and on the embankment which will also worry the NZRL.

Mt Smart was about 6000 below the 24,000 capacity. One top official said it was a "disgrace" that the champion Kiwis didn't play to a full house in a transtasman ding-dong.

League is struggling to reach a wider audience in New Zealand, and Mason needs to understand that mouthing pre-match obscenities will not attract the family vote.

He might also have noticed that a bottle was thrown on the field towards Mark Gasnier and Simon Mannering in a disgraceful act by someone in the crowd after Gasnier's thrilling long-range try.

Respect is a two-way deal between players and spectators. Players can excite crowds, and they can incite them.

Test match football is a hard and brutal place yet there is a place for mutual respect. Eels teammates Nathan Hindmarsh and Nathan Cayless trained together after Parramatta's season ended, although the test battle wasn't discussed. You won't meet finer ambassadors than Darren Lockyer, Nigel Vagana and so on.

So McClennan is right. Mason needs reminding about responsibility.

After all, this isn't a war. It's only sport. The rest of us can be thankful that it was only Willie Mason.