NZRL's decision to suspend Bromwich and Proctor from playing in the World Cup. However, it was later confirmed he just wanted to play for his family, and grow the game in the Pacific Island nation. Former New Zealand coach, Graham Lowe, and former New Zealand captain, Benji Marshall, hit out at Taumalolo for his decision. New Zealand began the World Cup with convincing victories over both Samoa, and Scotland. In their final pool match, they took on the 'most-talked about team of the tournament', Tonga. After leading 16–2 at halftime, New Zealand created unwanted history, becoming the first tier-1 nation to lose to a tier-2 nation in a World Cup match. New Zealand then took on Fiji in the quarter-final. Kidwell's side went on to create back-to-back defeats to tier-2 nations and therefore be eliminated in the quarterfinals. This was the lowest ever finish the Kiwis created in a World Cup tournament. After the match, critics and media were hitting out at Kidwell and his players with the way they handled the defeat. After the Kiwis' most embarrassing World Cup performance in history, pressure was put on Kidwell to leave. Haka initiation The haka is a very respected tradition to the Kiwis, which is why they turn down offers to do it for sponsorship/promotional purposes. The initiation haka is used as a form of team-bonding for the Kiwis, although this haka has a unique twist. All new players and staff are required to perform an initiation haka, even journalists have been forced into it. This usually happens during an open training session. Staff and players gather into a circle, with new players and staff standing inside the circle. They then strip down to their underwear and start performing a haka. As the haka starts, the team members forming the circle start to lower themselves, revealing the performance to media and fans who have shown up. Haka Before the matches, the Kiwis traditionally performed the Ka Mate haka, but, since the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, they instead perform the Te Iwi Kiwi haka. The words of the latter are translated as follows: Results New Zealand have been playing international matches since 1907. Below is a list of test matches played by the New Zealand XIII up until 24 December 2020. Tournament history A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within New Zealand World Cup Tri-Nations/Four Nations Team image