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WATCH: Wolverhampton students to perform haka at Twickenham

It is the famous battle cry of the All Blacks – and now the roar of the haka can be heard echoing around the corridors of a Black Country school.

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WOLVERHAMPTON COPYRIGHT TIM STURGESS Express & Star ......... 05/12/19 WITH VIDEO St.Matthias school teacher Josh Humphreys will be taking his students to the famous Twickenham turf in the final stage of a Haka competition..

PE teacher Josh Humphreys has put students through their paces as part of a competition that will see them grace the turf at the home of English rugby.

Twenty pupils from St Matthias School in Deansfield, Wolverhampton, will compete against four other schools in a competition to see who can perform the best haka.

WATCH the students in action:

The school made the finals of the competition at Twickenham after submitting a video to competition organisers of the pupils in action.

They will perform the traditional Ka Mate Haka following Thursday’s women’s Varsity match between Oxford and Cambridge and will hope to win the prize of forming a guard of honour for the Men's Varsity match.

Mr Humphreys said: “We’ve brought together a mix of people who may normally go under the radar because they are quiet.

Josh Humphreys has assembled a mixture of students together for the competition

By doing this, we’ve been able to build relationships and really help their confidence going forward.”

The pupils have also performed the haka in front of school assemblies, an experience Josh described as "very nerve-wracking, particularly for the Year 10 pupils".

Mr Humphreys with the students

The pupils have also received a number of prizes for making it to Twickenham, including pitchside seats, a tour of Twickenham and a number of mini prizes which they'll get on the day.

Mr Humphreys added: "We're all super excited about this and it's one of those things that brings positive attention to a deprived area of the city.

"We're really proud of our students and hope we can inspire the community".

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