All Blacks perform haka in locker room

[NewsBot]

All Blacks perform haka in locker room

New Zealand's All Blacks have completed a clean sweep of their European tour with an easy win over Wales in Cardiff.

[Burgs]

Didn't help them too much...
I think the All Blacks are getting a little precious about all this, some extra info in this Fox Sport report:


Protest drives haka behind closed doors

From correspondents in Cardiff
November 26, 2006

THE All Blacks performed their famous haka in their Millennium Stadium dressing room overnight after a row with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

The New Zealanders, who beat Wales 45-10, were furious that the WRU had requested the haka be performed in between the national anthems, rather than just before kick-off.

Wales had wanted their own national anthem, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers), to be their official response to the challenge.

But to the disappointment of the 75,000 crowd, New Zealand decided to put on a private performance of the haka before taking the field.

The decision was greeted by boos from the Welsh supporters, who had not been made aware of the reasons behind it.

But in a statement, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said the team had acted to protect the tradition of haka that is "integral to New Zealand culture and the All Blacks' heritage".

"The tradition needs to be honoured properly if we're going to do it," added McCaw.

"If the other team wants to mess around, we'll just do the haka in the shed (changing room).

"At the end of the day, haka is about spiritual preparation and we do it for ourselves. Traditionally fans can share the experience too and it's sad that they couldn't see it today."

New Zealand had agreed to the same request from the WRU last year as part of the celebrations marking a centenary of rugby between the two nations.

Coach Graham Henry insisted that the WRU had guaranteed that that had been a one-off request, and his team had seen no justification for changing the time-honoured ritual for a second year running.

The WRU issued their own statement explaining they had taken advice from Maori chiefs that it was appropriate to want to respond to the haka.

The statement read: "The WRU have also been advised by a top Maori expert and cultural adviser that the haka is performed to invite a response from the opposing team and were told to stand strong in front of the All Blacks, be defiant, eyeball them and sing in a way that says 'this is us, this is who we are, we're tangata whenua', which means the traditional owners and protectors of the land.

"The WRU informed their New Zealand counterparts of the formal pre-match protocol six weeks ago (October 16). This followed the pre-match protocol from the very first game in 1905 and replicated last year's schedule."

Wales coach Gareth Jenkins said he did not think the non-performance of the haka would have affected the All Blacks.

"I think they're always fired up, no matter what," said Jenkins, who played flanker in the Llanelli team that beat the touring New Zealanders in 1972.

"I felt as if this New Zealand performance was a typical one, very workman-like, honest and intense."

Agence France-Presse

[JediKnight]

I reckon they should do it in the 'shed' everytime!!!

[Darren]

'cept when thay play tonga - coz that looked really cool when the tongans threw the sita tau (sp?) back at them...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-_BCKZqDLUM

[.X.]

'cept when thay play tonga - coz that looked really cool when the tongans threw the sita tau (sp?) back at them...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-_BCKZqDLUM

Yup. The duelling Haka's is awesome sight.

[Sagerian]

awwwwwwwwww, poor babies.

[tragic]

Hard to figure how they're so precious about something they've done much to cheapen over the past year or so. It's a shame it's come to this. I used to enjoy watching the AB haka, and seeing the reaction of their opponents. It used to represent respect and challenge. The drama! The controlled aggression! Now it's become some sort of psychological gimmick. Were they challenging the dressing room walls? What did the walls say back? Have they now developed a special haka just for walls?

The Welsh should have been given the challenge, and the right of reply.

[Sagerian]

They should just ban it outright... Every week there's a new controvesy (hakagate, of you will) on how someone is trying to slight New Zealand rugby and disrespect the haka. Please just ban it, have the national anthems and play some rugby.