All-Blacks perform Haka behind closed doors

New Zealand took the unprecedented step of performing the haka in their changing room after accusing the Welsh Rugby Union of trying to “mess around” with its traditions.

The WRU had requested New Zealand perform the haka in between the national anthems, rather than just before kick-off.

Wales had wanted their own national anthem, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, to be their official response to the challenge.

As a result, New Zealand opted for 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 prepared statement, the 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”.

He said: “The tradition needs to be honoured properly if we’re going to do it.

“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.

But All Blacks manager Darren Shand insisted it was only a one-off.

“There’s a tradition that has built up over 100 years. It is respected around the world and we asked the Welsh Rugby Union to do the same,” he said.

“The haka is a special part of world rugby. It’ll be a sad day for fans everywhere if we start to erode the tradition. We had concerns about last year’s change that, unfortunately, seem to be justified.”

The WRU issued their own statement just as the game kicked off, 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.”