McCaw explains Haka decision
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw has explained the All Blacks decision to perform their pre-match haka in the dressing room was forced on them by the Welsh Rugby Union.
The WRU wanted to change the long-standing custom whereby the haka is performed just before kick-off, leaving the All Blacks to act our the traditional Ka Mate behind closed doors.
McCaw 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 (dressing rooms).
“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.”
New Zealand team manager Darren Shand said the WRU had insisted that the haka be performed between the anthems, instead of before kick-off.
The All Blacks acceded to a change in the previous match 12 months earlir, but did not this time around.
Shand said: “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.
“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.”
