Genia calls facing All Blacks haka a privilege

Haka-gate has been brought to a screeching halt in the buildup to Bledisloe I – and it took an Australian to provide the most telling comment on the hallowed place of the All Blacks’ traditional pre-test challenge.

The All Blacks’ haka has been raised as a talking point heading into Saturday’s Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup opener against the Wallabies at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium. Is it too commercialised? Should it be shelved? Does anyone care?

In a book on the All Blacks titled The Jersey, penned by British journalist Peter Bills, former international Kees Meeuws was quoted as proposing a radical reduction in the number of matches the haka is performed in by limiting it to either just home or away games or contests of special significance.

Meeuws said he feared the haka had ‘‘lost its mana’’ and had ‘‘become a showpiece’’. He felt the repetition of it had made it difficult for New Zealand players to do it justice and easy for opponents to shrug off its significance.

All Blacks legend, the late Colin Meads, was also referenced in the book supporting Meeuws’ views. ‘‘We were haka-ed out there for a while and still are,’’ Meads was quoted as saying.

But in Sydney yesterday, as both the All Blacks and Wallabies stepped up preparations for Saturday’s Bledisloe opener, it is fair to say both groups were united on the subject of the haka.

‘‘I love it,’’ said veteran Wallabies halfback Will Genia. ‘‘It’s just an expression of their culture and people can says it’s over-commercialised, but they don’t do it for a commercial purpose, they do it because it’s something that’s important to them in terms of their culture. From our perspective, we have an incredible amount of respect for it.’’

But the 30-year-old 90-test capped Genia went even further in his support of the haka as a special part of the occasion whenever the All Blacks play.

‘‘It’s also a spectacle as well. It’s great to be a part of. You want to play the All Blacks because they’re the best team in the world. But you also want to play them because it’s a privilege to face something like that within our game.’’

Senior All Blacks Ben Smith and Sam Cane both also did their best to shoot down any controversy surrounding the haka and its apparent over-use.

Cane even confirmed that the All Blacks had been told that Meeuws, who played 42 tests for New Zealand between 1998 and 2004, had not been accurately reflected in the book.

‘‘The only article I’ve seen on it was around Kees Meeuws, and we’ve been informed that unfortunately he was misquoted, so that’s a shame,’’ Cane said. ‘‘From an All Blacks’ point of view we love doing the haka. We do a light run-through at captain’s run and we bust it out on Saturday, and it’s sort of the final touch of ‘we’re ready to go’.

‘‘We’re well aware of the strong history it has, and it’s part of who we are as All Blacks. It’s as strong and powerful as ever, in my opinion.’’

Added Smith: ‘‘I agree. It’s our tradition, it’s our history, and it’s just the way we prepare for our test match.

‘‘I think it’s a massive privilege to be able to do the haka, and it would be odd if we weren’t able to do that before a game.’’

Asked if he was annoyed the haka continued to be sniped at around these such junctures, Smith did his best to be as diplomatic as he could.

‘‘I suppose everyone has got their own opinion. But for us it’s something with its own history, it’s in our preparation, and I don’t know where all this stuff has come from. I don’t think it’s a big thing.’’