that's cool too

The New Zealand All blacks performed their Haka in the dressing room rather than on the field before their game with Wales recently.

The organizers had requested that the haka be performed not right before the game, but between the national anthems. Apparently so that the Welsh team singing their national anthem would be a reply to the haka.

"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.

That's pretty cool, standing to principle that way. I don't understand the issues well enough to know whether the All Blacks have a good point there, but they made an unpopular decision which was true to themselves, in a foreign country, where they didn't have much support. That was strong.

So the haka isn't just for entertainment value then. That's alright, it's cool anyway. And a great way to maintain the tradition is to have the Rugby team perform it, whether in or out of the public eye.

If it helps them win games (45-10 against the Welsh), that's a good thing too :-).