Steve Hansen has hit back at former prop Kees Meeuws’ claim that the All Blacks haka is overused and has lost its mana.
Meeuws, who played 42 Tests between 1998 and 2004, was interviewed for a new book on the All Blacks called The Jersey.
‘It has lost its mana [power, effectiveness and prestige],’ he said when asked about the haka. ‘It has become a showpiece. They should do it at certain Test matches but not all.
‘It was good a few years ago when they had a choice. But now they play 14 Test matches a year, and that’s too much as far as the haka is concerned. We should either have it at home or just away from home like it used to be, not both.’
Hansen disagrees.
‘I don’t think it’s being used too much, it’s part of the tradition,’ he said before the team left for Sydney. ‘I found it interesting that someone like Kees would say it’s being used too much. When he was there, he thrived on it.
‘We don’t use it any different than we’ve ever used it. It’s part of the commencement of a game and it means a lot to this group.
‘We understand that it’s not for anybody else other than ourselves and we draw a lot from it.’
Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
