All Blacks undecided on using new haka

CARDIFF - All Blacks captain Tana Umaga has not ruled out a reprise of their stirring Kapa O Pango haka against Wales on Sunday (NZ time) despite a potential legal wrangle over its ownership.

The All Blacks have performed the new haka just once -- a spine-tingling rendition before their 31-27 Tri-Nations win over South Africa in Dunedin in August.

There would be few more stirring occasions to perform it than before a full house of 75,000 at Millennium Stadium, but Umaga preferred to keep people guessing.

"We've discussed it and I suppose you'll have to wait until Saturday as to what we're going to do. We have decided," he said.

"There has been a bit of pressure put on us but again it's up to us what we do. It always will be our choice."

The haka, composed by Derek Lardelli, of Ngati Porou, had a huge impact at Carisbrook, especially Umaga's performance and the throat-slitting gesture at the end.

But it emerged last month that the New Zealand Rugby Union and Lardelli were in negotiations over who owned the rights to it.

Umaga said the haka had been empowering for the team but admitted they took a risk every time they performed it.

"(The public's response) was a reaction we really wanted, we didn't know we would get it but I suppose the result played a major part.

"We realised that if we did it we had to win, because if we'd done it and lost it would have gone the other way.

"That was good for us because we put ourselves under pressure and responded."

- NZPA