KEY POINTS:
I was present in the Millennium Stadium and was bitterly disappointed as it slowly dawned upon all spectators that we were to be denied the spectacle of the Haka. 74,000 in the crowd wanted it. Millions more watching on TV expected it. The Welsh public yearned for it. Presumably the New Zealand following love it and the Welsh team desired the opportunity to face it. And yet we were all denied.
And we are told that the reason why was due to some petty squabbling that could not be resolved in the six weeks leading up to the game regarding the order of the pre-match rituals.
As a young boy I was regaled by stories and deeds of the giants from New Zealand and was fortunate to be brought up in a town that was always one of the bases used by the All Blacks when touring in Wales. I remember the 1972 - 73 team staying at the Seabank hotel and training at my local club. In my mind's eye I still see squad members from 1978, 1980, 1989 wandering the streets of my home town and mingling with the locals. They were revered. They still are. None more so than the current crop. But I feel cheated by this batch and don't want to be.
History books state that the Welsh first sang Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau in direct response to the 1905 All Blacks performing the Haka. We are told that the Haka is performed to invite a response and yet the current team decided that there should be no response and petulantly refused to perform in public. By doing so they short changed everybody. And achieved nothing!
I am surprised at comments attributed to Richie McCaw. He is supposed to have claimed that the Haka is performed solely for the team and that it is the team that have in the past permitted the spectacle to be seen by others. That must be nonsense. It must be all about displaying a native heritage as the national representatives prepare to do battle. As such it is so much more than the team. It is a vital ingredient in all that the rest of the world identifies with New Zealand.
Precisely why the issue could not be resolved is unclear. It appears that neither the WRU nor the NZRU would yield on the issue. So surely the easiest solution would have been for the IRB or at least the match referee to adjudicate with that decision being final.
Neither Union comes out of this with much credit. I am a proud Welshman and could argue that as the home team we have the right to decide the order of any preliminaries. Indeed, "tradition" is on our side as the Haka was always performed at the invitation only of the host union which implies where and when. But there would be no point. It would not buy back the missed opportunity to witness one of sports great spectacles.
Please don't brand me as a Welsh whinger. I have always enjoyed going to see matches involving the All Blacks and there have been many over the years against clubs, Wales, England, South Africa and the Barbarians that I have had the pleasure of seeing. I will hopefully attend many more in the future.
Three years ago I had the great privilege of spending Christmas and New Year in your fantastic country. Using my sister in law's (hi Cath) home in Auckland as a base my family and I toured as much of the North Island as our time allowed and found the New Zealand people to be wonderfully hospitable and welcoming. That is how I will always remember them and I look forward to returning. But it is not how I will recall McCaw, Carter et al following their ill-advised stand.
Please, please, for everyone's sake and especially that of one of the greatest sporting traditions let us ensure that the childishness and petty one-upmanship (from both sides) that marred Saturday's game is never repeated. Otherwise it is Ka mate, ka mate for the haka and all that it means by way of association with the All Blacks and that I could not bear.
