New Zealand center Ma’a Nonu has warned England not to copy Wales’ dramatic response to the haka when the teams meet at Twickenham tomorrow.
Last weekend Wales stared down New Zealand after they finished the haka and, with neither side appearing to move, it needed the intervention of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw to end the stand-off as referee Jonathan Kaplan desperately tried to get the game under way.
The unimpressed Tri-Nations champions eventually ran out comfortable 29-9 winners at the Millennium Stadium, a victory that left New Zealand on the brink of a grand slam this weekend after victories earlier this month over Scotland and Ireland.
Nonu said he suspected Wales coach Warren Gatland, himself a New Zealander, has been behind the haka response, which he added would have caused “hurt” to All Black fans watching the match on television at home.
“What the Welsh did wound us up,” the 26-year-old, who will again wear the No. 12 shirt this weekend, told reporters at the squad’s hotel.
“People back home will have been hurt by what they decided to do. Standing in the way like they did is asking for a fight,” he said. “The haka is the haka, after that it’s game time. If England want to do that they can — but they’ll probably get the same response.”
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