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Piri Weepu (centre) leads the haka. - Source: Photosport -
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Just before kick-off when the All Blacks perform the haka the team and its management might want to consider what exactly they are symbolising, according to an Australian commentator.
In an opinion piece , Paul Sheehan, a Sydney Morning Herald columnist, said if the All Blacks end the Kapa O Pango haka with a throat-slitting motion, "they will be using a very big stage to remind people the Maoris once engaged in unspeakable conduct, which we don't discuss any more".
"I'll simply allude to this by quoting the journal of Captain James Cook: 'There was not a man aboard Endeavour who, in the event of the ship's breaking up, would not have preferred to drown rather than be left to the mercy of the Maoris'."
Sheehan said the All Blacks have "an immense emotional stake" in Sunday's Rugby World Cup final showdown against France.
He said while he expects the All Blacks to dominate the final Kiwis should remember two things: "About 96% of the world does not care about rugby; and the violence suggested by throat-slitting gestures has no place in sport or sportsmanship, especially in the national colours."
He went on to say if the All Blacks had lost to the Wallabies it would have caused "a psychic scar" across the nation.
"When the All Blacks defeated Australia, they were clearly playing something that was more than a game. The ferocity of their forwards was desperate and disciplined."
At a press conference yesterday, the All Blacks said they could not reveal which haka they will be performing on Sunday.
"Can't tell you that. It's top secret," Ali Williams said. "We'll decide on the bus - that's when we normally decide, on the bus to the game."
The All Blacks first performed the Kapa O Pango in 2005 and it has provoked complaints since due to the throat-slitting action.
The meaning in Maori culture is considered different to that interpreted by the public and commentators as it indicates the drawing of the breath of life into the heart and lungs.