The All Blacks have touched down in France ahead of the Rugby World Cup and made a special stop before settling in to camp.
The team visited the Caterpillar Valley cemetery near Longueval in Northern France — a significant place in New Zealand's military history as it was where the New Zealand Division joined the Battle of Somme in September 1916.
Captain Sam Cane laid a wreath at the memorial of missing Kiwi soldiers to pay tribute to the fallen and the team also laid a jersey for All Black Robert Stanley Black who was killed during the Battle of Somme.
The team also performed the Kapa o Pango haka to show their respect, with management joining in as well.
The cemetery also contains the grave from which the remains of an unknown New Zealand soldier were exhumed and re-interred in solemn ceremony at the National War Memorial at Wellington in 2004.
Fans pointed out it was rare to see the side perform the haka in public with the traditional challenge usually reserved for before Test matches.
"This one meant a lot," the team responded on social media.
The All Blacks open their Rugby World Cup campaign next Saturday at 7.15am NZT against hosts France in Paris but will be based in Lyon for much of the tournament.
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