All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson says the haka is "part of who we are" in the wake of England prop Joe Marler's comments calling it "ridiculous" and that it "needs binning".
And now Marler, who isn't playing against the All Blacks this weekend, has said his post on social media platform X was "poorly articulated" and he meant no malice.
"I wonder if he wishes he could've articulated himself a bit better on that," said Robertson when asked by media, having also named his team for Sunday's clash at Twickenham.
"The haka for us is a custom, it's part of who we are and it's in our DNA. You can welcome somebody for occasions, for joy, for connection and also for challenge and we use it as a challenge."
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson says the haka is "part of who we are" in the wake of England prop Joe Marler's comments calling it "ridiculous" and that it "needs binning". (Source: 1News)
Robertson said that the haka is a great tradition of rugby and it's used to honour where they've come from.
"It's not just about the All Blacks, it's about us as a country so it means a lot to us."
Robertson said he doesn't mind when teams challenge the haka, as long as it's approached with a level of respect.
"There's a lot of meaning behind it so whatever the response is it has to be meaningful and respectful."
Robertson had no complaints with the arrow formation challenge used by England before the 2019 Rugby World Cup semifinal.
"It had clear meaning and was respectfully done...whatever they come up with this time, we'll face."
This morning Marler apologised to any New Zealand fans that he upset with his "poorly articulated tweet".
Marler said he enjoyed the famous face-off between the late Norm Hewitt and Richard Cockerill in 1997, as well as the response in 2019.
"I meant no malice in asking for it to be binned, just want to see the restrictions lifted to allow for a response without sanction," Marler said on X.
"I’m grateful for the education received on how important the haka is to the New Zealand culture and hope others have a better understanding too."
"My flippant attempt at sparking a debate around it was s***house and I should have done better at explaining things."
England captain Jamie George did not agree with Marler's comments and said he enjoys facing the haka.
"Joe and I don't always agree on everything, we certainly don't agree on this. I'm a massive fan of the haka," said George. “Growing up a huge rugby fan, I loved watching it growing up, I've loved having the opportunity to face it."
Similarly to Robertson, George believed that challenges to the haka are good as long as it's done in the right manner.
"I think as long as it's done in a respectful way, it's just something that adds to the theatre and spectacle of it all."
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