New Zealand Under 20s have been criticised after performing a two-minute long Haka ahead of their World Championship opener against Wales.
The ceremonial Māori war dance has been made world famous by the All Blacks but is also used across other sports and at special occasions, as a display of a tribe's pride, strength and unity.
It's often a thing of beauty, with whole stadiums falling quiet to honour the spine-tingling tradition as rival teams stare them down, ready for battle.
READ MORE: Wales coach gets new job weeks after walking out on WRU
But on this occasion, some rugby fans think the Baby Blacks went too far with their latest rendition panned as "too long and too aggressive," with Wales being left waiting for a "preposterous" amount of time.
Led by replacement prop Malakai Hala and Codemeru Vai, who was holding a ceremonial weapon, the New Zealand squad began their performance of the Ka Mate war dance as usual, with Mark Jones' youngsters lining up to face them.
And on it went, for two whole minutes, with viewers accusing them of "dragging it out" at Wales' expense.
"I have absolute respect for the Haka and have always defended its deep cultural meaning," said one rugby fan. "But surely this one is too long and too aggressive for an Under 20 championship?"
"Big fan of the Haka but this one is just a bit too long," said another, while a third asked: "Why was it 2 minutes long? The opposition had to stand there all that time getting cold. Just get on with it and play rugby".
One person even called for the ritual to be scrapped, writing: "Time to ditch the Haka, do it in the changing rooms or in your own time if it means so much, opposition shouldn’t have to bother with it."
But while there were fears that the lengthy performance had given New Zealand the upper hand when Caleb Tangitau scored inside the first 10 minutes, Wales finished the second-half 19-5 up courtesy of tries from Lewis Lloyd, Dan Edwards and Morgan Morse.
And although they ultimately fell to a narrow defeat in Paarl, it was an encouraging performance from Jones' side who now face Japan and France in their remaining pool stage games.
The exciting contest has also led other fans to defend the inclusion of the Haka in the pre-match rituals, describing it as an "electrifying" and "iconic" spectacle that rugby is richer for having.
"It is something that has caught the attention of so many non-rugby fans," said one. "'Ka Mate' and 'Kapa o Pango' are iconic. But all Hakas have a meaning in their own right and removing them could offend the likes of the Maóri’s and the Pacific Islanders, as it’s their form of patriotism."
