The All Blacks performing Kapa o Pango.
The future of the controversial and aggressive All Black haka Kapa o Pango is up in the air.
The haka, which originally included an intimidating "breath of life" throat-slitting gesture, was created for the All Black squad in 2005 to be performed before important games.
The early Rugby
World Cup exit has ended the team's season, and with several players in the squad leaving the team, Kapa o Pango may have been performed for the last time.
All Blacks media manager Scott Compton said the future of the haka would be up to the team "It will be a team decision. The team won't be assembled again until next season, so it won't be a question we'll be able to answer until maybe June next year."
Kapa o Pango was first performed in 2005 by the Tana Umaga-led All Blacks before a test against South Africa and has been repeated for other important matches.
It was written by the squad with the help of prominent Maori artist Derek Lardelli.
The words and actions represent New Zealand, the silver fern, "warriors in black" and the All Blacks' cultural diversity.
Its debut caused a stir, particularly because of the throat-slitting gesture at the end of the haka. Critics called it too intense and threatening.
The gesture was changed to a vigorous chest-rub after an official review.
Haka have been created specifically before. The 1924-25 Invincibles arrived in Europe with a purpose-built haka written by Wiremu Rangi and Native Land Court Judge Frank Archeson. When the tour reached France, the haka caught the eye of Irish writer James Joyce, who modified some of the words and used them in his final novel Finnegans Wake.
