These protocols have been in place for a number of years now and exist for very specific reasons.

16. HAKA

i. Teams who wish to perform a Haka before kick-off, are to inform the referee and the opposition at the coin toss. The referee must find out if one or both teams are going to perform a Haka prior to the teams taking the field.
ii. Under normal circumstances, the home team should commence their Haka first. Where neither team is the “home” team, no times or order will be set. Teams are to be on the field with sufficient time to perform all pre-match activities and to allow the match to commence at the scheduled time.
iii. Teams must assemble behind their own 10 metre line.
iv. The Haka must not advance across the team’s 10 meter line. If a Haka advances it must commence sufficiently distant behind the 10m line so as not to cross it.
v. Referees will deal with breaches of this Haka protocol as acts of misconduct for which players can be issued with a warning, sin-binned, or ordered-off.
vi. In the event that multiple players breach protocol, the captain will bear responsibility.

Please ensure that you remind teams that these protocols exist and that there are consequences for breaching them.