The South African Rugby Union has written to its New Zealand counterpart to formally apologise for a sequence of events that led to the end of the Haka being obscured during Saturdays Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The closing moments of the Haka were overlaid by music and fireworks, as well as a flyover by an A-380 airliner.
In his letter to his New Zealand counterpart, SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said it was never the intention to schedule any activities that would coincide with such an iconic moment of any Test match against the All Blacks.
He said that it occurred as a result of timekeeping challenges and simple human error.
He added that SA Rugby was distressed by the breach of protocol and the apparent display of lack of respect it may have suggested.
