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When New Zealand perform the haka in front of Georgia at the Millennium Stadium on Friday it will inspire the usual combination of respect, admiration and irritation. The sacred Maori challenge has become an institution in rugby, associated as it is with the pre-eminent team in the international game. The elaborate pre-match ritual is not only used to strike fear into opponents, it is a tremendous motivator for any modern All Black.

But it hasn't always reached such high ideals. Cardiff has played host to some bizarre haka spectacles over the years, none more so than during a match against the Barbarians at the end of New Zealand's tempestuous 1978 tour of the British Isles.

Then-All Black captain Graham Mourie knew something needed to be done to relieve tension. The tourists had just beaten Wales 13-12 in a tense Test at Cardiff Arms Park thanks to a last-gasp Brian McKechnie penalty, following Andy Haden's infamous lineout 'dive'. The mood worsened when, three days before the Baa Baas match, New Zealand prop John Ashworth clashed with Bridgend fullback JPR Williams which left the latter with a nasty facial gash. The locals had a sour taste in their mouths.

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Mourie's decision was unique. At the same venue as their controversial Test victory just weeks before, in front of around 50,000 people, New Zealand would attempt to perform a haka  -- during the game.

"A lot of our teams used to form a wall-type move where players would line up and there would be a bit of deception about where the ball goes," legendary All Black winger Bryan Williams, who started against the Baa Baas in Cardiff in that match, told ESPN. "I recall the guys had lined up as if they were going to do the haka -- it was just meant to be a bit of fun.

"Being a Barbarians game, it was a bit of innovation. I remember us having a bit of a laugh about it the day before and a few of the guys were like 'Let's do it'."

However, there is something about the haka that doesn't agree with the Welsh capital. The 2006 New Zealand team chose to perform it in the confines of their own dressing room after Wales insisted on having the last say before kick-off while, two years' later, the Welsh team remarkably stared down their opponents before referee Jonathan Kaplan waved the All Blacks away.

Things were just as odd in 1978. Mourie insisted the signal to start the haka would be the halfback passing to a certain forward, but when the forward dropped the ball the referee was forced to call a scrum. That resulted in some forwards getting ready to pack down, while four others began the haka -- much to the crowd's bemusement.

"It was a few of the forwards -- that's the way you used to line up for those sorts of moves," added Williams. "They would stand in a bit of a line and look as though they were going to do the haka.

"Then the ball would be passed with a bit of deception and someone was meant to run through a gap and score -- but someone dropped the ball and it thwarted the move."

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Despite the complications with the haka, the match ended on a bright note for New Zealand. Eddie Dunn's last-minute drop goal gave the visitors an 18-16 victory over the Baa Baas in Cardiff. For Williams, who scored a second-half try for his side, it would mark an emotional final game wearing the silver fern.

"I'd pretty much made up my mind that it would be my final game and that it would be the end of my All Black career," Williams said. "From my point of view, it was a pretty emotional occasion. To be able to score a try and then watch Eddie Dunn drop a goal to win the match for us was pretty memorable."

And while the crowd was hostile back then -- Williams' team-mate Andy Dalton distinctly remembered pantomime villain Ashworth receiving a "rousing reception" when he came on at half-time -- the current generation will be hoping for a slightly warmer reception on Friday night.

"The crowd are incredibly passionate and there was always a lot of singing [when we played there]," Williams added. "The crowds in Wales are noisy -- but very knowledgeable. The All Blacks should get good crowds for all of their World Cup games so they can expect an interested and motivated crowd."