New Zealand hooker Dane Coles says England can afford to 'take the hit' after the 2019 Rugby World Cup finalists were fined for their response to the haka.
England spread out in a V-formation before the All Blacks performed their traditional ceremonial challenge ahead of Saturday's semi-final clash, with several players straying onto the opposite side of the pitch.
It was that latter fact that led to punishment, with World Rugby stating that Eddie Jones's side had been fined for a "breach of World Cup 2019 rules relating to cultural challenges, which states that no players from the team receiving the challenge may advance beyond the halfway line".
On Saturday, World Rugby's official Twitter account retweeted a video post from the Rugby World Cup equivalent - liked over 28,000 times - labelling the unique response to an "intense" haka as "incredible", while Steve Hansen has also since called it "fantastic".
Hooker Coles concurs with the outgoing New Zealand coach and believes the RFU can take the punishment, a £2,000 fine that will be donated to the Typhoon Hagibis Relief Fund.
"They earn a shitload of money so they'll be able to pay the fine," Coles said. "They're a pretty wealthy union so they can take the hit.
"I thought it was awesome, that's what the haka is about, it's a challenge. They walked forward. I know all the boys were pumped for it we were looking around like 'let's go'.
"From an All Blacks perspective we didn't think it was bad. We thought it was awesome."
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