England supporters have been urged to drown out the haka with Swing Low, Sweet Chariot before Saturday’s showdown against the All Blacks.

Eddie Jones said this week he pays so little attention when the haka is taking place “they could be playing the Spice Girls and I wouldn’t know”. But it has become a tradition for Twickenham goers to greet the customary Maori challenge with a loud chorus of England’s long-serving anthem.

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Doing so has split opinion with the former New Zealand centre Ma’a Nonu previously accusing England fans of “disrespect” while their ex-head coach Graham Henry has described it as “not the right thing to do”. World Rugby has advised opposing teams to respect the haka but that has not stopped some from adopting novel responses. Wales stood their ground in 2008, France formed a V-shape and advanced towards New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup final (for which they were fined £2,500) and Richard Cockerill confronted Norm Hewitt in 1997.

Owen Farrell on Friday moved to play down the relevance of facing the haka but his co-captain Dylan Hartley said: “Vocal is good. Be vocal at the weekend. The haka is great, Swing Low is great, everyone gets excited about both things. It creates a great atmosphere.”

The England outside-centre, Henry Slade, added: “Last time the All Blacks played here the crowd were singing at the same time as the haka and that will probably create an unbelievable atmosphere and environment.”

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The All Blacks captain, Kieran Read, insisted his side would not be fazed by any responses however, either from England’s players or supporters. “We do the haka as a challenge but it is more about us connecting as a team. The opposition can do what they like,” he said. “I certainly get a kick out of it and I’m sure the crowd does as well. Whether they sing or not, it adds to the atmosphere. For me it’s a great part of the game.”

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Farrell has insisted he will not push the legal boundaries against the All Blacks after his controversial tackle on André Esterhuizen in the dying moments of England’s one-point win over South Africa sparked great debate. While no action was given at the time World Rugby on Thursday issued a statement reiterating its crackdown on “no-arms tackles and high tackles”.

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“I’m not trying to play to the edge of the rules,” said Farrell. “I’m definitely not trying to do that, especially not when the clock has gone red in a Test match. Some people will and won’t understand when a collision is big how difficult it is.

“But that’s the rules and I’m well aware of them. I don’t want to play on the edge, I want to play within them. It’s done and it definitely won’t be in my head going into this weekend.”