The Crusaders rugby team admit their brand is no longer "tenable" in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack, and are looking at changing their name and imagery.
Following the attacks on two mosques, which left 50 people dead and scores injured, the team's name and imagery was called into question, given its links to the religious crusades.
The team has now engaged consultants to oversee possible changes.
Sam Whitelock says they need to "give everyone space, especially the families that are affected."
'We are asking Research First to look into two possible options moving forward - retaining the 'Crusaders' name but changing the branding and associated imagery; or undertaking a complete rebranding, including the name and all imagery," NZ Rugby boss Steve Tew said.
"Maintaining the status quo in terms of the Crusaders name along with the current imagery of knights on horseback is, in our view, no longer tenable because of the association with the religious Crusades that has now been drawn. That is therefore not one of the options that we will be considering."
Any changes will be introduced in time for next season, and the team is dropping the horses and horsemen entertainment for the rest of the current season.
They had met with the Muslim community, but said given what they are dealing with, "we will not be burdening them with any responsibility around our brand review going forward".
The Sport and Recreation Minister spoke about the possibility of renaming the team.
"Because of our desire to be the best we can be and to support our community, we are treating the question around the appropriateness of our brand extremely seriously," Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge said.
"We are committed to undertaking a thorough process, taking into account all relevant opinions and, most importantly, we are committed to doing the right thing."
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