All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says he is proud of TJ Perenara for condemning the comments of Wallabies star Israel Folau, who wrote that all homosexuals go to hell.
Hansen commended Perenara for sending a strong message to young people who may be struggling with their identities in a series of tweets last week.
“In TJ’s case, I was really proud of him, I thought what he did tweet was on the money, that it’s okay to be who you are,” Hansen said when asked about Perenara at the All Blacks’ North Island foundation day.
“You’re a good human being regardless of whether you’re a gay person, a straight person.”
“His words were good, he gave a strong message to those young people in the circumstances that they could be fighting and worrying about their own identities.”
Hansen said Perenara’s tweets were in keeping with the All Blacks’ guidelines for social media use, where respectfulness is important.
“There’s no way we can still people using it (social media) and nor do we want to, we want them to be respectful and not only have opinions, but makes those opinions ones that don’t cause harm to other people.”
Folau has received major backlash after his anti-gay remarks on social media last month.
The 1 NEWS Sports reporter says NZ Rugby is leading the way.
"People who engage with rugby in whatever manner deserve to be treated with respect and dignity," said NZRPA's CEO Rob Nichol.
The Breakfast presenter is calling "bull" on Folau's use of freedom of speech.
Louisa Wall is concerned about the influence the sporting couple could have with their stance on the LGBT community.
“The All Blacks are about being respectful and it’s a privilege to be a part of the All Blacks so you don’t want to go spoiling that by coming across in a way that doesn’t reflect that.”
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