Sonny Bill Williams has received overwhelming support from Blues captain James Parsons following a jersey alteration which has raised eyebrows.
During Saturday's match, Williams plastered tape over the BNZ logo on the collar of the Blues team shirt, leaving the other logos uncovered. The incident, while overlooked by the commentary team, drew widespread attention on social media following the match.
The Blues said they would be seeking a 'please explain' from the 31-year-old and his agent.
"We do not know why the jersey was altered, we will be talking to Sonny and his agent this week," a team representative said.
But he does have the full support of his captain, Parsons told Andrew Gourdie and Jim Kayes on RadioLIVE's Sunday Sport.
"I'm right behind him as a teammate and that's a personal choice and I'll support him with that," Parsons said.
"He's fantastic, he's a true professional, he's had great success not only in rugby but in league - and you don't get that by being unprofessional, I can assure you of that."
New Zealand Rugby confirmed that the explosive midfielder had "lodged a conscientious objection under the Players' Collective".
"Sonny Bill Williams has conscientious objections to promoting tobacco, alcohol, finance companies and gambling," it said.
On Sunday afternoon, Williams tweeted "In regards to my jersey during the game I'll clarify the situation during the week."
Meanwhile Parsons said it was ultimately down to the player's choice whether they wanted to cover the logo.
"In the past, when some fast foods chains have come on-board and supported Super Rugby, some players have opted not to be a part of the advertising campaign," he said.
"From a personal point of view, as many sponsors as we can get is betterment to the game… I just jump on board and try and get behind any sponsor who tries to support me."
It is the first time any concerns by Williams of wearing logos have emerged. However, it's not the first time it's happened in sport with cricket Hashim Amla previously rejecting the use of an alcohol sponsor's logo on the team shirt.
Newshub.
