The new Crusaders logo is being described as a "homage to frottage" and "two semi-erect penises passionately kissing" after it was unveiled on Friday.
Following the Christchurch mosque shootings, the Super Rugby franchise dropped the traditional knight and sword in favour of a new-look logo that featured a Māori motif.
The club says it reflects Canterbury's landscape "which stretches from the top of the Southern Alps to the depths of our moana", while the 'C' shape honours the team's legacy.
But the shape has come in for widespread mocking due to an unfortunate resemblance to male genitalia.
"The new Crusaders logo is a homage to frottage," one person tweeted.
"Once it was pointed out to me that the new Crusaders logo looks like two semi-erect penises passionately kissing, I can't unsee it," Jamie Wall wrote in a tweet alongside his Spinoff article.
Others described it as a "PR disaster" and a lesson on how not to do graphic design.
However, some social media users have defended the logo, calling it a "simple but thoughtful design".
"Always loyal to the team," one Facebook user wrote. "Great job on the logo, even though it is tough to see the slight change in our identity."
