As the world awaits its first glimpse at the new Crusaders Super Rugby rebrand, images of one possible logo have emerged.
A quick search of the NZ Intellectual Property Office website reveals an image that features the Crusaders name with a Māori motif. The trademark is owned by New Zealand Rugby Union Incorporated.
On Friday afternoon, NZ Rugby and the Crusaders are due to release the findings of their review into the franchise brand, along with a new post-2020 look, prompted by the Christchurch mosque shootings on March 15.
After 51 victims died during the tragedy, pressure mounted on rugby administrators to change a name and image based on the Christian soldiers that slaughtered Muslims in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages.
The franchise stopped a pre-match ritual of knights on horseback charging around the field, and has already dropped the knight and sword from its logo for next season.
"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 Crusaders that has now been drawn," said NZ Rugby chief executive Steve Tew at the time.
"That is, therefore, not one of the options that we will be considering."
The Crusaders, which have won a record 10 Super Rugby titles - including the last three - committed to a brand review in June.
