The All Blacks have shown their support for a group of young acrobats who spoke out earlier this week about the abuse they copped while performing outside a Lions rugby match.
Teenage girls from the HighJinx aerial arts youth company were left feeling guilty and vulnerable after being subjected to shocking sexual harassment while performing ahead of the first Test in Auckland last month.
During the 90-minute performance, sexual comments were made about the girls' bodies, They were asked for handjobs, told to spread their knees wider and asked for a lap dance by much older male rugby fans.
Team choreographer Carlene Newall De Jesus said most of them were wearing Lions jerseys.
Their second performance, scheduled for tomorrow night's final game at Eden Park, has been cancelled with officials citing safety concerns.
On Friday morning the All Blacks invited the girls, aged 13-16, to their captains run.
On Three's The Project, Ms Newall praised the team for acknowledging the issue.
"In these sorts of situations it can be really easy for organisations to try and distance themselves from something like this happening. So we really appreciated New Zealand Rugby for standing up and saying, 'that was really rubbish', and reaching out and trying to change their experience of rugby."
Ms Newall says the whole week has been "pretty full on".
"There's been some really important discussion that's happened as a result of [the harassment]. A lot of people have come forward and said this actually isn't isolated, this happens to me in my daily life.
"The conversations around how we need to be dealing with that and responding to that have been super important."
Three's The Project invited the young acrobats on to the show for a performance.
Newshub.
