This Saturday, New Zealand host Tonga in a routine World Cup warm-up match as they prepare to defend their crown in Japan later this month, but this game will be a talking point for what happens in the stands rather than what happens on the pitch thanks to a newly launched campaign by the All Blacks called ‘A Moment Against Silence.’
The emotional video, which you can see below, calls on fans inside the stadium to generate as much noise as possible at 2.21pm. This movement driven by HeadFirst, a programme aimed at getting people to speak out about their mental health, has received a positive reception from the public.
This move also comes after All Black flanker Liam Squire spoke out about his own struggles via his personal Instagram account:
“After what's been a really tough year for me mentally and physically, and after speaking with people I trust on whether I should make myself available again for the All Blacks, I felt I wasn't ready just yet physically or mentally for the pressures of test match rugby,"
"I have never been one to speak a lot publicly so I hope people can respect my privacy and decision on this and I can move forward and keep enjoying my rugby.
"For me mental health is a lot more important than playing rugby."
As stated in the clip, the reason for making noise to draw attention to the matter is that for so long, suicides and moments of sadness are marked with minutes silence rather than noise. However, as this is all about people speaking out about mental health and making noise, everybody at the MT Smart Stadium will join together to create a cacophony of noise for this brilliant campaign.
