All Black Anton Lienert-Brown opens up on mental health challenges

Anton Lienert-Brown is an All Black, and a very popular one at that. With 79 Test caps to his name, and the responsibility of serving as a vice-captain for this weekend’s Test in Japan, it seems Lienert-Brown is living what many in New Zealand would consider the dream. But, there’s another side to Lienert-Brown that should also be commended. All Blacks are built up to be nigh on indestructible God-like figures in New Zealand, but the 29-year-old has spent years expressing vulnerability while advocating for mental health awareness.Lienert-Brown spoke with RNZ in 2020 about some challenges, and later opened up on trying to be vulnerable in a chat with Rugby World’s Alan Dymock. Today, the All Black is an ambassador for Mind Set Engage, which is a New Zealand Rugby mental health programme. As someone who had seen others share their own experiences with mental health issues, the midfielder wanted to do the same. “That’s where my passion grew,” Lienert-Brown said, before going on to explain the challenges he had faced.“For me, it was anxiety,” Lienert-Brown told Paddy Gower on The F#$&ing News.“It built up over two or three years. I probably pin it down to whenever I put myself...