The Crusaders and Waratahs were united in paying tribute to the Christchurch shooting victims ahead of their Super Rugby match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Fifty people were killed and dozens more suffered injuries in a terrorist attack at two mosques in Christchurch, the Crusaders' home city, on March 15.

On Saturday in Sydney, the two teams walked side by side onto the pitch, before they linked arms and formed a circle at the halfway line to observe an emotional minute's silence in honour of the victims.

It was the Crusaders' first match since the tragedy; last week's game against the Highlanders was postponed in the aftermath and subsequently declared a draw.

While in Australia, the team also paused for a two minutes' silence, which was observed across New Zealand, during their captain's run on Friday 

Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock said: "Obviously it hasn't been a great week but we stayed pretty tight. 

"That's what we're trying to do as a team and we're doing it as a city too."

The Crusaders went on to lose the match 20-12 against the Waratahs, ending their 19-game winning streak.