Whatever the outcome of Wales’s World Cup quarter‑final against the Black Ferns on Saturday the fixture will be remembered as a significant one. It is not often a national union stands accused of forgetting it is hosting a global tournament, a direct clash with the men’s All Blacks Test in Japan having prompted a barrage of criticism across New Zealand.
Despite knowing since May last year the Black Ferns were likely to be involved in a major quarter‑final in Whangarei, New Zealand Rugby somehow agreed for their men’s side to kick off at a similar time in Tokyo, forcing local viewers to choose which of their teams to watch live. For an organisation already under scrutiny after a number of perceived gaffes, it is another self-inflicted flesh wound.
