All Blacks 'disappointed' at women's World Cup schedule clash

Head coach Ian Foster said Thursday his All Blacks were disappointed that they will be playing at the same time as the New Zealand women's World Cup quarterfinal.

Leaders in New Zealand have slammed the country's rugby chiefs for the "disgraceful" schedule clash that sees the Black Ferns take on Wales in Whangarei just as the All Blacks face Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.

New Zealand Rugby said on Wednesday that they "did not take into account" that there might be a clash between the two games and that "there was never an intent to overshadow the Rugby World Cup in any way".

Speaking in Tokyo on Thursday, Foster said the All Blacks were "disappointed" at the situation.

"It was certainly unintended and clearly a mistake was made," he said.

"I think the world's got to get over condemning people who make a mistake and own it, and just find a way to enjoy both teams."

NZR Statement: Black Ferns and All Blacks schedule clash. pic.twitter.com/emJpeooptg

— New Zealand Rugby (@NZRugby) October 26, 2022

New Zealand's acting prime minister Grant Robertson said the clash was "really unfortunate", while justice minister Kiritapu Allan wrote on Twitter that it was "avoidable, and frankly, disgraceful".

Foster, whose team will travel to Europe to play Wales, Scotland and England after facing Japan, urged fans to find a "creative" solution.

"We're certainly massive fans of the Black Ferns and want the best for them, and clearly we're pretty excited about our own game," he said.

"The good thing is that pretty creative people will be able to find ways to watch both."