Black Ferns great and NZ Rugby board member Farah Palmer is “hugely disappointed” by the recommendation to postpone this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup by 12 months.
The tournament was scheduled to be held between September and October but World Rugby has recommended it be postponed because of uncertainty around Covid-19.
Palmer, who won three World Cups as a player, said it would take a miracle for the tournament to go ahead later this year as scheduled.
“We understand it’s so uncertain at the moment with regards to Covid-19, the whole environment and there are too many uncertainties, it’s an understandable decision but it’s still disappointing,” Palmer said.
“There will have to be some kind of miracle for that to change, so we just wanted to front foot and make sure everyone is aware that we did try our best.”
It [Covid] is affecting teams overseas, they haven’t even had a chance to play, some of the national teams.”
Palmer said it would be tough for the players to wait another 12 months before the tournament, but they should consider the postponement a “blessing”.
“When you’re an elite athlete, you put your life on hold to go to these events,” she said.
“I think back to the 1994 World Cup and the New Zealand team didn’t even get to go to that World Cup so I look to the people who have gone before us and the challenges they faced, so the fact that it’s been postponed is a blessing, there is still an opportunity for the team to dig deep for a year.”
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