The 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup organising committee claim the risk of the tournament being adversely affected by the Covid pandemic is too high to hold the event this year.
Black Ferns captain Eloise Blackwell. Photo: Photosport
The World Cup, scheduled to be held in New Zealand in September and October, is set to be delayed to 2022 after World Rugby recommended pushing back the event.
The chair of the organising committee, Dame Julie Christie, said travel and Covid restrictions made it untenable to host the tournament in 2021.
"For example a player may have had Covid in the past and therefore when they come into New Zealand and into our quarantine, that can still show up in their test. As a result you could have their whole team locked down or having to go home. One positive community case could lock down. With those sort of scenarios the risk was just too high."
Christie said organisers couldn't deliver the tournament they wanted to because of Covid-19 and says New Zealand Rugby and the Government support the decision to postpone the event.
Christie said confirmation of the postponement is expected next week.
"New Zealand Rugby has worked really hard with the Government to try and make it happen in every way. But in the end we had to weigh up the risks. We wanted to sell out and fill Eden Park for the first time for a women's sports event and we know that one (Covid) case could change all that."
Christie said the logistical difficulties of quarantining multiple international rugby sides, rather than the cost, played a major role in tournament's postponement.
"All 12 teams and 600 plus people were needing to quarantine and we were prepared and planning for that. The cost wasn't the deciding factor, in the end the deciding factor in the postponement was player welfare and the risks were too high. If you weigh up what we could have been facing if there was a positive Covid case in the community this year against what we can create next year with the tournament, we had to go to next year."
Christie said delayed tournament is still likely to be held solely in Auckland and Northland, but she says the dates could change to fit in with other events.
Scheduled for September and October this year, Christie said the 2022 version could move to accommodate events such as the Commonwealth Games and Sevens World Cup, set for July and August and the end of September/start of October respectively.
"The fact is with other sports events and making sure that it works for rugby and for the players and for us; we have stadiums that need to be rebooked and we've got to be sure we can maximise the tournament and fulfil that dream of filling Eden Park with 45,000 people for a women's sports match. That's what we really want to do and it hasn't been done before."
Christie said New Zealand Rugby are now committed to securing several test matches for the Black Ferns towards the end of the year.
"I believe NZR is very determined to finding international matches for the Black Ferns nearer the end of the year, if things start to improve. That would help our team get match fit for next year."