Hansen backs hosting women’s World Cup
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen fully endorses New Zealand’s bid to host the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Australia, England, France, Portugal and Wales are the other nations to have tendered their interest. New Zealand have won five of the tournament’s eight editions, including last year’s event in Ireland, but are yet to play hosts.
The six prospective hosts have been sent official bid documents, which have to be completed by August 10. World Rugby will then announce the successful bidder on November 14.
Hansen has coached
All Blacks teams at three World Cups, winning two, and took Wales to the 2003 tournament in Australia before that. He knows what being the hosts in 2021 would mean to the Black Ferns.
‘‘It’s exciting, isn’t it,’’ Hansen said of the bid, yesterday.
‘‘The Black Ferns don’t get that great an opportunity to play at home in front of big crowds and [against] a lot of different opposition. To have a World Cup, regardless of who’s playing in it [and] whether it’s an under-20 [tournament], the Black Ferns or the All Blacks themselves, it’s always an exciting time for rugby in New Zealand.
‘‘The women’s team have been great ambassadors for our game. They’re leading the way in their sport and they’re challenging all of us to look at it differently. I think it would be great, I wouldn’t have any problem supporting it.’’
Hansen’s not in charge of finance at NZR, but he knows what a good World Cup needs to look like.
‘‘What you’re committing to, I think, if you say ‘look we want to host it’ is that you’re going to provide stadia that are world class and you’re going to provide an environment where the tournament’s going to get thoroughly supported by people coming out and watching it,’’ he said.
‘‘You’ve only got to look at the last one. Ireland did a tremendous job in supporting that and they’re all things that we can do really well.
‘‘I think the New Zealand public would really buy into it.’’