Opinion: You can lead a horse to water but .... you know how it ends.
So in that spirit, you can lead the men that run NZR to watch the women's game but you can't change who they are and what they stand for.
The truth is no one at NZR designed and dangled a winning bonus in front of our women and for that heads should roll. Not one leader suggested it before the game. The All Blacks men were each paid $150,000 to win the 2015 RWC but 7 years later NZR overlooked the issue completely for our women. Ignore what they say and judge their actions alone.
So on Monday morning, I launched a Give-A-Little Page to raise money to give our world champ Black Ferns rugby players a winners bonus. Why not? It's top sport, it's about performance right?
On top of that 1.2 million of us watched the game on TV and 42,000 paid to attend. Money through the gates and into the coffers of World Rugby and NZR. So what about the women? If England won they stood to pocket NZ$30,000 each.
And what about us? Zip.
I know it's unbelievable. Here's what you have to consider.
So the Black Ferns win the semi-final against France, surely someone in a position of power at NZR says, we could win this and with that being the case, here's where we might be vulnerable so let's look at paying a bonus if they win.
No one wants to look out of step but no one did that. No one saw the train coming. Surely not. We won the semi, they had a week's warning that we were in the final and we knew two years ago we'd be in the tournament.
So what now?
It's all damage control, having been asked the question and seeing what was going on with our move at Today FM, NZR is now hurriedly rushing around trying to organise a bonus after the race is run and won.
It's the least they can do.
But when the dust settles I say call times up for the dinosaurs, now is no time for the excuses from yesterday's men who have a blind spot towards the women's game, how many chances do they need or do we give them?
They serve up platitudes and action few of them. Empty vessels and our women deserve better and need better representation behind the closed doors and closed minds at Rugby HQ.
We just sent every male rugby player we could muster to the Northern Hemisphere - two All Blacks teams and the reason for the second team is beyond me but it won't be cheap.
Yep, the Dark Ages are led by rugby boss Mark Robinson and a Canterbury stalwart called Stewart Mitchell who is the Chairman. How these men meet the modern criteria needed to govern and lead a body such as New Zealand Rugby is beyond me. How can women be confident they have their best interests at heart when the evidence suggests otherwise?
Both men and women who love the game should be deeply worried that even when we'd won the trophy for a sixth time, the question of paying a winners bonus hadn't registered in their heads.
The women's game is on the march, but is NZR positioned and staffed properly to maximise the opportunities and do the right thing?
No.
Based on today's effort I wouldn't put them in charge of a game of pin the tail on the donkey, they'd only end up hurting themselves
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