Black Ferns report favouritism, body-shaming and cultural insensitivity in scathing review

Review involved interviews with 50 current and former players, managers and coaches of New Zealand women's rugby team

New Zealand's governing rugby body has failed to properly support women's high performance rugby, with some players reporting favouritism, ghosting, body-shaming and culturally insensitive comments, a scathing review of one of the world's top women's rugby teams has found.

The more than 30-page review, which came with 26 recommendations, was instigated after a senior Black Ferns player - Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate - posted on social media that she had suffered a mental health breakdown following the Black Ferns' 2021 end-of-year tour to England and France.