Black Ferns head coach Wayne Smith has dismissed the drama surrounding the scheduling clash between his team's World Cup quarter-final against Wales and the All Blacks' showdown against Japan.
The Ferns' knockout match against the Welsh will kick off at 7:30pm Saturday, midway through the opening test of men's northern tour against the Brave Blossoms, which starts at 6:50pm.
The clash has caused an uproar across the country, due to the perceived lack of respect shown to the women's game at this critical juncture of a pinnacle event on home soil.
NZ Rugby has put the situation down to "a simple oversight" in scheduling, insisting it'd since tried to reschedule their kickoff time, but had been unsuccessful.
When asked his opinion on the debacle, Smith quickly cracks a smile and takes a light-hearted approach.
"You know how that camera is on me in the coaching box… I'll have to put my phone down a bit lower," joked Smith about clandestinely watching the All Blacks on his mobile, while his team were in action.
According to the reputed rugby mastermind, the matter is a non-issue that he'd invested none of his precious energy into.
As far as he's concerned, NZR have already offered a 'mea culpa' and fans will vote with their feet at Northland Events Centre this weekend.
"I think NZ Rugby have answered that question, haven't they," he added. "They stuffed up.
"Who should [the public] watch on Saturday night? It's up to them.
"We've got a huge crowd coming along at Whangārei, good ticket sales from what I hear. They'll be great.
"I don't really worry about that sort of stuff too much. It's not an issue for me - I've put zero thought into it."
A much higher priority for Smith has been preparing his squad for their rematch with a gritty Welsh team for a spot in the tournament's final four.
While the lopsided 56-12 scoreboard told one story during their pool match a fortnight ago, it didn't reflect the superiority of the Wales forward pack against their vaunted counterparts.
The Ferns backs ran rampant on counterattack that day at Waitakere Stadium, but the Welsh pack scored two tries from rolling mauls and had the upperhand at set-piece.
Smith is adamant his team need to take their chance on Saturday to square that ledger.
"We just have to be careful that it's not a holiday camp," he noted "That we buckle down and we have that attitude to play well against Wales.
"To be fair, they pumped us physically in that first game we played them, so we've got a bit of ground to make up.
"They beat us physically, so,this is an opportunity for our girls to show that we can match them and that's about attitude."
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