U-turn: All Blacks v Wales to screen free-to-air

All Blacks players thank the crowd after their semifinal loss to England. Photo: Getty
All Blacks players thank the crowd after their semifinal loss to England. Photo: Getty
Spark Sport has announced that the Rugby World Cup bronze medal playoff between the All Blacks and Wales will be made available on a one-hour delay on free-to-air.

The match was previously scheduled to stream solely on Spark Sport, prompting some outrage from All Blacks fans, but the Spark team has decided to show the match with a one-hour delay on TVNZ now that the All Blacks are part of the match.

"We know the interest level in this match will now be much higher than when we originally decided which matches would show on free-to-air TV," said head of Spark Sport Jeff Latch. "We want to ensure that as many New Zealanders as possible have the opportunity to see how the All Blacks close out their tournament."

All Spark Sport RWC Tournament Pass customers and New Zealand v Wales Match Pass customers will be able to watch live.

Spark Sport monthly subscribers and those tuning in to TVNZ 1 will be able to watch the delayed coverage.

This decision follows a successful weekend for Spark Sport, with significant numbers of New Zealand households choosing to stream the semifinal matches live on Spark Sport.

The third place playoff kicks off at 10pm on Friday night.

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