New Zealand rugby chiefs quit

THE New Zealand Rugby Football Union's (NZRFU) top two officials quit yesterday and its board offered New Zealanders an abject apology for losing the right to co-host next year's Rugby World Cup.

Chairman Murray McCaw and chief executive David Rutherford fell on their swords after a damning independent report into the NZRFU's handling of World Cup negotiations was made public.

"The board accepts full responsibility for its part in the loss of sub-hosting rights," the NZRFU said in a statement.