New Zealand's 2007 World Cup review lacked punch, was not timely and did not hold the New Zealand Rugby Union to account for their decisions, the organisation's former chief executive has said.

The review by lawyer Mike Heron and sports administrator Don Tricker on behalf of the NZRU identified several factors, including a controversial conditioning programme, lack of match play, refereeing in the quarter-final and failure of the team's leadership group, as contributing to the 20-18 defeat by France.

However, former NZRU chief executive David Moffett said the review could have been completed months ago with many of the contributory factors already well known by the public.

"Why has it taken so long to produce a report where most items covered in it were being talked about before the World Cup," Moffett said.

"The big weakness in this report is it doesn't report on anything we don't already know.

"The NZRU would have been far better off holding up their hands at the time and saying, 'We got a few things wrong, we know what they are, they're as plain as the nose on your face, but we'll fix them'.

"Instead, we've had to wait six or seven months for this .. which is not a comprehensive report as far as I'm concerned.

"Let's face it, the average Kiwi could have written this report. The whole of New Zealand knows why the World Cup didn't work."

"And given the lack of real punch in this report why couldn't they have produced it by December and then appointed the All Black coaches after it?"

Moffett, who has also been chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union and Sport England, said there were warning signs in the build-up to the tournament which thee NZRU chose to ignore.

"There's nothing in (the report) that criticises the union for not changing direction in the lead-up to the World Cup," he added. It was "obvious to everyone" that the All Blacks needed warm-up matches before the World Cup, he said.

A "whole bunch of people" warned NZRU that the All Blacks were heading in the wrong direction before the tournament.

"Yet they never changed, not one single thing. Why hasn't someone called them to account for their bull-headedness?

"They set themselves on a course and nothing was going to deviate them from it."

Reuters