The Sir Thomas Eichelbaum report said there were some serious errors of mismanagement made by the NZRFU during crucial negotiations two months ago.
The board has officially apologised to all of the 27 provinical unions for losing out in the co-hosting of the event and said its priority is to now restore its relationship with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).
Chief executive officer of the NZRFU David Rutherford has also resigned and has been replaced temporarily by Steve Tew.
John Spicer, the deputy chairman of the NZRFU has also resigned and has been replaced by Paul Quinn.
“We are as accountable for our actions to our stakeholders as other board-led organisations such as public companies," said North Zone representative Rob Fisher.
“The review shows that we've made some misjudgements over past years and these contributed to the loss of sub-host status. It is now critical that we look to the future - so our response is part of a long-term plan to rebuild an international leadership position for New Zealand rugby,” he said.
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