New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams will be one of those trying to stay awake long enough for his side's Rugby World Cup semi-final showdown with Australia © Getty Images

I'm not one to complain, especially about this Rugby World Cup where there has been a treat at every turn, but I can't help but have a little moan about this weekend's ludicrously late kick offs.

Wales' clash against France on Saturday night and New Zealand's showdown with Australia the following day will both kick off at 9pm local time largely due to the scheduling power of big-spending European broadcasters who demand return for their investment in the form of games at a viewer-friendly time. As a result both games will kick off at 9am in the UK and 10am on the continent and fans there will be free to go about their supermarket shop or whatever by mid-morning. Meanwhile the 60,000 fans at Eden Park and thousands more at the Fan Zones around Auckland and the rest of New Zealand will be lucky to get home at around midnight - later if there's extra-time or the public transport system grinds to a halt again!

And what about the next generation of players who will be safely tucked up in bed long before full time and so denied the chance to see their heroes in action. Robbed of those special moments in their rugby education they may well turn to something or someone else for their inspiration.

Surely any real fan of one of the semi-finalists or of the game in general would not mind getting out of bed at 7.30am to watch their side in action on such a special occasion - even on a Saturday? It would be a great way for them to start the day and no more than a minor inconvenience while fans lucky enough to get a little closer to the action could look forward to a more sociable and sensible start to their matchday. In addition, countless local bars and businesses would benefit from fans departing the stadium wanting to celebrate, commiserate and debate the interpretation of the breakdown. Sadly, there is no chance of a change at this late stage or in the long term for tournaments scheduled on this side of the world as long as the money from the northern hemisphere dominates proceedings.

Of course Kiwi and Aussie fans can look forward to enjoying the 2015 World Cup over their Weet-Bix and orange juice as no allowance will be made for them four years from now. But perhaps the players deserve most sympathy? This weekend's games will be the highlight of many careers, although some will have a bigger stage to look forward to next week, and the day-long wait for kick off must be excruciating. With breakfast done and dusted they must have around nine or ten hours to kill before even getting on the coach to the ground.

What can they do? Or is it more of a case of what are they allowed to do that isn't too strenuous on their bodies or minds and doesn't impact on their detailed dietary requirements? Here are five ideas...

+ Prank call the Rugby Football Union to report another mouthguard/branding infringement

+ Hit the casino to try your luck - red or black?

+ Take a swim in the harbour taking care to avoid the ferries

+ Have a competition to see who gets stopped most times for a photo on Queen Street

+ Randomly tweet one of your followers asking for tips on tactics

Got any better ideas?