1991 Women's Rugby World Cup
Encyclopedia
The 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup was the first Women's Rugby World Cup
. The tournament was not approved by the International Rugby Board
(IRB), yet it still went ahead despite the disapproval of the sports governing body—France only confirmed their participation minutes before the draw was made on 26 February. Representatives of the IRB, WRFU and RFU attended the final but it was not until 2009 that the IRB officially endorsed the event as a "world cup" when it published, for the first time, a list of previous winners in a press release.
The tournament, held in Wales
saw twelve teams compete for the trophy over a period of only a week. The tournament champions were the United States
. The teams that failed to qualify for the semi-finals took part in a "plate" tournament between the 11 and 13 April.
Although the tournament was run on a very small and tightly controlled budget it still made a financial loss (which was eventually made good by the RFU), significantly due to the Soviet Union team being unable to pay its hotel and transport bills The team had hoped to survive by bartering and selling trinkets (including, it was been suggested at the time, vodka) and items of kit, but these activities were curtailed after they aroused the attention of HM Customs and Excise.
However, a match between a French and a New Zealand XV did take place on 14 April, France winning 3-0. But it is clear from records held by the RFU Rugby Museum that game was not scheduled as part of the tournament and is not included in any official tournament records after the event.
Participants record that New Zealand fielded a weakened team based around players who had not made many appearances in the tournament. New Zealand awarded no caps - indeed the game does not appear in any official Black Fern records. On the other hand the French RFU have included the game in a recently published official list of internationals, and do appear to have awarded caps.
As status of the game is disputed it is also not currently accepted as being a test match.
Women's Rugby World Cup
The Women's Rugby World Cup is the premier international competition in rugby union for women. The tournament is organised by the sport's governing body the International Rugby Board...
. The tournament was not approved by the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB), yet it still went ahead despite the disapproval of the sports governing body—France only confirmed their participation minutes before the draw was made on 26 February. Representatives of the IRB, WRFU and RFU attended the final but it was not until 2009 that the IRB officially endorsed the event as a "world cup" when it published, for the first time, a list of previous winners in a press release.
The tournament, held in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
saw twelve teams compete for the trophy over a period of only a week. The tournament champions were the United States
United States women's national rugby union team
The United States women's national rugby union team represents the United States in women's rugby union. Officially formed in 1987, the Women's National Team has been an international powerhouse since its inception. The Eagles won the first official Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991, and finished...
. The teams that failed to qualify for the semi-finals took part in a "plate" tournament between the 11 and 13 April.
Although the tournament was run on a very small and tightly controlled budget it still made a financial loss (which was eventually made good by the RFU), significantly due to the Soviet Union team being unable to pay its hotel and transport bills The team had hoped to survive by bartering and selling trinkets (including, it was been suggested at the time, vodka) and items of kit, but these activities were curtailed after they aroused the attention of HM Customs and Excise.
Pool 1
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 14 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 33 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 33 |
Pool 2
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 37 | |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 82 |
Pool 3
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 7 | |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 74 |
Pool 4
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 19 | |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 25 |
Plate quarter-finals
Plate semi-finals
Semi-finals
Plate final
Third place playoff
Officially, third place was shared between France and New Zealand.However, a match between a French and a New Zealand XV did take place on 14 April, France winning 3-0. But it is clear from records held by the RFU Rugby Museum that game was not scheduled as part of the tournament and is not included in any official tournament records after the event.
Participants record that New Zealand fielded a weakened team based around players who had not made many appearances in the tournament. New Zealand awarded no caps - indeed the game does not appear in any official Black Fern records. On the other hand the French RFU have included the game in a recently published official list of internationals, and do appear to have awarded caps.
As status of the game is disputed it is also not currently accepted as being a test match.