Women 's Rugby World Cup - wikipedia Women 's Rugby World Cup Not to be confused with Women 's Rugby League World Cup. Women 's Rugby World Cup Most recent tournament : 2017 Women 's Rugby World Cup Sport Rugby union Instituted April 6, 1991 ; 27 years ago ( 1991 - 04 - 06 ) Number of teams 12 Regions Worldwide ( World Rugby ) Holders New Zealand ( 5 Titles ) Most titles New Zealand ( 5 titles ) Website www.rwcwomens.com 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, World Rugby. The championships are currently held every four years ; the event was most recently held in Ireland in 2017. World Rugby has reset the tournament on a new four - year cycle to avoid conflict with the Olympics and Women 's World Cup Sevens ; World Cups will thus be held every four years after 2017. The first Women 's Rugby World Cup was held in 1991 and won by the United States. The 1991 and 1994 competitions were not officially sanctioned by World Rugby, then known as the International Rugby Football Board, at the time - they later received retrospective endorsement in 2009 when the governing body included the 1991 and 1994 champions in its list of previous winners. It was not until the 1998 tournament held in the Netherlands that the tournament received official IRB backing. The most successful team, with five titles, is New Zealand. Contents 1 History 1.1 1990s 1.2 2000 -- present 2 Results 2.1 Tournaments 2.2 Performance of nations 3 Format 4 Media coverage 5 See also 6 References 7 External links History 1990s Prior to the first Women 's Rugby World Cup officially sanctioned by the International Rugby Board there had been three previous tournaments of a similar nature. The first of these was an event held in August 1990 in New Zealand. Though not considered a world cup, the tournament was referred to as the World Rugby Festival for Women. The competition included teams representing the United States, the Netherlands, Russia, and the hosts, New Zealand -- who emerged as winners after defeating the United States in the final. The first tournament referred to as the Women 's Rugby World Cup was held in 1991 and hosted by Wales. Twelve countries were divided into four groups of three. The United States, against expectations, took the first championship with a 19 -- 6 victory over England. In the Plate competition Canada prevailed over Spain 18 -- 4. Following the first tournament it was decided to move the tournament schedule to the year prior to the next men 's world cup therefore reducing the quadrennial cycle to just three years. The next event was originally scheduled to take place in Amsterdam but ended up being moved to Scotland. Eleven countries competed in the tournament with the English meeting the United States in the final for the second time however, in this instance England emerged as winners. The 1998 tournament became the first women 's world cup officially sanctioned by the International Rugby Board. Amsterdam, who were originally scheduled to host the previous world cup, hosted the largest ever tournament with all matches played at the new National Rugby Centre in the city 's west end. The tournament also saw a record sixteen teams compete. New Zealand, who withdrew from the previous tournament, also competed. The final saw New Zealand defeat the United States and claim their first world cup title. 2000 -- present The next event was taken to Spain in 2002. New Zealand won the title for the second time by defeating England 19 -- 9 in the final. The 2006 World Cup took place in Edmonton, Canada, and was the first major international rugby union tournament and women 's world cup held in North America. New Zealand defeated England in the final to win their third successive world cup title. A record four countries expressed interest in hosting the 2010 World Cup. After considering bids from England, Germany, Kazakhstan and South Africa, the IRB announced that the 2010 event would take place in England. The tournament was staged in London, with the final played at the Twickenham Stoop. The 2017 World Cup was hosted by the Irish Rugby Football Union, which governs the sport on an All - Ireland basis. Games were held in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and in Belfast in Northern Ireland. For the 2021 edition, six hosting bids were announced : Australia, New Zealand, France, England, Wales and Portugal. Results Tournaments Year Host Final Third place match Number of teams Winner Score Runner - up 3rd place Score 4th place 1991 Wales United States 19 -- 6 England France Shared third New Zealand 12 1994 Scotland England 38 -- 23 United States France 27 -- 0 Wales 12 1998 Netherlands New Zealand 44 -- 12 United States England 31 -- 15 Canada 16 2002 Spain New Zealand 19 -- 9 England France 41 -- 7 Canada 16 2006 Canada New Zealand 25 -- 17 England France 17 -- 8 Canada 12 England New Zealand 13 -- 10 England Australia 22 -- 8 France 12 2014 France England 21 -- 9 Canada France 25 -- 18 Ireland 12 2017 Ireland New Zealand 41 -- 32 England France 31 -- 23 United States 12 Performance of nations Team Champion Runner - up Third Fourth New Zealand 5 ( list ) -- -- 1 ( 1991 ) England 2 ( 1994, 2014 ) 5 ( list ) 1 ( 1998 ) -- United States 1 ( 1991 ) 2 ( 1994, 1998 ) -- 1 ( 2017 ) Canada -- 1 ( 2014 ) -- 3 ( 1998, 2002, 2006 ) France -- -- 6 ( list ) 1 ( 2010 ) Australia -- -- 1 ( 2010 ) -- Ireland -- -- -- 1 ( 2014 ) Wales -- -- -- 1 ( 1994 ) Format The format for the 2006 tournament split the 12 participating nations into four pools of three teams. Each nation played three games, after the completion of which a re-seeding process took place. Nations were moved into divisions dictated by their respective overall tournament ranking with the top teams proceeding to the knockout stages. The 2010 event maintained the number of teams participating at twelve, with regional qualifying tournaments. In previous tournaments teams were selected by the IRB based on international performances as opposed to qualification via regional tournaments. Media coverage The tournament has grown considerably in the past fifteen years although television audiences and event attendance still remain relatively low, especially in comparison to other women 's world cup events. The final of the 2006 event in Canada was broadcast in a number of countries and streamed live via the internet. Sky Sports broadcast 13 live matches from the 2010 World Cup, including the semi-finals, the third and fourth place play - off match and the final. The pool matches shown included all of England 's matches, while each of the home nations ' featured live too. There were also highlights shown from all other matches during the pool stages. In Ireland the Women 's Rugby World Cup was broadcast by TG4 in 2014, the Irish language channel received praise for airing the tournament. TG4 provided coverage to all of the Irish matches as well as the final and semi-final. Certain matches in the 2017 WRWC knockout phases drew strong TV viewership in England and France, and were broadcast live in the United States. See also Rugby union portal Women 's sport portal Rugby World Cup ( men ) Women 's rugby union Women 's international rugby Women 's Rugby League World Cup References Jump up ^ `` France to Host 2014 Women 's Rugby World Cup ''. WRWC. p. 1. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2011. Jump up ^ `` Women 's Rugby World Cup 2017 tender process opens '' ( Press release ). World Rugby. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014. Jump up ^ IRB press release Archived 2 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Women 's Rugby World Cup ''. RugbyFootballHistory.com. p. 1. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Women 's Rugby World Cup -- History ''. BBC Sport. 2002 - 05 - 13. p. 1. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` 1994 Women 's Rugby World Cup -- results ''. Uniweb. p. 1. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Rugby Femenino ( Women 's Rugby ) ''. Iespena.es. p. 1. Archived from the original on 19 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` New Zealand retain crown ''. International Rugby Board. p. 1. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ Woods, Penny ( 2008 - 11 - 12 ). `` Women 's rugby looking to sidestep the doubters ''. The Guardian. London. p. 1. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` History of the Women 's Rugby World Cup ''. p. 1. Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Jump up ^ Ryan, Padraic ( 13 May 2015 ). `` Ireland to host 2017 Women 's World Cup ''. RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 13 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` 2017 Womens Rugby World Cup to be held in Ireland ''. Jump up ^ 2021 Women 's Rugby World Cup bidders announced - The Women 's Game, 13 June 2018 Jump up ^ A third place match was played -- won by France, probably by 3 -- 0. However, the game can only be considered as `` unofficial '' as it was not part of the original tournament plan, and the result was not recorded in any official tournament reports. The game is also not included in NZRFU international records. Jump up ^ `` England to host Women 's Rugby World Cup ''. rugbyheaven.co.nz. p. 1. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 15. Jump up ^ `` WRWC live on Sky ! ''. Sky Sports. 2010 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 19. Jump up ^ `` The rugby gender divide is too real '', 18 September 2017. External links The official WRWC website Women 's Rugby World Cup from therugbyworldcup.co.uk Results for the previous tournaments at rugbyfootballhistory.com Women 's Rugby World Cup Tournaments Wales 1991 Scotland 1994 Netherlands 1998 Spain 2002 Canada 2006 England 2010 France 2014 Ireland 2017 Qualifying... 2010 2014 2017 Finals... 2010 2014 2017 Squads... 2010 2014 2017 Related articles Women 's World Rugby Festival 1990 Women 's rugby union Anchor articles Women 's rugby union International rugby union List of rugby sevens competitions International rugby results summary International competitions ( 15s ) Women 's Rugby World Cup Women 's Six Nations Championship Asia Rugby Women 's Championship Defunct int'l competitions ( 15s ) Canada Cup ( 1993 -- 2005 ) Women 's Nations Cup ( 2008 -- 13 ) Global sevens competitions Women 's World Series Rugby World Cup Sevens Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics Regional sevens competitions European Women 's Sevens Championship Commonwealth Games Pan American Games Notable domestic competitions Farah Palmer Cup ( NZL ) Premier 15s ( ENG ) Super W ( AUS ) IRFU Women 's Interprovincial Series ( IRL ) National Women 's League ( CAN ) Historical firsts First international match 1982 Netherlands v France ( women 's rugby union match ) First international tournament 1988 Women 's Rugby European Cup First cross-continental tournament RugbyFest 1990 Rugby unions by best performance at the Women 's Rugby World Cup Winners England ( 2 times ) New Zealand ( 4 times ) United States ( Once ) Runners up Canada ( Once ) Third Australia ( Once ) France ( 5 times ) Fourth Wales ( Once ) Ireland ( Once ) Group stage ( 1 win ) Italy Japan Kazakhstan Netherlands Samoa Scotland South Africa Spain Sweden Group stage ( 0 wins ) Germany ( 2 times ) Hong Kong ( Once ) Russia ( 3 times ) No World Cup experience American Samoa Andorra Arab states of the Persian Gulf Argentina Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Barbados Belgium Bermuda Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Bulgaria Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cayman Islands Chile China Colombia Cook Islands Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Fiji Finland Georgia Ghana Guam Guyana Hungary India Iran Israel Ivory Coast Jamaica Kenya Kyrgyzstan Lao Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malaysia Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Morocco Namibia Nigeria Niue Norway Pakistan Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Rwanda St. Lucia St. Vincent & the Grenadines Serbia Senegal Singapore Slovenia Solomon Islands South Korea Sri Lanka Swaziland Switzerland Tahiti Taiwan ( Chinese Taipei ) Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe Women 's national rugby union teams Teams with World Cup appearances Australia Canada England France Germany Hong Kong Ireland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Netherlands New Zealand Samoa Scotland South Africa Spain Sweden United States Wales Teams with no World Cup appearances Austria Bahamas Barbados Basque Country Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Burundi Cayman Islands China Czech Republic Denmark Fiji Finland Guyana Jamaica Kenya Kyrgyzstan Laos Luxembourg Malaysia Norway Philippines Portugal Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Serbia Singapore Switzerland Thailand Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Uganda Uzbekistan Zambia Zimbabwe Defunct USSR Great Britain International rugby union competitions World Rugby Africa Asia Europe North America South America Oceania Worldwide Men World Cup World Cup Sevens Sevens Series U20 World Championship U20 Trophy Women World Cup World Cup Sevens Sevens Series Multi-sport events Olympic Games ( 7s ) Asian Games Commonwealth Games ( 7s ) Pacific Games Pan American Games Intercontinental Nations Cup Pacific Nations Cup Pacific Rugby Challenge The Rugby Championship Continental Africa Africa Cup African Development Trophy North African Tri Nations Rugby Africa Sevens African Rugby Under - 19 Cup Asia Asia Rugby Championship Asian Sevens Series Europe Six Nations Rugby Europe International Championships European Nations Cup Women 's Six Nations Under - 20 Six Nations Under - 20 Championship Under - 18 Championship Oceania Oceania Cup Oceania U20 Championship Americas South American Rugby Championship Americas Rugby Championship Rugby Americas North Championship South American U19 Championship Defunct Olympic Games ( 15s ) World Games ( 7s ) Churchill Cup Crescent Cup Four Nations Pacific Rim Championship Pan American Serendib International Cup Super Cup Tbilisi Cup U-19 World Championship U-21 World Championship Women 's Nations Cup IRB Women 's Sevens Challenge Cup Women 's international rugby World Rugby Rankings World Rugby Awards World cup competitions List of world cups Team Association football men men 's club women women 's club Viva Athletics Continental Cup Australian rules football Badminton men women mixed Baseball men women Basketball men women Beach soccer Boxing Bull riding Cricket men ODI men Twenty20 women ODI women Twenty20 indoor Darts PDC WDF Field hockey men women Fencing Futsal FIFA men AMF men AMF women Golf men women Ice hockey Lacrosse women Pool ( nine - ball ) Pitch and putt Rowing Motorsport enduro Roll ball Pesäpallo Roller derby men women Rugby league men women Rugby union men women sevens Quidditch Sepaktakraw Snooker Softball Tennis men women mixed Touch football Volleyball men women Water polo men women Wrestling Individual Archery Canoe slalom Chess Cyclo - cross Diving Equestrian dressage Fencing Gymnastics artistic rhythmic Mountain bike racing Orienteering Paralympic summer winter Road bicycle racing men women Sailing Show jumping Speedway motorcycle Sport shooting Swimming Ten - pin bowling Track cycling Triathlon Winter sports Biathlon Skiing Alpine Cross-country Freestyle ski cross Nordic combined Ski jumping ski flying Snowboarding Ski orienteering Sledding Bobsleigh Luge Skeleton Speed skating Short track See also : Template : Main world championships World championships List of world sports championships Olympic sports Team Association football men men 's club women women 's club Baseball men Basketball men women 3x3 basketball Beach volleyball Curling Handball men women Field hockey men women Ice hockey men women Rugby sevens Softball women Volleyball men men 's club women women 's club Water polo Individual Archery Aquatic sports Athletics outdoor race walking Badminton men women mixed individual Biathlon Bobsleigh and skeleton Boxing ( amateur ) Canoeing slalom sprint Cycling road track cyclo - cross mountain biking trials BMX Equestrianism Equestrian Games dressage eventing show jumping Fencing Golf men women Gymnastics artistic rhythmic trampolining Ice skating figure speed short track Judo Karate Luge artificial track natural track Modern pentathlon Rowing Sailing Shooting Skiing alpine nordic freestyle snowboarding Sport climbing Surfing Table tennis Taekwondo Triathlon Weightlifting Wrestling Discontinued Basque pelota Cricket men women Lacrosse men Polo Roller hockey men women Paralympic sports Team Amputee Football Blind Football CP Football Para Ice Hockey Wheelchair basketball Wheelchair rugby Wheelchair curling Goalball Sitting volleyball Individual Archery Athletics Badminton Bobsleigh and skeleton Boccia Cycling Track cycling Road cycling DanceSport Powerlifting Shooting Snowboard Skiing Alpine Nordic Swimming Table tennis Cue sports Carom billiards Three - cushion individual team artistic five - pin English billiards Crokinole Pocket billiards eight - ball nine - ball ten - ball straight pool Snooker six - red ladies amateurs seniors Mind sports Backgammon Bridge Chess open women Draughts men women checkers draughts - 64 draughts - 64 women Go Puzzles Scrabble Sudoku Xiangqi eSports ESWC FIFA Dota 2 League of Legends Overwatch Motorsport Auto racing Formula One Karting Rallying WRC WRC - 2 WRC - 3 rally raid Rallycross Solar car Sports car Endurance Touring car Motorcycle sports Cross-country rally Endurance Enduro Ice racing individual team Grand Prix Motocross individual nation Supercross sidecarcross Production Superbike Supersport Sidecar Speedway individual team Trial Other Aeroplane sport Aerobatic Aerobatic GP Air Race Powerboating F1 offshore Radio - controlled racing 1 : 10 electric off - road Tank biathlon Other sports Team American football men women Australian football Bandy men men 's club women women 's club Ball hockey Baseball men women Beach handball Beach soccer Canoe polo Dancesport Formation Latin Fistball men women Flag football Floorball Futsal men men 's club women Inline hockey FIRS IIHF Korfball Lacrosse men women indoor under - 19s Netball Padel tennis Quidditch Ringette Roll Ball Roller derby Rugby league men men 's club women Rugby union men women Sailing Yachts Dinghies Sepaktakraw Softball men Synchronized skating Tchoukball Individual Air sports Ballooning Gliding Parachuting Paragliding Aquatics Surfing Water skiing Athletics cross country half marathon indoor 100 km Mountain running Long Distance Mountain running Snowshoe running Skyrunning Trail running Bowling Tenpin Bowls Indoor Canoeing marathon Cycling mountain bike marathon cyclo - cross Darts BDO PDC Finswimming Fishing freshwater fly fishing Gymnastics acrobatic aerobic Inline speed skating Kendo Kickboxing Orienteering foot ski mountain bike trail Pétanque Powerlifting men women Professional boxing men women Mounted games Racquetball Sambo Shooting practical handgun practical rifle practical shotgun Skiing flying Ski mountaineering Squash individual doubles team Roller skating artistic Roller Sports World Aggressive Inline Skating Championships Artistic Roller Skating World Championship Inline Alpine Inline Downhill World Championships Inline Freestyle World Championships World Roller Speed Skating Championships World Skateboarding Championships Swimming short course Triathlon Ironman Wrestling Armwrestling Sumo Wushu Other Yo - yo Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Women%27s_Rugby_World_Cup&oldid=847016379 '' Categories : Women 's Rugby World Cup Women 's rugby union competitions for national teams World championships in rugby union Recurring sporting events established in 1991 World Rugby competitions World cups Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from October 2010 Use dmy dates from August 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Euskara Français 한국어 Italiano Қазақша 日本 語 Norsk Português Русский Svenska ไทย Українська 中文 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 22 June 2018, at 09 : 58 ( UTC ). 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Question: who won the first ever women's rugby world cup
Answer: the United States