1991 Women's Rugby World Cup

none June 2026 July 2024 Cwpan Rygbi'r Byd 1991 i Ferched 6 April 14 April 1991 Wales 12 United States 1 England 23 526 France Fabienne Saudin (24) France Fabienne Saudin (6) 1994 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 sport's governing body. France confirmed their participation only minutes before the draw was made on 26 February.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/63118254 The women who fought for their own World Cup BBC Sport Representatives of the IRB, WRFU and RFU attended the final, but it was not until 2009 that the IRB officially, and retrospectively, recognised and endorsed the event.August 2026 The tournament was held in and around Cardiff, Wales. Twelve teams competed for the trophy, divided into four pools of three teams each. Each team played three pool matches on 6 April, 8 April, and 10 April; the semi-finals were played on 12 and 14 April. This meant that the championship teams played five matches over nine days, with only one rest day between matches. The tournament champions were the United States, who defeated England 19–6 in the final at Cardiff Arms Park in front of almost 3,000 fans."Remembering WRWC’91: The final and the legacy" https://web.archive.org/web/20190809205105/https://www.scrumqueens.com/features/remembering-wrwc%E2%80%9991-final-and-legacy 9 August 2019 , Scrum Queens, accessed 24 December 2017. The teams that failed to qualify for the semi-finals took part in a "plate" tournament between 11 and 13 April. Organisation The tournament was created and largely organised by four women who were with the Richmond Women's Rugby Club – Deborah Griffin, Sue Dorrington, Alice Cooper, and Mary Forsyth.The 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup trailblazers http://www.englandrugby.com/news/features/the-1991-women-rugby-world-cup-trailblazers/ England Rugby https://web.archive.org/web/20170803035047/http://www.englandrugby.com/news/features/the-1991-women-rugby-world-cup-trailblazers/ 3 August 2017 1 August 2017 The International Rugby Board decided not to sanction or support the tournament. The tournament was run on a very small and tightly controlled budget. The organisers considered a number of host cities, and chose Cardiff, Wales for several reasons — because most of the teams were European it made sense to hold the tournament in Europe; the organisers were looking for a strong rugby community, which Wales possessed; and Cardiff offered help, including paying for the welcome ceremony and closing dinner. The tournament made a financial loss. Due in some part to the fact that the men's 1991 Rugby World Cup was also being held in Europe that year, with some matches staged in Wales,"Women's Rugby World Cup", Rugby Football History, accessed 24 December 2017. the women's tournament experienced disappointing attendance revenues and the failure to attract television contracts or sponsorship. Another financial drain was due to the Soviet Union team being unable to pay its hotel and transport bills, as Soviets were not permitted to leave the country with hard currency.For press coverage of the 1991 tournament, including coverage of the Soviet Union's financial problems, see the 1991 press cuttings on Women's Rugby: A Newspaper History The team had hoped to survive by bartering and selling goods (such as vodka) and trinkets (such as Russian dolls); these activities were curtailed after they aroused the attention of HM Customs and Excise, and the Soviets relied on contributions by local Cardiff businesses to survive. The financial loss was made good. Anonymous businessmen pledged at the post-tournament celebratory dinner to make up a portion of the deficit. The English Rugby Football Union made good on the remainder of the deficit. Teams 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup squads The organizers invited multiple rugby unions to participate, and 12 nations confirmed their participation. The teams had varying degrees of international experience. Among the more experienced teams were the Netherlands with 20 caps and France with 18 caps, dating back to their first meeting in 1982. Among the lesser experienced teams were Japan with no prior caps, and Spain with one prior cap from a 1989 0–28 drubbing by the French. Match Officials October 2018 +RefereeMatches OfficiatedUSA Laurel LockettYoung Wendy 15 April 2016 '91 USA Rugby Women's Rugby World Cup Winners Honored https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2016/04/15/91-usa-rugby-womens-rugby-world-cup-winners-honored/ live scrumhalfconnection.com https://web.archive.org/web/20160507142535/http://scrumhalfconnection.com:80/2016/04/15/91-usa-rugby-womens-rugby-world-cup-winners-honored/ 7 May 2016 WAL Les PeardFinal (England v United States)WAL Gareth SimmondsSemifinal (New Zealand v USA)WAL Ken RowlandsSemifinal (England v France)A. Evans Plate Final (Canada v Spain) Holland v USA Wales v Canada Italy v Spain Touch Judge Final (England v United States)D. Morgan Wales v NZ Touch Judge Final (England v United States) Pool stage Pool 1 main WDL n points none NZL NZL CAN CAN WAL WAL 2 0 0 48 14 0 1 1 17 33 0 1 1 15 33 complete 6 April 1991 NZL 24–8 CAN Glamorgan Wanderers 8 April 1991 WAL 9–9 CAN Glamorgan Wanderers 10 April 1991 WAL 6–24 NZL Llanharan Pool 2 main WDL n points none FRA FRA SWE SWE JPN JPN 2 0 0 99 0 1 0 1 20 37 0 0 2 0 82 complete 6 April 1991 FRA 62–0 JPN Aberavon 8 April 1991 FRA 37–0 SWE Glamorgan Wanderers 10 April 1991 JPN 0–20 SWE Llanharan Pool 3 main WDL n points none USA USA NLD NLD SUN SUN 2 0 0 53 0 1 0 1 28 7 0 0 2 0 74 complete 6 April 1991 http://womeneagles.com/firstCup.html US Women Eagles Win the Inaugural Women's World Cup www.womeneagles.com 25 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20090412204044/http://www.womeneagles.com/firstCup.html 12 April 2009 dead NED 0–7 USA Pontypool 8 April 1991 NED 28–0 URS Llanharan 10 April 1991 USA 46–0 URS Glamorgan Wanderers Pool 4 main WDL n points none ENG ENG ESP ESP ITA ITA 2 0 0 37 9 1 0 1 13 19 0 0 2 16 38 complete 6 April 1991 ENG 12–0 ESP Swansea 8 April 1991 ENG 25–9 ITA Llanharan 10 April 1991 ITA 7–13 ESP Glamorgan Wanderers Plate 11 April – Cardiff CAN 38 URS 0 11 April – Cardiff ITA 18 SWE 0 11 April – Cardiff WAL 3 NED 6 11 April – Cardiff JPN 0 ESP 30 12 April – Cardiff CAN 6 ITA 0 12 April – Cardiff NED 0 ESP 8 13 April – Cardiff CAN 19 ESP 4 Plate quarter-finals 11 April 1991 CAN 38–0 URS Cardiff 11 April 1991 ITA 18–0 SWE Cardiff 11 April 1991 WAL 3–6 NED Cardiff 11 April 1991 JPN 0–30 ESP Cardiff Plate semi-finals 12 April 1991 CAN 6–0 ITA Cardiff 12 April 1991 NED 0–8 ESP Cardiff Plate final 13 April 1991 CAN 19–4 ESP Cardiff Cup 12 April – Cardiff ENG 13 FRA 0 12 April – Cardiff NZL 0 USA 7 14 April – Cardiff ENG 6 USA 19 Semi-finals 12 April 1991 NZL 0–7 USA Cardiff Arms Park 12 April 1991 ENG 13–0 FRA Cardiff Arms Park Third place playoff Officially, third place is considered to be shared between France and New Zealand.Women's Rugby World Cup England 2025 Draw Media Guide https://resources.worldrugby-rims.pulselive.com/worldrugby/document/2024/10/16/27aca697-279b-4d09-851b-ccc3e17dc0cb/RWC25_Draw_Media_Guide-EN-.pdf World Rugby 18 May 2025 17 October 2024 21 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 the 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 the status of the game is disputed, it is also not currently accepted as being a test match. Final 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup final 14 April 1991 ENG 6–19 USA Cardiff Organisers Deborah Griffin — Chair Sue Dorrington — Commercial manager Alice Cooper — Press and PR Mary Forsyth — Financial director See also Women's Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup (men's) 1991 Rugby World Cup (men's) Rugby World Cup Sevens Sources Rugby World Cup Women’s Stats Archivehttps://scrumhalfconnection.com/rugby-world-cup-womens-stats-archive/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250619142825/https://scrumhalfconnection.com/rugby-world-cup-womens-stats-archive/ Rugby World Cup Women's Stats Archive 19 June 2025 live Women's Rugby Data https://womensrugbydata.com/womens-rugby-world-cup-1991/ Women's Rugby World Cup 1991 References External links US Women Eagles Win the Inaugural Women's World Cup https://web.archive.org/web/20090412204044/http://www.womeneagles.com/firstCup.html 12 April 2009 1991 Category:1991 rugby union tournaments for national teams Category:1990–91 in Welsh rugby union Category:Women's international rugby union competitions hosted by Wales Category:1991 in women's rugby union Category:April 1991 sports events in Europe Category:1991 in Welsh women's sport Category:Women's rugby union competitions in Wales