Pool A: New Zealand, Wales, Australia, South Africa
Pool B: England, USA, Ireland and Kazakhastan
Pool C: France, Canada, Scotland, Sweden
Matches kick off this Friday, 20th August and will be played at the Surrey Sports Camp and Twickenham Stoop and Ireland open their tournament against England before playing the USA on 24th August and Kazakhastan on 28th August.
The 2010 tournament will be the sixth Women's Rugby World Cup with the first having been held in Cardiff back in April 1991.The success of the inaugural tournament laid the foundations for the future and proved the viability of an international competition, from which the Women's Rugby World Cup has continued to grow to the present day. Here we take a brief look at each of the tournaments.
Cardiff, Wales 1991
Twelve teams contested that first tournament in Cardiff from 6-14 April in hosts Wales, Canada, England, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, USA and the USSR. England and USA booked their places in the inaugural final by shutting out France and New Zealand respectively, with the women from North America getting their hands on the silverware with a 19-6 victory.
Edinburgh, Scotland 1994
Three years later the teams converged on Edinburgh with Kazakhstan and Ireland making their first appearances on the Women's Rugby World Cup stage. It was clear from early on that defending champions USA and England were the sides to beat and when they met in the final. England exacted revenge for their 1991 defeat, producing a superb performance to triumph 38-23.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1998
The 1998 tournament was the first officially under the auspices of the International Rugby Board, and it was apparent that the New Zealand side, led by Farah Palmer, would be the main side to challenge. With a field extended to 16 teams, the tournament produced some compelling rugby with New Zealand, England, USA and Canada living up to their billing as title contenders by reaching the semi finals.
The Black Ferns ending England's reign as champions in the semi-final with an emphatic 44-11 triumph while the USA were equally impressive in their own semi final, dispatching Canada 46-6. However, despite playing in their third successive final, the USA women were powerless to stop the Black Ferns claiming a first title.
Barcelona, Spain 2002
Women's Rugby World Cup 2002 held in Spain is regarded as a watershed in the short history of the Women's Game. The final between New Zealand and England set new standards of excellence in terms of skill, fitness and comprehension, firmly placing the Women's Game on the map.
Samoa made their debut on the WRWC stage but from the opening rounds New Zealand and England were destined for another head to head in the final. The final was an excellent display of rugby by anyone's standards, a fabulous mix of tactical awareness, gritty forward play and attacking rugby and Barcelona's Olympic Stadium was a fitting backdrop and the Black Ferns were worthy winners, with a 19-9 victory over England
Edmonton, Canada 2006
In 2006, the Women's Rugby World Cup broke new ground with Canada becoming the first non-European nation to host the pinnacle tournament in the Women's Game, one which saw South Africa grace the stage for the first time. The first African nation to compete in the tournament, South Africa were on the end of some heavy losses, but will have learned plenty from the experience.
New Zealand and England once again contested the final with the Black Ferns running out to 14 victories in a row on the WRWC stage, a fitting send-off for captain Palmer into retirement .
2010...
With playing numbers continuing to grow and the likes of Australia now warranting a mention among the list of genuine title contenders, England 2010 promises to be the most competitive Women's Rugby World Cup to date.
Ireland come into this year's tournament off the back of some credible performances in this season's Six Nations campaign with wins over Italy, Wales and Scotland and will be captained by veteran Fiona Coghlan.
Ulster's interest is in the form of Eliza Downey who plays her club rugby with Cooke as full-back. She was capped twice by Ireland in this season's Six Nations campaign and is no stranger to sporting excellence having played county GAA for 10 years, captained her team to win All-Ireland Division 2. Eliza was talent spotted by the Ulster coaching staff whilst she was playing 10's for UUJ at the Carrick Tournament in 2009 and is known for her speed and elusive qualities on the pitch.
Click here to see Eliza on Irish Rugby TV
Eliza's Cooke colleague Lauren Day was also included in the original squad but having sustained a broken hand in the final warm-up game against Scotland in July, has unfortunately had to withdraw. Lauren is in her third season of playing tight head prop for Cooke WRFC in AIL Division One. She broke onto the Irish panel late 2008, and received her first cap in the 2009 Six Nations championships against Scotland.
(this article first appeared in the Ulster Rugby Match Programme v Bath on 13th August 2010)
