Remembering WRWC’91: The final and the legacy

The United States - one of the favourites for the first Women's Rugby World Cup - were triumpant in Cardiff on the afternoon of the 14th April 1991.

The Times reported:

The rugby as over, but not the drama. As the teams met for a farewell dinner the organisers still had worries. The Guardian picks up the story:?˜

However at the dinner...

Given an extra day, Times rugby correspondent David Hands reviewed the tournament in more depth:

Looking back now?˜Griffin, also recalls the financial difficulties.?˜

Prior to the tournament, only half of the participants came under the umbrella of their national rugby unions. Although this had a positive effect in that it allowed the then independent New Zealand women??s team to ignore NZRU opposition to the event, the lack of recognition did not help expand the game.

As a result one of the most positive outcomes of the tournament was that, within a few months, the Italian, Dutch and New Zealand unions all now welcomed women??s rugby. By the end of 1992, of those teams taking part, only rugby in Wales, England and Japan was still organised by separate women??s unions (which, in the case of Wales and England, would remain the same UK-wide union for another three years).

The IRB, however, remained a male-only club, refusing to recognise the 1991 tournament (a position they maintained until 2010) or the planned follow-up. That stance nearly torpedoed the second World Cup in 1994, ensuring not only that New Zealand, Sweden and Germany had to refuse invitations but also leading to the original hosts, the Netherlands, pulling out at the eleventh hour. Fortunately Scotland stepped in at a last minute to run another successful event, and in 1996 the IRB finally accepted responsibility for the women??s game.

If the immediate political legacy of the first World Cup was limited, its effect on those who had taken part was another matter. The United States returned in glory to a White House reception and a level of recognition and support that would see them to two more World Cup Finals. And the game ?? even where it remained separate from the main unions ?? became more professional in its organisation, especially for the national team, and player numbers slowly began to grow.

The first Women??s Rugby World Cup in 1991 may not have changed the world, but it laid the foundations for the future of the women??s game.

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(11th May)

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(12th May)

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(13th May)

Canada?˜?˜ 19??4?˜?˜ Spain (Cyncoed, Cardiff)

(14th May)

England?˜?˜ 6??19?˜?˜ United States (Cardiff Arms Park)