1991
The inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup took place in Wales over nine days in April 1991.
The 12 teams taking part were USA, England, New Zealand, Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Sweden, Wales, Italy, Japan, the USSR and France; all had to pay their own way to get there and participate, with the entire competition run on a shoestring budget. It was brilliantly organised by a group of four dedicated volunteers: Deborah Griffin, Sue Dorrington, Alice Cooper and Mary Forsyth, all from Richmond RFC. A talented and athletic USA team, who beat England 19-6 in the final, dominated on the field.
"As many pushbacks and as many kickbacks as we had, as many doors that were slammed in our face...nothing deterred us. We kept going." - Sue Dorrington, England
The tournament would not be recognised by the IRB as an official Rugby World Cup for almost 20 years, but nonetheless laid the foundations for the future of the women's game.
