Women's international rugby union
Women's rugby has a history going back to the late 19th century (see here for details) but it was not until 1982 that the first international fixture (or "Test Match") took place. The match was organised in connection with the Dutch Rugby Union's 50th anniversary. As part of the celebrations on June 13, 1982 the French national women's team was invited to Utrecht to play the Dutch, France winning 4-0[1] in a game that has since been recognised as the first ever Women's international[2] rugby union match.
Official recognition of women's internationals was not immediate. Almost all women's rugby was originally organised outside of the control of either national unions or the IRB. Partly as a result no internationally agreed list of rugby internationals exists. However, even in the male game, the IRB does not decide which matches are "full internationals" (or "test matches"), leaving such decisions up to participating unions.
As a result one country may classify a match as a full international (and award full test caps) while the opposition may not - countries may even award caps for games against an opposition that is not a national team (World XVs, for example).[3]
International rugby initially grew slowly[4] . Sweden joined France and the Netherlands in 1984, followed by Italy in 1985, but it was not until 1987 that the first international took place outside Europe. However, since 2003 the game has expanded rapidly and now over 50 nations have played at least one "test match".
Over 800 internationals have now been played. Traditional centres of rugby New Zealand, England and France have been the most successful nations, but they have been joined by a number of "non-traditional" nations who have been almost as successful - such as the USA and Kazakhstan. Unlike men's rugby, there is no official ranking of women's teams - generally the IRB refer to the placings in the preceding World Cup. However FIRA compile an annual ranking of European teams and rugby statistician Serge Piquet has produced a currently unofficial, but generally accepted, world ranking list.
The entire list of internationals can also now be viewed, manipulated, copied and downloaded as a single Google Documents Spreadsheet.
International women's matches
Definition of an "international":
Individual unions compile their own international records. As a result the list below will conflict with some of these "official" records (much in the same way as they will conflict with each other) as unions:
- may not include some games in their official records because they fielded a below strength team in an tournament for full international XVs, or
- my include games which are not listed below because they fielded a full strength team in a friendly against an unofficial or "A" team.
For consistency this list has used the following criteria when defining what is or is not an international:
- Tournament Games between national representative XVs from tournaments for full international teams, regardless of an individual union's selection policy;
- "Friendly" fixtures which it appears were generally promoted prior to the game as being between full strength national XVs. In case of doubt the opinion of the home union - i.e. the promoter of the game - has carried the most weight.
- Fixtures between official national selections and supra-national teams (such as "World XVs").
Full internationals and tournaments
Each match below is prefixed by a unique running number, has a three number suffix indicating how many games each team had played up to this point, and how many games had been played between the two sides. For example: Template:Wrugbybox
indicates that this was not only the 74th women's international, it was the second played by Scotland, the 13th played by Wales, and the first between the two sides.
A list of games involving advertised "A" teams and other games of doubtful international status is also appended after the main list.
1982
Tournaments
- None
Other matches Template:Wrugbybox
1983
Tournaments
- None
Other matches Template:Wrugbybox
1984
Tournaments
None
Other matches
Template:Wrugbybox Template:Wrugbybox
1985
Tournaments
None
Other matches
1986
Tournaments
None
Other matches
1987
Tournaments
None
Other matches
1988
Tournaments
Other matches
1989
Tournaments
None
Other matches
1990
Tournaments
Other matches
1991
Tournaments
Other matches
1992
Tournaments
None
Other matches
1993
Tournaments
Other matches
1994
Tournaments
Other matches
1995
Tournaments
Other matches
1996
Tournaments
Other matches
1997
Tournaments
Other matches
1998
Tournaments
Other matches
1999
Tournaments
Other matches
2000
Tournaments
Other matches
2001
Tournaments
Other matches
2002
Tournaments
Other matches
2003
Tournaments
Other matches
2004
Tournaments
Other matches
2005
Tournaments
Other matches
2006
Tournaments
Other matches
2007
Tournaments
Other matches
2008
Tournaments
Other matches
2009
Tournaments
Other matches
2010
Tournaments
Other matches
2011
Tournaments
Other matches
2014
Tournaments
Other matches
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Other internationals
The following is a list of...
- Matches involving designated national "A" teams,
- Matches of doubtful status,
- Matches between full international sides and non-national XVs, and
- Other games of note.
It is included as some nations have awarded full caps for these games and may include them as full internationals in their own records. In addition these games act as an indicator of the relative strength of some of the smaller nations, and the strength in depth of the larger.
1990
1991
1995
1997
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Highest team scores
| 141 |  Netherlands v Denmark (141-3) at Toulouse 02/05/2004 FIRA [445]
|
| 134 |  New Zealand v Germany (134-6) at Amsterdam 02/05/1998 World Cup [192]
|
| 121 |  United States v Germany (121-0) at Melrose 15/04/1994 World Cup [086]
|
| 117 | New Zealand v Germany (117-0) at Barcelona 13/05/2002 World Cup [360]
|
| 113 | Netherlands v Denmark (113-0) at Amsterdam 08/05/2003 FIRA [413]
|
| 111 | United States v Sweden (111-0) at Melrose 11/04/1994 World Cup [080]
|
| 110 |  England U20 v USA U20 (110-0) at Brunel University 18/07/2009 U20 Nations Cup [---]
|
| 109 | New Zealand v France (109-0) at Edmonton 14/09/1996 Canada Cup [143]
|
| 105 | Netherlands v Belgium (105-0) at Amsterdam 08/04/2001 Friendly [308]
|
| 101 | England v South Africa (101-0) at Imber Court 14/05/2005 Friendly [495]
|
| 100 | Netherlands v Belgium (100-0) at Enk�ping, Sweden 17/05/2009 FIRA [737]
|
| 99 |  France v Japan (99-0) at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh 17/04/1994 World Cup [093]
|
| 92 |  Uganda v Rwanda (92-0) at Kigali 25/02/2005 Friendly [482]
|
| 91 | England v Netherlands (91-3) at Belluno 19/04/1999 FIRA [243]
|
| 90 |  Sweden v Belgium (90-0) at Lille 09/05/2001 FIRA [317]
|
 Trinidad and Tobago v St Vincent (90-0) at Bridgetown, Barbados 21/06/2009 NAWIRA [751]
| |
| 89 | England v Scotland (89-0) at Twickenham 18/03/2011 Six Nations [878]
|
| 88 | New Zealand v Canada (88-3) at Edmonton 08/09/1996 Canada Cup [139] New Zealand v USA (88-8) at Edmonton 11/09/1996 Canada Cup [141]
|
| 87 | United States v Netherlands (87-0) at Barcelona 13/05/2002 World Cup [362]
|
 Australia v Samoa (87-0) at Apia 08/08/2009 World Cup [760]
| |
| 86 | England v Spain (86-3) at Madrid 11/02/2006 Six Nations [523]
|
| 84 | England v Germany (84-0) at H�rth 31/08/1997 Friendly [171]: United States v Russia (84-0) at Amsterdam 02/05/1998 World Cup [191]: Netherlands v Norway (84-0) at San Dona Di Piave 23/04/2006 FIRA [540] Scotland v Russia (84-0) at Enk�ping, Sweden 17/05/2009 FIRA [739]
|
| 83 | Netherlands v Germany (83-0) at Maastrict 18/04/2010 Friendly [811] Wales v Russia (83-7) at Amsterdam 05/05/1998 World Cup [199]: England v Wales (83-11) at Swansea 10/04/1999 Five Nations [239]
|
| 82 | England v Kazakhstan (82-0) at Surrey Sports Park 24/08/2010 World Cup [846]
|
| 81 | England v Wales (81-0) at Cardiff Arms Park 04/02/2005 Six Nations [474]: Uganda v Rwanda (81-0) at Kampala 10/12/2005 Friendly [516]:  Hong Kong v Malaysia (81-0) at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur 19/12/2010 Friendly [865]:
|
| 80 | England v Sweden (80-3) at Amsterdam 18/05/2008 FIRA [678]:
|
| 79 | England v Ireland (79-0) at Worcester 17/02/2002 Six Nations [346]:  Canada v Spain (79-0) at St Albert 04/09/2006 World Cup [565] Trinidad and Tobago v Cayman Islands (79-0) at Georgetown, Guyana 10/05/2008 NAWIRA [675]
|
| 78 | Netherlands v Norway (78-0) at Toulouse 05/05/2004 FIRA [447]:  Japan v Hong Kong (78-0) at Bangkok 03/06/2005 World Cup Qualifier [502] Trinidad and Tobago v Barbados (78-0) at Bridgetown 24/06/2009 NAWIRA [752]
|
| 77 | Wales v Germany (77-0) at Barcelona 17/05/2002 World Cup [368]
|
| 76 | United States v Ireland (76-0) at Boroughmuir 17/04/1994 World Cup [091] New Zealand v Scotland (76-0) at Amsterdam 05/05/1998 World Cup [200] Cayman Islands v St Vincent (76-0) at Bridgetown 24/06/2009 NAWIRA [753] England v Spain (76-0) at Imber Court 12/03/2005 Six Nations [483] England v Italy (76-6) at Rome 09/02/2008 Six Nations [657]
|
| 75 | England v Sweden (75-0) at Amsterdam 02/05/1998 World Cup [189]:  Germany v Norway (75-0) at Amsterdam 08/05/2003 FIRA [414]
|
| 74 |  Russia v Bosnia/Herz (74-0) at Zenica 21/05/2005 FIRA [498]: England v South Africa (74-8) at Edmonton 04/09/2006 World Cup [564] Spain v Germany (74-0) at Stockholm, Sweden 17/05/2009 FIRA [740]
|
| 73 | New Zealand v Canada (73-0) at Palmeston North 16/10/1999 Triangular �99 [256]:  Belgium v Luxembourg (73-0) at Leuven 11/04/2007 FIRA [612]: England v Italy (73-7) at Toulouse 02/05/2004 FIRA [443]
|
| 72 | Wales v Netherlands (72-5) Venue unknown (Wales) 15/01/2001 Friendly [295]: England v Canada (72-6) at Amsterdam 05/05/1998 World Cup [196] England v Scotland (72-3) at London Welsh 21/3/2009 Six Nations [733]
|
|
71 |
England v Spain (71-3) at Zaragoza 15/2/2004 Six Nations [427]
|
Sources of women's international results
The above results have been traced mainly via the following listings of national and tournament results - most being national RFUs. Other results have been traced via numerous news reports.
- Australia (complete, some errors in dates)
- England (1998-)
- FIRA European Championships (2003-)
- France (1982-2004)
- France (1990-)
- Germany (rather incomplete)
- International Rugby Board (2006-, Six Nations and World Cup only)
- Japan (1994-2002)
- Netherlands (2003-)
- Norway (2002-)
- New Zealand (1991- )
- RBS Six Nations (2004-)
- Sweden (1984-2005)
- USA (complete, some errors)
- Wales (1987-, some gaps, some errors)
See also
- Canada Cup
- Caribbean Women’s Rugby Championship
- FIRA Women's European Championship
- Pacific Tri-Nations
- Women's rugby
- Women's Six Nations Championship
- Women's Rugby World Cup
- Scottish Women's Rugby Union
Notes
- ^ A try was only worth four points in 1982, the five point try not coming in until 1992.
- ^ Definition of an "international" used in this article. This article, with its accompanying match list and associated data - as well as the statistical summary of each team's relative success - only includes matches that most independent observers appear to treat as "full internationals" (or "test matches"). These may be defined as:
England have never beaten New Zealand in a competitive game.
- Tournament Games between national representative XVs from tournaments for full international teams;
- "Friendly" fixtures which it appears were generally promoted prior to the game as being between full strength national XVs
- Other fixtures which most independent authorities (as opposed to individual unions) appear to treat as full internationals (such as games involving "World XVs").
- may not include all of these games in their official records (most often because the Union concerned fielded a below strength team in an tournament for full international XVs), or
- my include games which fail to meet the above definitions (most often because they fielded a full strength team in a friendly against an unofficial or "A" team).
- ^ "Statistics: Scoring & Player Numbers Explanation". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Internationals in each calendar year:
- 1982 1
- 1983 1
- 1984 2
- 1985 3
- 1986 5
- 1987 6
- 1988 11
- 1989 5
- 1990 11
- 1991 17 (World Cup year)
- 1992 5
- 1993 12
- 1994 34 (World Cup year)
- 1995 12
- 1996 23
- 1997 32
- 1998 52 (World Cup year)
- 1999 28
- 2000 37
- 2001 46
- 2002 53 (World Cup year)
- 2003 32
- 2004 47
- 2005 44
- 2006 79 (World Cup year)
- 2007 58
- 2008 66
- 2009 54
External links
- Rugbydata now includes all of results above for which a score is known making it the only rugby results website to record women's results on an equal basis to men's. Allows the user to investigate any aspect of any individual team's results.
- The rise and popularity of women's rugby in Canada, by John A O'Hanley (1998)