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Women's rugby union has a history going back to the late 19th century 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 in a game that has since been recognised as the first ever women's international rugby union match.
Contents
- International womens matches
- Full internationals and tournaments
- 1982
- 1983
- Tournaments
- Other internationals
- World Rugby Rankings women
- Womens Test Ranking unofficial
- Principal differences with the mens and womens World Rugby Rankings
- References
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 World Rugby (WR). Partly as a result no internationally agreed list of rugby internationals exists. However, even in the men's game, WR 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).
International rugby initially grew slowly. 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 1000 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 was historically no official ranking of women's teams — prior to 2016, WR generally referred to the placings in the preceding World Cup. However, Rugby Europe compiles an annual ranking of European teams and rugby statistician Serge Piquet has produced a currently unofficial, but generally accepted, world ranking list. Another ranking list appears on The Roon Ba website [6].
On 1 February 2016, WR introduced its first official rankings of women's national teams, calculated in virtually the same manner as the existing rankings for men's national teams.
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:
For consistency this list has used the following criteria when defining what is or is not an international:
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:
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
Other matches
1983
Tournaments
Other matches
Tournaments
None
Tournaments
None
Tournaments
None
Tournaments
None
Tournaments
[20-25] (1988-05-21 to 1988-05-23) European Cup at Bourg en Bresse, France
Tournaments
None
Tournaments
[39-45] (1990-08-28 to 1990-09-01) RugbyFest 1990 at Christchurch, New Zealand
Tournaments
[48-69] (1991-04-04 to 1991-04-14) World Cup at Cardiff
Tournaments
None
Tournaments
[80-85] (1993-06-08 to 1993-06-12) Canada Cup at Fletcher's Fields, Toronto
Tournaments
[92-117] (1994-04-11 to 1994-04-24) World Cup at Edinburgh, Scotland
Tournaments
[129-132] (1995-04-12 to 1995-04-16) FIRA European Championship at Treviso, Italy
Tournaments
[137-138, 140-143] (1996-01-21 to 1996-03-03) Women's Home Nations Championship at Various
[144-150] (1996-04-08 to 1996-04-14) FIRA European Championship at Madrid, Spain
[153-158] (1996-09-08 to 1996-09-14) Canada Cup at Edmonton, Canada
Tournaments
[161-164,166-167] (1997-01-12 to 1997-03-09) Women's Home Nations Championship at Various
[168-179] (1997-04-02 to 1997-04-06) FIRA European Championship at Nice, France
Tournaments
[193-199] (1998-02-15 to 1998-04-05) Women's Home Nations Championship at Various
[202-241] (1998-05-01 to 1998-05-16) World Cup at Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tournaments
[244-254] (1999-03-05 to 1999-04-09) Women's Five Nations Championship at Various
[256-267] (1999-04-19 to 1999-04-24) FIRA European Championship at Belluno, Italy
[269-271] (1999-10-13 to 1999-10-19) Triangular '99 at Palmerston North, New Zealand
Tournaments
[270-280] (2000-02-04 to 2000-04-01) Women's Five Nations Championship at Various
[281-295] (2000-05-06 to 2000-05-14) FIRA European Championship at Almeria, Spain
[299-304] (2000-09-23 to 2000-09-30) Canada Cup at Winnipeg
[305] (2000-12-15 to 2000-12-15) Asian World Cup qualifier at Aberdeen Park, Hong Kong
Tournaments
[307-316] (2001-02-03 to 2001-03-17) Women's Five Nations Championship at Various
[320-337] (2001-05-06 to 2001-05-12) FIRA European Championship at Lille
Tournaments
[351-369] (2002-02-02 to 2002-04-07) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[360-364] (2002-03-20 to 2002-03-23) FIRA ENC XV-a-side Tournament at Treviso, Italy
[370-401] (2002-05-11 to 2002-05-26) World Cup at Barcelona, Spain
Tournaments
[403-417] (2003-02-15 to 2003-03-29) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[418-425] (2003-05-01 to 2003-05-11) FIRA European Championship at Malmö, Sweden & Amsterdam, Netherlands
[426-429] (2003-06-14 to 2003-06-28) Churchill Cup at Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver
[433-434] (2003-12-03 to 2003-12-04) NAWIRA Caribbean Women's 15-a-side Championship at Port of Spain
Tournaments
[435-449] (2004-02-14 to 2004-03-27) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[450-467] (2004-05-01 to 2004-05-08) FIRA European Championship at Toulouse, France
[471-475] (2004-06-08 to 2004-06-19) Churchill Cup at Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton
Tournaments
[482-497] (2005-02-03 to 2005-03-19) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[498-510] (2005-04-07 to 2005-05-23) FIRA European Championship at Hamburg, Germany and Zenica, Bosnia
[511-514] (2005-06-03 to 2005-06-03) Asian World Cup Qualifiers at Bangkok, Thailand
[515-518] (2005-06-29 to 2005-07-05) Canada Cup at Ottawa
Tournaments
[528-542] (2006-02-04 to 2006-03-18) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[543-545] (2006-04-14 to 2006-04-18) Pacific tri-nations at Teufaiva Park, Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
[546-558] (2006-04-23 to 2006-04-30) FIRA ENC XV Championship at Treviso, Italy
[559, 565] (2006-06-09 to 2006-08-12) Elgon Cup at Kampala and Nairobi
[566-595] (2006-08-27 to 2006-09-18) World Cup at Edmonton, Canada
[596-598] (2006-09-28 to 2006-09-30) NAWIRA Caribbean Women's Championship at Kingston, Jamaica
[599-603] (2006-11-17 to 2006-11-19) ARFU Women's Rugby Championship at Kunming, China
Tournaments
[605-619] (2007-02-03 to 2007-03-16) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[621-648] (2007-04-11 to 2007-05-05) FIRA European Championship at Belgium and Barcelona, Spain
[655-658] (2007-11-02 to 2007-11-04) ARFU Women's Rugby Championship at Kunming, China
Tournaments
[663-677] (2008-02-13 to 2008-03-16) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[680-685] (2008-05-03 to 2008-05-10) NAWIRA Caribbean Women's Championship at Georgetown, Guyana
[687-709] (2008-05-17 to 2008-05-25) FIRA European Championship at Amsterdam
[706, 718] (2008-05-24 to 2008-08-16) Elgon Cup at Kampala and Nairobi
[710-716] (2008-06-03 to 2008-06-08) ARFU Women's Rugby Championship at Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan
[720-722] (2008-08-22 to 2008-08-26) Nations Cup at Esher, England
Tournaments
[730-744] (2009-02-07 to 2009-03-21) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[747-758] (2009-05-17 to 2009-05-23) FIRA European Trophy (World Cup Qualifier) at Stockholm and Enköping
[759-764] (2009-06-21 to 2009-06-27) NAWIRA Caribbean Women's Championship at Bridgetown, Barbados
[771, 778] (2009-08-02 to 2009-08-29) Elgon Cup at Kampala and Nairobi
[766] (2009-08-08 to 2009-08-08) Oceania World Cup Qualifier at Samoa
[772-777] (2009-08-10 to 2009-08-24) Nations Cup at Oakville, Canada
[781-785] (2009-11-03 to 2009-11-05) Asia World Cup Qualifier at Singapore
Tournaments
[793-807] (2010-02-06 to 2010-03-20) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[810-821] (2019-05-08 to 2010-05-15) FIRA European Trophy at Alsace Lorraine
[828-829] (2010-07-03 to 2010-07-10) Elgon Cup at Kampala and Nairobi
[-] (2010-08-14 to 2010-08-20) NACRA Women's Championship at Nassau, Bahamas
[833] (2010-08-21 to 2010-08-21) Caribbean Women's Championship at Nassau, Bahamas
[835-865] (2010-08-20 to 2010-09-05) 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup at London
Tournaments
[868-882] (2011-02-04 to 2011-03-20) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[884-889] (2011-04-30 to 2011-05-07) FIRA European Trophy at A Coruña, Spain
[892,899] (2011-07-09 to 2011-07-16) Elgon Cup at Nairobi and Kampala
[893-898] (2011-07-09 to 2011-07-16) NACRA Women's Championship at Cayman Islands
[900-908] (2011-08-02 to 2011-08-13) Nations Cup at Oakville, Canada
[912-917] (2011-11-24 to 2011-11-26) Asian Championship (II Division) at Chao Anou Vong stadium, Vientiane, Laos
Tournaments
[921-935] (2012-02-03 to 2012-03-??) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[936-937] (2012-04-21 to 2012-04-28) Elgon Cup at Kampala and Nairobi
[938-948] (2012-05-03 to 2012-05-20) FIRA European Championship at Enkoping, Sweden and Rovereto, Italy
[948-952] (2012-06-14 to 2012-06-16) Asian Championship (II Division) at Manila, Philippines
[953-956] (2012-07-05 to 2012-07-07) Asian Four Nations at Kunshan, China
Tournaments
[968-982] (2013-02-02 to 2013-03-17) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[984-993] (2013-05-20 to 2013-05-27) FIRA World Cup Qualification Tournament at Madrid
[997-998] (2013-06-15 to 2013-06-22) Elgon Cup at Kampala and Nairobi
[1003-1010] (2013-07-30 to 2013-08-10) Nations Cup at Colorado
[1011-1014] (2013-09-04 to 2013-09-07) ARFU Women's Rugby Championship at Almaty
Tournaments
[1022-1037] (2014-02-01 to 2014-03-16) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[1040-1045] (2014-05-18 to 2014-05-24) 2014 Asian Four Nations at Aberdeen Stadium, Hong Kong
[1052-1091] (2014-06-29 to 2014-11-02) 2014 Women's European Trophy at Various
[1055-1056] (2014-07-12 to 2014-07-19) Elgon Cup at Kampala and Nairobi
[1057-1086] (2014-08-01 to 2014-08-17) 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup at Marcoussis and Paris
Tournaments
[1093-1107] (2015-02-06 to 2015-03-22) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[1108-1110] (2015-04-25 to 2015-05-23) Asia Rugby Championship at Various
[1111-1112] (2015-06-13 to 2015-06-20) Elgon Cup at Various
[1113-1118] (2015-06-27 to 2015-07-05) Women's Rugby Super Series at Various
[1119-1122] (2015-10-29 to 2015-11-01) 2015 Women's European Trophy at Various
Tournaments
[1127-1141] (2016-02-05 to 2016-03-20) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
[1143-1148] (2016-07-01 to 2016-07-09) Women's Rugby Super Series at Regional Athletic Complex, Salt Lake City, Utah
[1150-1158] (2016-10-06 to 2016-10-15) 2016 Women's European Championship at Estadio Nacional Complutense, Madrid, Spain
[1161] ( to 2016-11-05) Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship, World Cup qualifier (Oceania) at Suva (Fiji)
[1164 and 1170] (2016-11-18 to 2016-11-26) World Cup qualifier (Europe) at Glasgow and Madrid
[1173-1175] (2016-12-09 to 2016-12-17) 2016 Asian Rugby Championship (World Cup qualifier) at Hong Kong
Tournaments
[1176-1190] (2017-02-03 to 2017-03-18) Women's Six Nations Championship at Various
Other internationals
The following is a list of...
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.
World Rugby Rankings (women)
The World Rugby Rankings for women is a ranking system for women's national teams in rugby union, managed by World Rugby, the sport's governing body. The teams of World Rugby's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest. A point system is used, with points being awarded based on the results of World Rugby-recognized international matches. The women's rankings are calculated in the same manner as WR's existing men's rankings, with minor adjustments to reflect historic differences between women's and men's rugby.
Women's Test Ranking (unofficial)
Before early 2016, there was no official World Rugby ranking list for women's rugby. Several unofficial lists have been produced, with the list developed by Serge Piquet in 2009 having widest circulation following its adoption by women's rugby website ScrumQueens.com in 2013.
The system is similar in many ways to that used by WR for its men's rankings, and includes data from every women's international match since 1982.
Match points are awarded to each country as follows:
1. Match level - generally the mean of combined points the two teams before the match, with a minima.
2. The result - 400 points for a win, 200 for a draw, 100 for a defeat or 0 for a forfeit in an official competition.
3. Match venue - 100 points is shared between the two teams. A team playing at home against an opponent from another continent gets 0 point, but 100 is awarded to their opponents. 25 points goes to the home team if the opponent is from the same continent, and 75 for their opponents. 50 goes to each team if they are playing on neutral ground.
4. Number of scored points and the points difference.
5. World Cup - a bonus of 50 points for games in qualifying rounds, 100 in pool phases of the finals, 150 for play offs and 200 for the final.
Matches against A, B, Emerging, Amateur, Junior, Student, Army, Police or Services teams (and provinces/clubs when these games are part of official competitions) are also taken into account.
Nomads, Caribbean Select XV and Great Britain awarded ranking points but not a ranking position.
After each match a team's new ranking points total will be equal to the sum of 10% of their match points, and 90% of the ranking number before the match. This method evens out occasional surprise results and ensures that the ranking rewards consistency of performance.
Finally, in order that current form is given priority over historic performances, points gained from past matches decrease by 2% per year.
Principal differences with the men's and women's World Rugby Rankings
Although the ranking is similar in principle to that produced by WR for men's rugby since 2003 and women's rugby since 2016, there are some differences that take into account differences in women's rugby.
The WR system, for both men and women, does not account for the level of the teams — the winner gains some points, and the loser loses them, regardless of the relative levels of the opponents. This means that a lower-tier team will lose ranking points with a loss to a higher-tier team, even if the result is much closer than expected. Given the sometimes wide variation in strength of teams — even in the same competition — this is too simplistic for women's rugby.
The WR ranking also does not account for matches against "special" teams, especially those that are not WR members — but for many of the smaller women's nations, games against teams such as England "A" are more significant, tougher, and often as good a guide to their strength, if not better, than those against some full-strength test teams. As a result, such games are included in this ranking.
Finally, a new team added to WR's rankings is arbitrarily awarded a fixed number of points (currently 30 in the men's game, and 40 in the women's game). before December 2012, a men's team had to play at least 10 matches to be classified. Given the number of tests women's teams play this would be a significant barrier to inclusion.
An alternative ranking is available at the site 22metri and is based on the WR calculation method applied to the games played from January 2010 with teams assigned an arbitrary starting points of 40, 30 and 20 based on tier. The ranking is similar to the one from Scrumqueens, as expected.