Ireland Drawn With England In Women’s World Cup

Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has announced the pools for the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.

The premier 15-a-side tournament in the women’s game, which will be played from August 20 to September 5, will feature three pools of four teams.

Defending champions New Zealand, hosts and 2006 runners-up England and 2006 bronze medallists France are all ranked as top seeds in their respective pools.

The unprecedented qualification process, which saw 16 teams compete for the six places available outside the automatically qualified teams, was completed when Kazakhstan defeated Japan 43-5 to claim a place in Pool B, while Sweden join Pool C in their first appearance on the Women’s Rugby World Cup stage since 1998.

Pool A: New Zealand, Wales, Australia, South Africa 

Pool B: England, USA, Ireland, Kazakhstan 

Pool C: France, Canada, Scotland, Sweden 

New Zealand, England, France, Canada, USA and South Africa all qualified directly, with Wales and Ireland qualifying through the Six Nations, Sweden and Scotland from the European qualifiers in May, Australia as the Oceania qualifier and Kazakhstan from Asia. 

Further 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010, including the format and match schedule, broadcast and the legacy programme will be made at the official tournament launch on Monday, November 23 at 11pm. 

The launch will be held in the Shakespeare Room, South Stand, Twickenham.

Attendees will include Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset, Martyn Thomas, Chairman of the RFU Management Board, and Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Minister for Sport. 

Players from six of the participating nations will also attend the launch. England captain Catherine Spencer and her New Zealand counterpart Victoria Heighway will be joined by Canada’s Mandy Marchuk, Non Evans of Wales, Ireland’s Joy Neville and Sarah Gill of Scotland.