Womens' Rugby World Cup Teams

New Zealand are the most successful team in Rugby World Cup history. The Black Ferns have competed at every tournament except 1994, and have claimed the title a record five times.

Ireland famously beat New Zealand in the 2014 World Cup where they ended the Black Ferns’ incredible 21-match winning run on the World Cup stage, a run which lasted over two decades.

The Black Ferns have never competed in a Rugby World Cup final and not won - an incredible achievement.

England are one of the game’s most successful sides, currently ranked as world number one. They have won the past four Women’s Six Nations and been crowned world champions twice with the two victories coming 20 years apart in 1994 and 2014.

A statistic not popular with the English is that they have played in the last five World Cup finals but tasted victory only once, always falling to the Black Ferns at the final hurdle.

The Eagles are one of only three teams to have lifted the World Cup. Having beaten England in the first ever final in 1991, the USA were losing finalists in both 1994 and 1998 at the hands of England and New Zealand respectively.

The same heights have not been reached since, however the USA did return to the semi-finals in Ireland in 2017.

France have reached the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup on seven occasions but never made a final, instead winning the bronze medal on no fewer than six occasions, including last time out at Ireland 2017.

The only team to have pushed England close in recent years, they’ll have their sights set on staging an upset at this year’s tournament.

Canada are only one of four teams to reach a Rugby World Cup final. This appearance came in 2014 which resulted in defeat to England. In the tournament’s last edition in Ireland, they came fifth.

The women in red will be looking to hit the ground running after beating Australia and the USA in the Pacific Four Series in June 2022.

Australia Women’s team, more commonly known as ‘The Wallaroos’ have appeared in every women’s Rugby World Cup since their tournament debut in 1998. The Wallaroos have always held their own on the biggest stage, having never finished lower than seventh, recording their best finish of third in 2010.

A country filled with passionate players, Italy came ninth five years ago and qualified for the 2021 World Cup by finishing top of the Europe Qualifier standings in Parma in 2021.

They played in the first ever World Cup tournament in 1991 but have never recorded a finish higher than eighth, a result they’ll be wanting to change this time out in New Zealand.

Wales have taken part in every Rugby World Cup bar the 2006 tournament in Canada.

They have not managed to reach the knockout stages of the tournament since their sole appearance in the semi-finals at RWC 1994.

Since turning professional at the start of this year, the nation will be hoping to improve on their seventh place finish in Ireland five years ago.

Scotland became the 12th and final team to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2021. This will be their first appearance on the World Cup stage since 2010. Their best finish came back in 1994 when they finished fifth.

South Africa won the inaugural Rugby Africa Women’s Cup on home soil in 2019 to secure a fourth appearance at the tournament.

The Springbok Women made their debut in 2006 in Canada and also qualified for the next two editions in England and France. They’ll look to improve on their best ever finish of tenth.

One of 12 teams that contested the inaugural tournament in Wales in 1991, Japan will make their fifth Rugby World Cup appearance in New Zealand.

The nation appeared at three of the first four Rugby World Cups but then went a decade and a half without qualifying for the showpiece tournament.

Never finishing higher than eighth, they’ll have their sights set on improving that after wins over Australia and Fiji in May 2022.

Fiji confirmed their qualification for New Zealand 2021 after their Oceania regional qualifying win over Samoa. This will be a first ever World Cup appearance for the Fijiana.