2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup Pools Drawn

The draw for the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup took place earlier this morning and here is the results:

Pool A – England, Canada, Spain, Samoa
Pool B – New Zealand, USA, Ireland, Kazakhastan
Pool C – Australia, France, Wales, South Africa

Hosts France have been drawn in Pool C with Australia, Wales and South Africa, in what is set to be a tough and physical pool, while 2010 runners-up England will play Canada, Spain and Samoa in Pool A.

In Pool B, defending champions New Zealand will face tough clashes against USA and Ireland as well as Asian qualifiers Kazakhstan as they attempt to win a fifth successive title.

A bit more on each of the teams from the IRB Archives:

POOL A

Canada and England have met four times in WRWC history, twice in 1998 and once in 2002 and 2006. The Red Roses have won all four meetings …but they have lost twice to Canada in 2013 and will be hoping to avoid a hat-trick of losses when the sides meet at the Twickenham Stoop on 13 November.

Spain and Samoa confirmed their places at WRWC 2014 through the same qualifying tournament in Madrid back in April

Spain and Samoa have met twice before in Women’s Rugby World Cup history, both times in the 2006 tournament in Canada. Spain won both but the biggest winning margin was only five points

England have beaten Spain twice on the Women’s Rugby World Cup stage, once in 1991 and again in 2002

Canada’s last meeting with Spain in the World Cup was an emphatic victory, 79-0 in the 2006 pool stages

It will be the first meeting between Canada and Samoa, while England have never met the islanders on the WRWC stage, their only meeting being a 53-0 win back in October 2005.

POOL B

New Zealand and USA last met on the WRWC stage back in the 1998 final when the Black Ferns won 44-12 to be crowned champions for the first time

The last team to beat New Zealand in a Women’s Rugby World Cup match were the USA, 7-0 in the semi-finals of the inaugural tournament in 1991

Pool B features two of the three nations to have lifted the trophy in inaugural champions USA and four-time winners New Zealand

For the second tournament in a row the USA, Ireland and Kazakhstan have been drawn in the same pool

USA and Ireland actually met twice at WRWC 2010, the girls in green winning the pool encounter 22-12 but then losing the fifth place semi-final to the Women’s Eagles 40-3. They have met four times on the WRWC stage in total, the Americans winning three of the four but the margins having reduced significantly since they won 76-0 in the 1994 quarter-finals!

Kazakhstan can boast a won two, lost one record against Ireland at a Women’s Rugby World Cup. Kazakhstan won both meetings in the 1998 tournament, but lost 37-3 in 2010. New Zealand have never played Ireland or Kazakhstan before.

POOL C

Just as at WRWC 2010, Australia, Wales and South Africa will meet each other in the pool stages in France

In fact Australia will face South Africa for the third tournament in a row, having beaten their southern hemisphere rivals 68-12 in 2006 and 62-0 in 2010

South Africa’s first win on the WRWC stage came against Wales in 2010, the Women’s Springboks edging a tight battle 15-10. Wales, though, avenged this loss with a 29-17 win in the ninth place play-off

The only meetings between France and Australia have come in World Cups with the Wallaroos losing in 1998 and 2006 before emerging 22-8 winners in the 2010 third place play-off

Australia have beaten Wales on the two occasions they have met before, in the 2002 tournament in Spain and eight years later in England.

France haven’t met South Africa on the World Cup stage, their only previous meeting ending in a 17-17 draw at the Women’s Nations Cup in 2009

They  may play each other every year in the Women’s Six Nations, but France and Wales have met only once before in a World Cup, France winning 27-0 in the third place play-off in 1994