The 2021 Rugby World Cup was held in Auckland, New Zealand from October 18th to November 12th. In the final match on November 12th, New Zealand defeated England to win their second consecutive title!
New Zealand defeated France by narrow margins, 25-24 in the semi-finals and 34-31 in the finals.
But what exactly is the Rugby World Cup...? 2021...? In this article, we will explain it in detail.
Remove "women" from the tournament name
The 2021 Rugby World Cup , held in New Zealand from October 8 to November 12, was the "women's" Rugby World Cup.
The reason why the word "Women's" was removed from the tournament name is that in 2019, World Rugby , the international governing body of rugby union, decided to remove the word "Women's" from the name of the Women's World Cup, saying that while the men's tournament does not have the word "Men's," having a gender-based name for the women's tournament alone promotes preconceived notions and bias.
Although the name of the tournament is the same for both men's and women's, the women's Rugby World Cup is held every four years, in the years between the men's Rugby World Cups, so the year included in the tournament name makes it easy to distinguish, and so there is no particular confusion at present.
The (Women's) Rugby World Cup was scheduled to be held in 2021, between the men's tournament in 2019 and 2023, but was postponed to 2022 due to the impact of COVID-19. However, the tournament name remained "2021".
Strongest Black Ferns
The nickname of the New Zealand women's rugby team is the "Black Ferns." Ferns are ferns. Incidentally, the "Silver Fern," a fern that grows naturally in New Zealand, is an object of worship for the Maori and is also used on the national emblem, making it one of the symbols of identity for New Zealanders.
The Black Ferns have won the Women's Rugby World Cup five times since it began in 1991: in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2017. Their victory in the 2021 tournament marks their sixth time winning. Their win rate in international matches is an astounding 90%!
Although they currently sit number one in the World Rugby Rankings behind England, there is no doubt that they are the strongest women's rugby team in the world.
The Haka, which was danced by the All Blacks at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan and became well-known, will also be performed by the Black Ferns before matches, although it is a different type.
First match against the Japanese national team
Prior to the World Cup, the Black Ferns played their first international match against the Japanese national team (known as the Sakura Fifteen ) in Auckland in September. The result was a crushing victory for the Black Ferns, 95-12.
The Black Ferns performed a haka before the match which is now available on YouTube as the historic first ever haka performed against Japan.
The Sakura Fifteen are currently ranked 12th in the World Rugby Rankings, but unfortunately they were unable to win a game in this World Cup, playing against Canada, the USA and Italy.
However, like the men's team, the Brave Blossoms, they are growing stronger, having beaten Fiji, Australia, South Africa and Ireland in international matches this season.
We look forward to seeing what the future holds for both the men and women from New Zealand and Japan.
