<Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> www.rwcwomens.com </Td> </Tr> <P> The Women's Rugby World Cup is the premier international competition in rugby union for women . The tournament is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby . The championships are currently held every four years; the event was most recently held in Ireland in 2017 . World Rugby has reset the tournament on a new four - year cycle to avoid conflict with the Olympics and Women's World Cup Sevens; World Cups will thus be held every four years after 2017 . </P> <P> The first Women's Rugby World Cup was held in 1991 and won by the United States . The 1991 and 1994 competitions were not officially sanctioned by World Rugby, then known as the International Rugby Football Board, at the time - they later received retrospective endorsement in 2009 when the governing body included the 1991 and 1994 champions in its list of previous winners . It was not until the 1998 tournament held in the Netherlands that the tournament received official IRB backing . The most successful team, with five titles, is New Zealand . </P> <P> Prior to the first Women's Rugby World Cup officially sanctioned by the International Rugby Board there had been three previous tournaments of a similar nature . The first of these was an event held in August 1990 in New Zealand . Though not considered a world cup, the tournament was referred to as the World Rugby Festival for Women . The competition included teams representing the United States, the Netherlands, Russia, and the hosts, New Zealand--who emerged as winners after defeating the United States in the final . </P>

Who won the first ever women's rugby world cup