University College Dublin hosts pool stages of Women’s Rugby World Cup

Posted: August 02, 2017

University College Dublin will host the pool stages of the (opens in a new window)Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 between August 9 and 17.

Twelve teams, including Ireland, will compete in the most important tournament in women’s international rugby.

Approximately 700 athletes, staff and volunteers will move onto the Belfield campus for the two-week period. A fan zone will be set up bringing the campus to life during the tournament for the 5,500 fans expected to attend on each match day.

Some 18 pool stage matches will be played at UCD. Ireland’s games against Australia (August 9), Japan (August 13) and France (August 17) will take place at the UCD Bowl. Other pool stage games will be played at Billings Park in UCD. All three of Ireland's games, which have sold out, will be shown live on RTÉ2. 

(opens in a new window)#WRWC2017 Campus Access & Catering Arrangements - our (opens in a new window)@CostaCoffee branch open Mon-Fri 8am-3pm 8-18 Aug (opens in a new window)https://t.co/lMkwTy6tMG (opens in a new window)#WomensRugby (opens in a new window)pic.twitter.com/icej67jDv1

— UCD School of Law (@UCDLawSchool) (opens in a new window)August 2, 2017

Due to the high level of demand for match tickets, the capacities at the UCD Bowl and Billings Park at UCD have been extended to 3,500 and 2,000 respectively.

"Supporters who purchased a ticket for an Ireland game also get access to the other world cup games at that venue that day. So we are encouraging fans to come early, bring support for the other teams and enjoy the fan village between games,” said WRWC 2017 Tournament Director Garrett Tubridy.

"WRWC 2017 will get under way in the Bowl on day one when defending champions England meet Spain, while France and Australia will be one of the highlights of day two at the Bowl. We hope Ireland fans will bring their colour, noise and support to the games taking place each day.”

The knockout stages of the tournament will take place at the Kingspan Stadium and (opens in a new window)Queen’s University in Belfast from August 22 to 26.

World Rugby awarded the hosting rights for the tournament to the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU).

This is the eighth Women's Rugby World Cup and the first time Ireland has hosted the competition.

Further information on the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup, including fixtures and kick-off times, is available at (opens in a new window)www.rwcwomens.com.

By: Jamie Deasy, digital journalist, UCD University Relations