In terms of global dominance, everyone has always assumed the All Blacks are the team without peers. However, their record of three Rugby World Cups and 10 years at number one in the world rankings looks second-rate when compared to the all-conquering Black Ferns.
New Zealand’s national women’s team had won four Rugby World Cups in a row leading into the 2014 edition of the tournament in France and there were very short odds on them adding a fifth crown to their collection.
Ireland were building nicely under coach Philip Doyle but no-one outside of their own group expected them to bring the Black Ferns’ long winning run to an end when they met for the first time in history in the pool stages.
Some lucky punters back home in Ireland had got on the odds of 13/1 against the girls in green and their faith was rewarded with a performance full of passion.
History made
Niamh Briggs had one of those days to remember, converting both of her side’s tries and adding two penalties in a 17-14 win that made a mockery of pre-match predictions.
No Irish team, male or female had ever beaten a national team from New Zealand at that point in time, despite the men’s fixture dating back to 1905.
But what the men had failed to achieve in 28 attempts, Ireland’s women had done so at the first time of asking.
Rugby World Cup 2014 was a hugely successful tournament not just in terms of its competitiveness but also from a crowd and revenue perspective.
Betting was not immune to the charms fo the tournament, either, as Paddy Power’s Feilim Mac An Iomaire explained. He said: “Turnover-wise it surpassed expectations, the industry would have seen over six figures in the semi-finals with the final attracting close to €200,000 worth of bets across Ireland’s bookmakers.”
Betting on women’s rugby has the potential for so much growth and with the Rugby World Cup 2021 just around the horizon. it’ll be interesting to see whether the sport embraces this money-making opportunity or adopts a snooty attitude and considers it filthy lucre.
