Some more important anniversaries you may have missed

Further to yesterday's article about the first ever women's international, 5th April this year was the 20th anniversary of the first ever England international. On that day in 1987 England travelled to Pontypool to take on Wales - and won by 22-4. England have played Wales every year ever since (thus making it women's rugby's longest annual series) ... and have won every time! This time the event was not entirely missed.

This international took place seven years BEFORE the formation of the RFUW. Women's rugby across the British Isles was then run the "Women's Rugby Football Union", which had been set up in 1983, and for some years there was also a British Isles team that played against overseas opposition. The WRFU gradually broke up in the early 90s when first Ireland (1992) and then Scotland (1993) went their own ways, leaving England and Wales to finally form their own unions in 1994 - but this does mean that next year will be the 25th anniversary of organised women's rugby in Britain (can someone start ordering the party bunting, please?).

In addition, it is worth remembering the WRFU's first representative game - which was also the first international played in the British Isles - as this took place 21 years ago this year when British Isles lost 14-8 to France at Richmond Park. Unfortunately most of the British Isles games - and actually most women's international rugby - seems to have gone largely unrecorded, even though it has all happened fairly recently so I cannot even find out the date that this match took place.

Looking ahead next year will also give us the 20th anniversary of first English women's club cup final (Wasps 34, Richmond 6 @ Rosslyn Park), and the 10th anniversary of the first "official" world cup (the two previous competitions in 1991 and 1994 had not been sanctioned by the IRB)