University College Dublin’s (UCD) time as host of the pool stages of the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup has come to an end with Ireland being beaten 21-5 by France, who now progress to the semi-final. The loss puts France top of Pool C and means that Ireland’s hopes of winning the competition are well and truly over. Ireland will now play Australia on Tuesday in the Kingspan Stadium, Belfast in a fifth place semi-final. The team will be hoping to replicate the performance that they put on earlier in the competition when they secured a narrow two-point victory over the Aussies in a tightly … Continue reading State of a Nation: Women’s Rugby, World Cup Defeat and What it Means for the Sport