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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFTHong Kong are set for a first World Cup appearance; Spain defeated Scotland in a play-off to earn their place in Ireland; the pool draw in Belfast; Emily Scarratt inspired England to victory in the 2014 final Ireland across the 2015 and 2016 Women’s Six Nations.In November, Rugby Europe champions Spain became the final European qualifier after they beat Scotland, the bottom-ranked Six Nations team, 25-15 on aggregate after a home-and-away play-off. The final two places were claimed by Japan and tournament debutants Hong Kong following their respective victories over Fiji in a triangular Asia/WOMEN’S RUGBY WORLD CUP 2017POOL A CanadaNew ZealandWalesHong KongPOOL B EnglandUSAItalySpainPOOL C France IrelandAustraliaJapanOceania qualifying tournament in Hong Kong in December.Six months earlier the WRWC 2017 logo was unveiled at University College Dublin with An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD in attendance. It marries a distinctly Irish flavour to the World Rugby tournament logo. The Celtic design, symbols and pattern represent the heritage of the whole island of Ireland, while the four interwoven green strands represent the four provinces of Ireland and the close-knit relationships of rugby.The logo will be front and centre when a trophy tour begins in March 2017. The tour will visit every one of Ireland’s 32 counties as part of its journey to the final at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on 26 August, with nearly 100 clubs and schools having applied to host the trophy on its journey.Tickets for the knockout stages of #WRWC2017 went on sale in August via ticketmaster.ie and ticketmaster.co.uk, with those for the pool stages at UCD Bowl and Billings Park in Dublin on 9, 13 and 17 August following suit in early January 2017 when the schedule was announced.For more information on Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017, visit rwcwomens.com.“Bringing Hong Kong out of Asia to compete against world-class teams and be in the top 12 on that international stage will be fantastic and I think it will be a huge catalyst for the game in Hong Kong” HONG KONG COACH JO HULLYEAR IN REVIEW 2016 WORLD RUGBY 37WOMEN’S RUGBY WORLD CUP 2017 | INSPIRE