Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union

New Zealand defeated England in the final to win the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup

New Zealand will host the Women's Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2021.

The country was up against Australia in a vote conducted by the World Rugby Council in Dublin on Wednesday.

New Zealand will be the first nation in the southern hemisphere to host the women's tournament, which was last staged in Dublin and Belfast in 2017.

New Zealand's women's team - known as the Black Ferns - have won five of the last six World Cups, beating England 41-32 in the 2017 final.

Seven of the eight Women's World Cup tournaments - which started in 1991 - have been staged in Europe, with the 2006 event in Canada the only exception.

England and France had expressed an interest in hosting the tournament but only New Zealand and Australia put formal bids forward.

The 2021 tournament will see a change in structure, including an increase in length from 23 to 35 days.

In addition, a quarter-final stage has been introduced and eliminated teams will now exit the event rather than play classification matches.