Just two winning teams are engraved on the trophy.
A total of eight women's rugby world championships have been held since 1991.
Why does this silver trophy only have "1991 United States" and "1994 England" on it?
Because the trophy that Gill Burns proudly holds in his hands in a video of "England Rugby" had disappeared for 15 years.
"It was a very special trophy, even if the design wasn't ideal, because when we poured a magnum bottle of champagne into it and tried to drink it, the champagne ran out of the holes on the edge and over us," says Burns, who works for the World champions 1994 belonged, according to an association announcement.
Following the English women’s final victory over the USA, the trophy went on tour - and was never seen again.
A few years later, when the 1998 World Cup was just around the corner, the question then arose: "Does anyone actually know where the trophy is?", Burns explains in the video.
In fact, nobody knew anymore, the organizers had to get a new cup.
Was the cup melted down?
The search for the lost trophy continued, but the hope of finding the trophy has decreased with each passing year, Burns said.
"At some point I thought it must have been melted down."
A few weeks ago, a former functionary cleared out her parents' attic - and discovered a locked wooden box alongside old notebooks and minutes from association meetings.
Inside, recognizable through a sight glass: the original World Cup trophy.
It was' very emotional 'to have been reunited with the trophy they were allowed to hold up at the time, Burns said:' We are taking it to Twickenham, where it is carefully kept in the World Rugby Museum "By the time he gets there, she'll probably take the trophy to bed with her," says Burns.
England wants to compete for the 2025 World Cup.
The next World Cup will be held in New Zealand next year after the tournament was postponed for a year due to the pandemic.
sak / Reuters
