CONFIRMED: Ireland will stage the Women’s World Cup in 2017

The world is coming to Ireland.

Superb news out of Dublin, this afternoon, as Ireland have been announced as hosts for the 2017 Women's World Cup. IRFU chief executive Philip Browne, today, confirmed that World Rugby has chosen Ireland as tournament hosts. A World Rugby release reads: 'With women’s rugby continuing to experience record global growth, the pool stages will be held at University College Dublin, before the world’s top female rugby players convene in Belfast for the semi-finals and positional play-offs at Queen’s University Sport and the magnificent Kingspan Stadium.' Browne was joined by Ireland Women's captain Niamh Briggs and coach Tom Tierney, as well as former Ireland captain Fiona Coghlan, at this afternoon's announcement at Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin. Briggs declared, 'It is an honour to represent your country in a World Cup, and the idea of representing your county on home turf is unbelievable.'

Brilliant News: Ireland to host @WorldRugby Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 #wrugby pic.twitter.com/gryxRIgpS9

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) May 13, 2015

Ireland and the IRFU had, in March, announced they would be pushing their chips behind a double World Cup bid. Speaking at the bid announcement, in March, Coghlan had commented, 'Having captained Ireland at the recent Women's Rugby World Cup, in France [2014], I hope that I can help the Irish Rugby to develop a World Cup that tops everything that went before... I know that the Irish people, businesses and the media will all come together to deliver a tournament to remember.' Ireland reached the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup, having beaten then-world champions New Zealand en-route. Tierney's team are the current Six Nations champions, having edged out France on the final day of a topsy-turvy competition.