Women’s Six Nations winners England will play reigning world champions New Zealand at Twickenham this September ahead of the WXV 1 title defence in Canada.
The fixture could possibly break the previous attendance record for a women’s rugby match, after 58,498 spectators watched England beat France at the 82,000 capacity Twickenham in the Women’s Six Nations last year.
The two sides have met in five of the last six World Cup finals and all have been won by the Black Ferns, most recently in a dramatic 34-31 victory at Eden Park in Auckland in November 2022, although the last meeting between the two teams saw the Red Roses clinch the inaugural WXV 1 title on New Zealand soil.
England captain Marlie Packer: “We want to host and play against the best sides in the world ahead of the 2025 Rugby World Cup. Our last two games at Twickenham have resulted in the best two crowds ever recorded in women’s rugby.
“Playing the Black Ferns at the home of English Rugby is an unbelievable opportunity that doesn’t come around all too often. We can’t wait for thousands of our supporters to get behind us on another special day at Twickenham.”
The Red Roses celebrated their third Grand Slam in a row with a 41-21 victory over France on the road
John Mitchell’s Red Roses, who secured a sixth successive Women’s Six Nations trophy last weekend, will first take on France at Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium on September 7 (3pm ko) before welcoming the Black Ferns to Twickenham (3pm ko) a week later.
Ireland qualified for WXV 1 after third-place finish in the Women’s Six nations, with Scott Bemand’s side set to face Australia in Belfast in a one-off Test on September 14 as part of Irish Rugby’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
What is the WXV tournament?
England beat New Zealand to win the inaugural WXV 1 title and will look to defend their title in the second edition, which takes place in Canada between September 27 and October 13.
There are three tiers, each with six teams – WXV 1, WXV 2 and WXV 3. Each tier is played as a stand alone tournament in a different location, with WXV 1 in Canada, WXV 2 in South Africa, and WXV 3 in the United Arab Emirates.
England will be in the same group as France, Ireland and the top three teams in the Pacific Four series, contested between Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Scotland will return to defend their WXV 2 title.
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