Twickenham gets the fixture that usually decides it
The RFU settled a question this morning. England’s round-five meeting with France in next year’s Women’s Six Nations will be played at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The choice is not sentimental. England and France have finished first and second in the Six Nations table in every edition since 2020, a run that includes seven successive Red Roses titles. Round five has become the de facto final, and the last edition ran to script: a Grand Slam decider in Bordeaux, John Mitchell’s side winning 43-28.
Meg Jones, the England captain, framed it as an occasion rather than a fixture. “Games against France are always a competitive battle and that’s what makes it one of the most enjoyable games to play in,” she said. “When you add the walk-in from the bus, the roar of the Allianz Stadium crowd and a sea of cowboy hats, it makes it an even more incredible occasion.”
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Franklin’s Gardens takes Italy
The RFU also confirmed Northampton as the venue for round three against Italy. Franklin’s Gardens staged the same fixture in 2023 and the margin that day was 68-5, which tells you something about what the schedule expects of Italy and something about why the RFU is comfortable putting the match in a club ground rather than a Test stadium.
The venue earned the booking on other grounds too. Franklin’s Gardens hosted several matches at last year’s Rugby World Cup, and the reception stuck with the players.
“You saw in the 2025 Rugby World Cup how amazing a place it is for women’s rugby and how much the fans embraced having a Red Roses match there,” said Helena Rowland, who plays her club rugby at the ground for Loughborough Lightning. “The crowd was absolutely electric that day, as it always is when we play there.”
One gap left in the schedule
England meet Italy on Saturday 24 April at 17:00 local, and France on Saturday 15 May at 16:45. The round-two home tie with Scotland has no venue yet. The RFU says that will follow.
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