BLACK FERNS BOOK BLOCKBUSTER TEST AGAINST ARCHRIVALS ENGLAND ROSES AT TWICKENHAM

The world champion Black Ferns have confirmed a blockbuster showdown with archrivals England at Twickenham in September.

The encounter between the two superpowers of women's rugby is scheduled for September 15 (NZ time) and the stadium capacity of 82,000 has the potential to break the record for the largest crowd at a women's test.

The traditional home of English rugby has already been allocated the next World Cup final in 2025.

"We have worked closely with England Rugby Football Union (RFU) to get this test locked into the calendar, as we believe it forms an important part of the team’s build-up to Rugby World Cup 2025," said NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson.

"Twickenham has been home to some hugely memorable matches involving our national teams and we expect this test to join that list, with the massive rivalry the two teams share."

The NZ women shocked England at the 2022 World Cup final, snapping a record 30-game winning streak to prevail 34-31 in front of a then-record crowd of 42,579 at Eden Park.

England laid both those memories to rest last year, when they drew 58,498 fans to Twickenham for their Six Nations decided against France, then returned to Auckland to dismiss the Black Ferns 33-12 in the inaugural WXV1 competition.

"It is an awesome opportunity for our wāhine to be playing England at hopefully a packed-out Twickenham Stadium," said Ferns coach Allan Bunting. "To see the fans filling the stands during the Women’s Six Nations has been outstanding and we are hoping to see the same when we take on the Red Roses.

"As one of the venues for the World Cup, this test will provide great preparation for our team."

The fixture will form part of New Zealand's preparation for this year's WXV1, which the Ferns must qualify for through the upcoming Pacific Four competition.

In 31 previous meetings, the Kiwi women hold a 19-11-1 head-to-head edge over England. Three of those games have been played at Twickenham, with the host team winning all three.

2024-05-02T07:10:27Z dg43tfdfdgfd