It’s time for the Red Roses to grace the Twickenham turf
The 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations is well underway and this weekend sees one of the biggest games of the tournament take place as England take on Ireland at Twickenham in a huge clash.
Going into the game, England are top of the table after winning all three of their games, whilst Ireland sit in third with one win to their name.
England have swept aside all before them so far this tournament, with convincing wins over Italy, Wales and Scotland.
But they won’t be taking their opponents lightly on Saturday. The Irish have improved as this year’s Six Nations has gone on, and after defeats to France and Italy in their opening two games they picked up their first win with a mightily impressive 36-5 triumph over Wales.
The match is England’s second and final home game of the tournament and will be extra special as it is taking place at Twickenham, the home of English rugby. The Red Roses only play there once a year in the Six Nations so it’s always a massive occasion when they walk out at HQ.
This year will be no different as tens of thousands of fans descend on the iconic stadium to see if England can continue their quest for Grand Slam glory, or whether Ireland can cause a shock and claim a first win over their opponents since 2015.
We spoke to England stars Sarah Bern, Claudia MacDonald, Helena Rowland and Abbie Ward about how they were feeling ahead of the match and what makes Twickenham such a special venue to play at.
Speaking about the mood in camp, Ward said: “From a playing perspective, so far the tournament has been good and we’ve played some good rugby, but I think this weekend could be such a good platform.
“Training today, the sun is out, Twickenham is looking so good. So to get the girls running around, hopefully playing some really fast rugby, we’ll be looking to put out our biggest performance yet.”
Last time England played at Twickenham, it was in front of a record-breaking crowd of 58,498 people as they beat France 38-33 to win a fifth straight Six Nations crown.
Bern said it was “incredible” to play in an atmosphere like that last year, and recalled how even the bus journey to the stadium was “unbelievable” as fans welcomed the team to the stadium, adding that it was something “none of us had experienced before.”
When asked about whether the players will get an extra edge from playing at Twickenham, MacDonald said: “As athletes you strive towards the highest level, and playing at what is considered the headquarters of English rugby is pretty special.
“You want to be on the biggest platforms, the biggest stages against the toughest opposition you can come up against, and in front of as many people as you can.
“That’s how we create more momentum around the game.”
The scrum-half admitted that there would be nerves for some of the players, who will never have played in front of such a large crowd before. But she added that hopefully this becomes “more normal” in the future.
So what can fans expect if they’re going to England vs Ireland?
“It’s a really good day out at Twickenham,” Rowland said. “The amount of stuff that goes on around the stadium before is unbelievable, and then for the game itself, there’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of 40-50,000 people.
“Hopefully from an England point of view we’ll put on a show for everyone!”
Along with the sport on show, there’ll also be plenty of entertainment for fans to enjoy, including a halftime show from British pop sensation Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Ward said that things like the halftime show help the atmosphere on the day, and makes it “really electric” and “special” for the players on the pitch as the noise builds in the stands.
In terms of the sport on the pitch, MacDonald reckoned any sport fan would enjoy coming to see a women’s rugby match.
“It’s an exciting form of rugby,” she explained. “It’s very watchable, especially with the way we [England] want to play now. It’s expansive, it’s fast, you’re going to see breakaway tries.
“If you put that into the context of the wider day, Twickenham is an incredibly inviting place to come to, everyone’s made to feel at home from the moment they step into the ground, I think that’s pretty special.
“I don’t think many people have watched it and decided they don’t enjoy it!”
England vs Ireland takes place at Twickenham on Saturday, April 20, 2024, with kick-off at 14:15.
For tickets and more information about the big game, visit https://www.twickenhamstadium.com/womens-six-nations-2024/tickets.
Related links:
The 6 players to watch out for this Women’s Six Nations
