First ever Twickenham Double Header for England Rugby’s Men & Women by Julia Hutton

When England Women play the reigning World Champions New Zealand on November 21st as part of their build up to next season’s 6 Nations and Women’s Rugby World Cup, they will do it on the hallowed turf of Twickenham Stadium and on the same day that England men take on the All Blacks.

For the first time ever both England’s men and women’s teams will compete in an Investec Challenge Double Header, giving fans from both sides of the world the chance to witness some of the game’s best male and female rugby players at one sporting venue.

For England Women the match is one of their most important fixtures since their 2006 IRB Rugby World Cup Final. Then they were defeated 25-17 by the New Zealanders in a thrilling final.

The clash also has extra importance as the 2010 IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup is just around the corner. Hosted by England in London in August and September next year the home side will be hoping to go one better and lay their hands on world rugby’s ultimate prize.

England Women, who also play New Zealand on November 14th and 17th (venues to be confirmed) head into the clash having dominated European rugby for the last four years, winning the RBS 6 Nations an unprecedented four consecutive times.

England Head Coach Gary Street said: “The opportunity to play at Twickenham Stadium in a double header with England men will be a fantastic showpiece for women’s rugby and a chance to show the wider rugby audience what world class women’s rugby is all about.

“We’re all very excited about playing New Zealand, especially as it will be our first game against them since the last World Cup. It will be a real bench mark for us as we look ahead to next year’s World Cup.”

RFUW Managing Director Rosie Williams added: “This is another very exciting development for the women’s game in England. We have seen in Cricket how a successful Women’s World Cup campaign can add to the men’s game rather than compete with it and we are looking to make a similar statement in Rugby. Playing the current World Champions at the home of English Rugby and being supported by one of the leading commercial sponsors of the game is not only a fantastic opportunity for the players but also for the profile of the game.

“Women’s rugby will have a very high profile over the next 14 months, culminating in the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup being held in London. Women’s rugby is one of the fastest growing parts of the game in England and with this growth in popularity we hope to be able to attract commercial supporters like Investec to invest in the game over the long term.”

Investec Brand Manager Jennifer Whiteford added: “We are very pleased to extend our sponsorship of rugby this year to include the RFUW. We hope the first women’s Investec Challenge match will give us a dynamic and exciting rugby performance.”

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Note to editors:

Kick off times to be advised.

Investec Sponsors the Investec Challenge Series of England Autumn internationals, which this year includes the England Women v New Zealand match. Investec’s association with rugby includes the Investec Tri-Nations in New Zealand, The Investec Super 14 in Australia and the Investec International Rugby Academy in South Africa.