The Japan Times - Players' chief wants fair reward for 'rising' England rugby women

More than 53,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's clash at Twickenham, surpassing the record for a stand-alone women's international of 42,579 set when England suffered an agonising 34-31 World Cup final loss to New Zealand in Auckland in November.

That defeat ended a run of 30 consecutive wins for the Red Roses, who continue to lead the way in the European women's game.

Rugby Players' Association general secretary Christian Day is involved in talks with the RFU over a new deal for England's women, whose contracts expire after this season.

He said their success was pivotal for the development of the sport as a whole.

"To me, when you look at how rugby is going to grow, you look at the women's game," Day said.

"I don't think anyone would have thought there would be 60,000 at Twickenham on Saturday and I wonder how many of those have been to an England game before.

"It's a whole new market, a new demographic of fans, supporters and people who watch. Viewing figures on the BBC are all over one million."

"We're going through contracting now and we want a fair representation of what their value to the RFU is," Day added. "I think it's rising.

"I think they're becoming a big part of the RFU brand and we know that it's the players who generate the vast majority of money in rugby."

England's Emily Scarratt, out of the France match through injury, said women's rugby offered something different to the men's game.

"Generally there isn't as much kicking in it and there's a bit more ball in play time," Scarratt explained.

"We try to find the edges and the width and there's a bit more freedom in the play, which is a fantastic reason to come and watch it. People who come to the games generally really enjoy what they see."

M.Matsumoto--JT