England to host Scotland in Sunderland for 2027 Women’s Six Nations

England will stage their first home match of the 2027 Women’s Six Nations at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, returning to the venue where they opened their victorious 2025 World Cup campaign. BBC Sport reported on Tuesday that the Red Roses will face Scotland there on 17 April, with further home fixtures scheduled for Northampton and Twickenham.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMfKWOnSN6Y

The Scotland match will mark a first for England outside World Cup competition: a home fixture at a venue that is not a rugby-specific ground. It follows the team’s previous visit in August 2025, when 42,723 spectators watched England defeat the United States 67-9 in the opening match of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

That Sunderland attendance established a tournament record at the time, exceeding the 42,579 crowd for the previous edition’s final. England later raised the record again during the same World Cup. Their victory over Canada in the final attracted a sell-out crowd of 81,885 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, almost twice the attendance recorded for the opening match in Sunderland.

England full-back Ellie Kildunne recalled the Stadium of Light occasion as one of the standout atmospheres of her career, according to BBC Sport. She highlighted the noise greeting the players when they arrived by bus and the supporters who remained afterwards. Kildunne said the crowd had lifted the team and hoped the Scotland fixture could produce a similarly memorable experience.

The rest of England’s home schedule takes them to Northampton’s DPD Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens for a meeting with Italy on 24 April. France will then visit Twickenham on 15 May for the final round of the championship. England also have away fixtures against Wales and Ireland, but the venues for those two matches have not yet been announced.

The Red Roses will be pursuing a ninth consecutive Six Nations title when the tournament begins. Before turning their attention to that campaign, they have three away Tests in October as part of the WXV Global Series. England are scheduled to play Canada twice and the United States once, with their Six Nations preparations to follow that overseas programme.