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England's Red Roses will play their first home match of the 2027 Women's Six Nations against Scotland at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on 17 April, marking the first time they have hosted a Six Nations fixture outside a rugby-specific venue away from a World Cup.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**England** will face Scotland at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on 17 April in their first home match of the 2027 Six Nations, marking the first time they have played a home fixture outside a rugby-specific ground outside of a World Cup.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

The **Stadium of Light** drew 42,723 fans for England's 67-9 Women's Rugby World Cup opener against the United States in August 2025, surpassing the 42,579 who attended the previous edition's final as the tournament's biggest crowd at that point.

Red Roses Return to Sunderland for 2027 Six Nations — SkimNews

By BBC Sport · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-29

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England will face Scotland at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on 17 April in their first home match of the 2027 Six Nations, marking the first time they have played a home fixture outside a rugby-specific ground outside of a World Cup.
The Stadium of Light drew 42,723 fans for England's 67-9 Women's Rugby World Cup opener against the United States in August 2025, surpassing the 42,579 who attended the previous edition's final as the tournament's biggest crowd at that point.
That mark was smashed again by the Red Roses' 81,885 sell-out for their World Cup final victory over Canada at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.
England's remaining 2027 Six Nations home fixtures are Italy at Northampton's Franklin's Gardens on 24 April and a final-round clash with France at Twickenham on 15 May; away venues against Wales and Ireland are still to be announced.
Full-back Ellie Kildunne called her previous Stadium of Light appearance one of the highlights of her career, citing the noise off the bus and fans staying behind afterwards.
The Red Roses are targeting a ninth successive Six Nations crown and will warm up with two Tests against Canada and one against the United States on next month's WXV Global Series away leg.

Why it matters: England's choice to host a Six Nations match at a 42,723-seat football stadium — previously reserved for World Cups outside rugby — signals a commercial push to convert the record-breaking 2025 World Cup crowds into recurring revenue. With the Red Roses chasing a ninth successive title, expanded venue capacity forces rivals to lift their own attendance baselines.