For the Red Roses, England expects. Plenty of host nations have shouldered the considerable burden of being favourites on home soil but seldom has there been such overwhelming expectation within a sport of the victor.

England head coach John Mitchell and captain Zoe Aldcroft speak to the media two days before the start of the Women's Rugby World Cup.

Women's Rugby World Cup chiefs have promised to offer players "mental health support" after saying female athletes are "30 per cent more likely" to suffer social media abuse than their male counterparts.

Gilpin cites an awards ceremony he attended last season as an example of the different vibe in men’s and women’s rugby. The female winners, he recalls, talked freely about themselves and their lives while their male counterparts thanked the coach and their families.

Tickets for September 27 showpiece at Allianz Stadium already sold out, with World Rugby claiming they could have sold 82,000 allocation two or three times over

Four nations taking part in the Women's Rugby World Cup have been welcomed to England with a ceremony in a town. The teams of Brazil, Ireland, Japan and South Africa attended an official welcome ceremony at Northampton's Guildhall on Saturday, ahead of the tournament, which begins on Friday.