Everything you need to know as Women’s Rugby World Cup fever comes to Northampton with games at Franklin’s Gardens
The Women’s Rugby World Cup starts later this week and Northampton has well and truly been taken over by World Cup fever, as Franklin’s Gardens is set to host several games - here’s everything you need to know.
The tournament will run from Friday August 22 until Saturday September 27, with 16 teams competing to lift the trophy. Tournament favourites, England, will kick off the competition on Friday with their first game against the USA at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. The Red Roses were runners-up to New Zealand in the last tournament.
According to organisers, the tournament is expected to become the most viewed women’s rugby event of all time, as more than 330,000 tickets have already been sold across the country, which is double the amount sold in New Zealand for the last tournament in 2022.
Northampton will play a big part in the World Cup as it will host six group stage games, as well as a number of community events. Four of the teams were welcomed to the town last weekend as they arrived to begin their preparations ahead of games at Franklin’s Gardens. See more pictures here.
Here is everything you need to know about the Women’s Rugby World Cup and Northampton’s involvement…
Seven stadiums across England will host the group and knock out stages, including in Salford, Sunderland, York, Exeter, Brighton, Bristol and Northampton. The final and bronze medal matches will be played at Twickenham on Saturday September 27.
What games will be played in Northampton?
Franklin’s Gardens - home of Northampton Saints - will host six group stage games, including the Red Roses’ second group game, in which they will face Samoa.
- Sunday August 24: Ireland vs Japan, midday
- Sunday August 24: South Africa vs Brazil, 2.45pm
- Saturday August 30: England vs Samoa, 5pm
- Sunday August 31: Ireland vs Spain, midday
- Sunday September 7: Italy vs Brazil, 2pm
- Sunday September 7: France vs South Africa, 4.45pm
Tickets are still available for the Northampton matches, including England’s fixture against Samoa. Find tickets here.
RugbyFest
To mark the start of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, there will be a free family event in Abington Park on Friday August 22.
RugbyFest, hosted by Northampton Saints and Loughborough Lightning in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), will be carnival themed and will run from 2pm until 7pm.
Visitors can expect rugby skills sessions, live music, a silent disco, art workshops, inflatable rugby games, family activities and fun challenges.
Fan zones
For each of the four dates in which Northampton is hosting a game, there will also be a free fan zone set up in the Market Square.
Organised by WNC, each fan zone will have a different theme “to celebrate the spirit of the tournament”. The council also says there will be Northampton Saints and Loughborough Lightning presence at all four of the fan zone events.
Sunday August 24: Innovation and Technology. Ireland vs Japan and South Africa vs Brazil will be shown on the big screen and visitors will also be able to try free VR games, play on a racing simulator and meet a giant robot. There will also be a number of other creative activities.
Saturday August 30: Festival Vibes. Canada vs Wales, Scotland vs Fiji and England vs Samoa will be shown on the big screen. For visitors, there will be music on the stage from BBC Introducing, as well as a silent disco and a walk-to-stadium music route featuring local performers. There will also be Irish Dancers, magicians, stilt walkers, jugglers and Samoan weaving workshops, as well as the chance to take help colour in a rugby-themed mural and make festival headbands.
Sunday August 31: Family Fun. The big screen will show Ireland vs Spain, New Zealand vs Japan and Italy vs South Africa. There will be inflatable activities for visitors to take part in, including a bouncy castle, Last Man Standing, surfing simulator, rodeo rugby ball, and a giant maze. There will also be basketball challenges, a Spanish dance workshop, a chance to paint a canvas and giant dinosaur, a bubblologist, and stilt walkers roaming the Market Square.
Sunday September 7: Music, Art and Culture. Japan vs Spain, Italy vs Brazil, New Zealand vs Ireland and France vs South Africa will be shown on the big screen, on mute during performances. Northampton Music Festival takes place and will take over the stage in the Market Square. There will be performances throughout the day, as well as poetry and urban art, giant games and face painting.
Transport
On the four Northampton matchdays, shuttle buses will run from the town centre to Franklin’s Gardens, stopping at the train station on the way.
The shuttle bus will run every 10 minutes starting from two hours before kick off until one hour after the final whistle.
The journey will take around 10 minutes and a return ticket will cost £2, which can be paid by cash or card on the bus.
The town centre pick up and drop off point will be signposted from the fanzone and the Franklin’s Gardens pick up and drop off point will be the Bingo Hall bus stop.