England’s 2017 Autumn Series announced

Another effect of the new professional England women’s rugby set-up is the announcement about next year’s Autumn Series – 11 months ahead.

It is something that may seem unremarkable, but such forward thinking in the women’s game is almost unheard of (the England series against New Zealand before the 2014 World Cup being possibly the only significant precedent).

It is worth bearing in mind that, whereas information about men’s Six Nations games is generally announced nearly two years ahead, details about the 2017 Six Nations were only announced last week – less than two months before the tournament kicks off. Indeed, Scotland have still to formally confirm where their games will be played.

The Old Mutual Wealth sponsorship has also been crucial. After incorporating both the men’s and women’s Autumn International games in a single sponsorship for the first time, it would have been a major set-back if the RFU had only announced men’s games for next Autumn.

So, for the RFU to announce both the men’s and women’s games in the same release is a significant moment – and probably not easy to achieve as it required another union to commit to their women’s team a year ahead as well (though not including pictures of the women’s team in their announcement on the web site is a slight let down).

It is no surprise to see that the union that stepped up to that task is Canada. Despite limited resources that make pay-to-play a necessary reality, it is one of the most forward-thinking test-playing unions with a youth set-up that is producing a terrific depth of playing strength.

England’s three-game series will climax with a double-header at Twickenham Stadium on November 25 after the men’s game against Samoa, though dates and venues for the opening two games are still to be confirmed (with three games at least one match outside London would be nice to see).

Last month’s Old Mutual Series saw nearly 4,000 fans who watched the Red Roses match against the Black Ferns at the Twickenham Stoop - a stadium record for a women’s match outside the 2010 World Cup.

England captain Sarah Hunter said: “This season, through the support of Old Mutual Wealth, we enjoyed a truly world-class autumn series. It has helped provide great preparation as we build towards the 2017 Women’s World Cup and set a marker for all there is still to do to be the best in the world.

“It was great to have record numbers of fans for home women’s games, and we look forward to building on that next year as women’s rugby in this country continues to grow.”