Women’s Six Nations rivals England and France will meet in the final Pool C match of the 2021 Rugby World Cup, with the full match schedule now confirmed.
The pair met in the last World Cup four years ago, England winning the last four clash 20-3 before being beaten by New Zealand in the final, and between them have won the last five Six Nations Championships.
They will go head-to-head in Whangarei on September 28 in what could be a pivotal clash in deciding who qualifies for the knockout stages.
Simon Middleton’s England, world champions in 1994 and 2014, will begin their campaign against tournament newcomers Fiji at Auckland’s iconic Eden Park on September 18 before taking on South Africa – France’s first opponents – five days later.
France play Fiji on September 23 as Les Bleues, who have finished third in six of the eight World Cups to date, target a final appearance for the first time.
Wales were placed in Pool A in November’s draw and will kick off against the final qualifier winner – the side who are successful in the new Repechage qualifying tournament – on September 18.
Warren Abrahams’ side then face back-to-back heavyweight clashes against holders – and hosts – New Zealand (September 23) and Australia (September 28).
Ireland, Scotland and Italy all still have the chance to book their own spots at the competition through a European regional qualifying competition and subsequent Repechage tournament.
The winner of the European qualifying tournament will be placed in Pool B and play USA, the top Asian qualifier and Canada, while the triumphant team in the Repechage tournament will go into Pool C with Wales, Australia and New Zealand.
The quarter-finals will take place on Sunday, 3 October with the semi-finals to be played at Eden Park on Saturday, 9 October.
The 44,000-capacity stadium will then play host to the bronze final and the final the following Saturday (October 16) with organisers targeting record-breaking crowds for a women’s Rugby World Cup.
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said: “With less than eight months to go until Rugby World Cup 2021 kicks off in New Zealand, anticipation and excitement is really starting to build for fans and players worldwide.
“There is a very real, unstoppable momentum building behind the rise of women in rugby now and 2021 will be a year like no other, providing a unique opportunity to continue to accelerate the growth and profile of the sport, as women’s rugby rightly is set to own centre stage this year.”
Click here to see the full match schedule.
Rugby World Cup 2021 group stage fixtures
Saturday 18 September
Pool A – WALES v Final Qualifier Winner (Northland Events Centre, Whangarei)
Pool C – Fiji v ENGLAND (Eden Park, Auckland); South Africa v FRANCE (Eden Park, Auckland)
Thursday 23 September
Pool A – WALES v New Zealand (Waitakere Stadium, Auckland)
Pool C – ENGLAND v South Africa (Northland Events Centre, Whangarei); FRANCE v Fiji (Northland Events Centre, Whangarei)
Tuesday 28 September
Pool A – Australia v WALES (Northland Events Centre, Whangarei)
Pool C – ENGLAND v FRANCE (Northland Events Centre, Whangarei)
