Red Roses march on as record crowd floods Allianz Stadium
Red Roses march on as record crowd floods Allianz Stadium
England's Red Roses extend their momentum with a record Women's Six Nations crowd at Allianz Stadium as they beat Ireland, signaling growing support for the sport.
England's Red Roses beat Ireland at Allianz Stadium in front of a record 77,120 fans for a Women's Six Nations opener, a figure that underlines the rapid growth of the women's game since England's World Cup triumph. The match also follows the sport's broader surge in popularity, with a World Cup final crowd of 81,885 at the same venue setting a high bar for future men's and women's fixtures.
"You can never replicate a game that has happened before [the World Cup final]," Kildunne told BBC Sport. "The World Cup final is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life and I don't want to compare the two things. We have to get used to this. We sold out then [the World Cup final] and we nearly sold out now, this is going to become the norm. This shows where the women's game is going and long may it last."
A decade ago, a crowd of 2,500 watched England narrowly beat Ireland at the same venue. Amy Cokayne is the only player from that game to feature in the back-to-back wins, underscoring how far the squad has come as they build a lasting culture around the Red Roses.
The display at Allianz Stadium reinforces the sport's trajectory: growing crowds, high-profile matches, and a sense that big-game atmosphere is becoming a regular feature in women's rugby as England look to sustain and expand this momentum into the rest of the Six Nations and beyond.
