Franklin’s Gardens to host Red Roses’ clash with Italy

Northampton Saints are delighted to announce that international rugby will return to Franklin’s Gardens next year, when the Red Roses take on Italy.

The home of Saints and Loughborough Lightning will host the Guinness Women’s Six Nations Round 3 encounter on Saturday 24 April (kick-off: 5pm).

It will be the third time in four years that the Red Roses have played in Northampton, following the 2023 Six Nations meeting with Italy and a Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 pool-stage fixture – five further World Cup matches were staged at the Gardens during the tournament.

Franklin’s Gardens also hosted a men’s Under-20s international earlier this year, when England edged a gripping clash against Wales.

“We’re thrilled to welcome international rugby back to Franklin’s Gardens once more,” said Julia Chapman, Chief Executive at Northampton Saints. “It was an amazing occasion here three years ago when nearly 13,000 people watched the Red Roses take on Italy.

“As a 2025 World Cup host venue, we saw huge numbers of people attending matches here, creating a special atmosphere and enjoying an unforgettable matchday experience. So we are delighted to host international-level women’s rugby at Franklin’s Gardens again.”

The 2023 meeting between England and Italy in Northampton saw Abby Dow (4), Jess Breach (3), Claudia MacDonald (2), Marlie Packer (2) and Tatyana Heard all cross the whitewash in a 68-5 victory, on England’s way to a fifth successive Six Nations title.

Since then, England have added a World Cup triumph and three further Six Nations titles. During their fifth consecutive Grand Slam earlier this year, Loughborough Lightning’s all-time record point scorer Helena Rowland was ever-present and earned her 50th Test cap in the process.

Rowland said: “Franklin’s Gardens is a hotbed for English rugby and we love playing there. You saw in the 2025 Rugby World Cup how amazing a place it is for women’s rugby and how much the fans embraced having a Red Roses match there. The crowd was absolutely electric that day, as it always is when we play there – and no doubt it will be the same against Italy next year.”