"I think we have to give the rest of the world a bit of leeway.

"We have these goggles on that everyone should have 50,000 at their games, but I think people forget that it was only a few years ago that our record in England was 5,000.

"The rest of the world is slightly behind, but we can give them the patience to grow."

England's Grand Slam-clinching victory over France at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium in April 2023 was watched by 58,498 people - a record for a women's rugby match.

It is far from a one-off either. Crowds of 48,778 and 41,523 attended the wins over Ireland and New Zealand at the same venue earlier this year.

However, interest in England has risen sharply in recent years. Five years ago, the record attendance for a Red Roses' game outside a Rugby World Cup was only just over 10,000.