Exhibition on women's rugby opens before World Cup

A new exhibition hopes to show the growth of women's rugby ahead of the World Cup later this month.

Starting on 22 August, the tournament will take place at eight venues in England, including Northampton Saints' Franklin's Gardens.

Scrum: Women in Rugby opened at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery on Friday and runs until 2 November.

Exhibition curator Victoria Davies said: "What we wanted to do was have a look at the history of the game but also what's happening now."

Northampton will host England for their second pool stage game against Samoa.

Franklins Gardens will also be the venue for five other matches including Ireland against Japan and France against South Africa.

The exhibition will feature photos, videos and installations that show the growing popularity of women's rugby in Northamptonshire.

It will feature local grassroots clubs as well as the Loughborough Lightning, the women's team affiliated with Northampton Saints.

There will also be an exploration of the history of the sport and female participation.

Ms Davies told BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith: "There were quite a lot of players in New Zealand back in the 1890s but the press and general reception for it was absolutely terrible.

"There was a bit in the 1920s but it didn't really take off until the 60s and majorly the 80s."

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