England fixture poised to spark growth of rugby union

The match, technically a home fixture for Fiji, will be played at Everton’s new stadium in Liverpool and marks one of the few occasions an England game has been staged away from Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

The fixture presents an opportunity to expand the sport’s reach into a different part of the country.

Sale are the only PREM Rugby club in the north-west, a region traditionally dominated by rugby league despite producing numerous Premiership and England players over the years.

The game will give younger supporters the chance to watch elite players up close and could also create a different atmosphere from matches played in London, potentially helping attract new audiences to rugby union.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson discussed the possible impact the fixture could have on the region, saying: “I think it’s great. It’s a football area, rugby league, so to bring rugby union there takes it out of that old school, traditional, elitist environment that south-west London [has]. It costs you a few hundred quid just to travel and even more for a ticket.

“It’s accessible for the kids in-and-around here, for the general public, all the better for it.”

Sanderson also revealed that Sale are considering the Hill Dickinson Stadium as a potential venue for a future Big Game, having previously stated that hosting matches at Old Trafford or the Etihad Stadium was not feasible because of logistical challenges.

It has been 15 years since the Sharks took their Premiership clash with London Irish to the then-named Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers, but securing one of the region’s major football venues at a suitable time has proved difficult.

“I hope it’s somewhere we can take the game. We talk about the Big Games and stuff, we’re looking into that moving forward with Everton as a ground that we can host a game at as well.

“It’s brilliant for the game, we want to be part of that, we want to turn people towards the north.”