Northampton hosts England women's rugby team

• Watch Donovan Blake's report for ITV News Anglia

The link between Northampton Saints and England Rugby is further strengthened this weekend as the club plays hosts to the national women's team .

They are nicknamed the Red Roses, and on Sunday face the world champions New Zealand.

Last weekend England secured a record 43-12 victory against the Black Ferns at Exeter.

Now they are in Northampton, training ahead of this weekend's match.

And they say the home of Northampton Saints already inspiring those on duty, according to captain Sarah Hunter.

"It's brilliant - I haven't played here before but I know some of the other girls have," she said.

"It's a beautiful place to play. The quality of training here has ramped up."

More than 8,000 tickets have been sold for what will be England's second game against the world champions - however, the bigger picture is looking forward to next year's World Cup.

The target to reclaim what they held in 2014 is certainly a driver for this current squad.

Zoe Harrison said: "We've done a lot of analysis on what we did and what we can do better, so that's what we're taking into this week: what we can do better."

Last weekend's defeat was New Zealand's first international for two years because of the pandemic.

England head coach Simon Middleton said this week's rematch would be a different affair.

"You can't underestimate the power of getting a game under your belt," he said.

"They'll know what's coming for a start and like us they're a very proud side and what happened last week won't sit comfortably with them."

The Red Roses also hope their presence in the East this weekend will help to further boost the sport at all levels, not just for girls and women.