Women’s rugby has a growing fanbase, with 1.94 million people tuning in to the 2017 World Cup final, yet much of it still relies on the players’ love of the game than any great financial reward.

In January, the RFU announced the newly-professional squad of 35 women, made up of 25 full-time contracts and seven part-time deals, while it has also invested £2.4 million in the Tyrrells Premier 15s to improve the standard of the domestic game. In Scotland, there are now eight contracted women’s rugby players, and both the WRU and IRFU are continually investing in the women and girls’ game.

Yet as it stands most of the players in this year’s Six Nations also have full-time jobs and must juggle them with their