Women's Six Nations winners England will play reigning world champions New Zealand at Twickenham this September ahead of the WXV 1 title defence in Canada.
Maro Itoje will remain available at a key stage of the Premiership season after the Saracens second row saw his citing for a dangerous tackle against Bath on Friday dismissed.
Ellie Kildunne has her sights set on making up for missing out on the Olympics three years ago as she eyes a spot the Great Britain rugby sevens team for this summer's event in Paris.
Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has revealed spending time at a rehabilitation centre helped him "reset" after being charged by police in connection with an incident in the Scottish Borders.
Riley Lumb marked his Leeds debut with two first-half tries as the Rhinos got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 18-12 victory over struggling Hull FC at the MKM Stadium.
John Mitchell hailed England's Red Roses for achieving their goal of 'staying the best' as captain Marlie Packer officially welcomed the arrival of a new era under the head coach following their Women's Six Nations Grand Slam triumph.
England secured their sixth Women's Six Nations title in succession and completed a hat-trick of Grand Slams with a 42-21 victory over 14-player France in Bordeaux.
Harlequins ran in six tries as they beat Gallagher Premiership table toppers Northampton Saints 41-32, in a game in which former England man Danny Care was fortunate to escape a red card.
Ireland clinched third place in the Women's Six Nations with a 15-12 victory over Scotland, which also secured their spot at next year's Rugby World Cup.
Wales pulled off a stunning 22-20 victory over Italy in the final moments of their Six Nations campaign at the Principality Stadium which saw their head coach Ioan Cunningham burst into tears.
Reigning champions Saracens put one foot in the Gallagher Premiership play-offs after Owen Farrell's late penalty sunk title rivals Bath 15-12 at the Recreation Ground.
New Zealand's Black Ferns may be the world champions, but in the northern hemisphere, there is no fixture that comes close to England vs France in women's rugby.
Maro Itoje and Jamie George have yet to be offered finalised hybrid contracts by England, with Saracens boss Mark McCall hoping for a speedy resolution as he plans for next season.
The full schedule has been confirmed for rugby's Autumn Internationals, with the giants of the Southern Hemisphere once again coming to take on the Six Nations teams in a busy month of rugby.
Northampton marched to a 40-17 Premiership bonus-point win over 14-man Leicester as they reinforced their status as table toppers on derby day in the East Midlands.
A rampant Red Roses put Ireland to the sword in Round 4 of the Women's Six Nations at Twickenham, scoring 14 tries in a 88-10 demolition in front of nearly 49,000 fans.
John Mitchell has instructed his England team to continue playing on the edge despite the disciplinary issues that have marred their Women's Six Nations campaign so far.