THE NORTHERN ECHO ARENA, in Darlington, will host an international rugby double-header next March.

The home of Darlington Mowden Park will host Six Nations matches between England and Scotland featuring the two nations' women's and under-20s teams.

The double-header, which will take place on Friday, March 13, 2015, will see the recently-victorious World Cup-winning England Women's team, which features Mowden duo Katy McLean and Tamara Taylor, making their competitive debut in the North-East.

The games will be shown live on Sky Sports, with today's announcement following hot on the heels of confirmation that Darlington Mowden Park will host reigning Rugby World Cup champions New Zealand as part of the Rugby World Cup 2015 Team Base programme.

The developments underline the extent to which The Northern Echo Arena has rapidly established itself as a major sporting venue in the North-East.

Mowden Park’s arena and event manager, Danny Brown, said: "We are delighted to welcome both England U20s and England Women here to the Arena, both of whom are current world champions.

"The Arena is fast becoming an attractive venue to a multitude of events. Attracting the likes of the England Under 20s and England Women is huge for the club, the Arena, and for the region and we hope that the North-East will come out en masse to support and enjoy the double-header occasion.’’

Since hosting the England Counties international fixtures earlier this year in front of a record crowd, the off-field team at the club have worked with the RFU to take the next steps.

Lee Rust, Mowden Park’s commercial director, said: "We have been working exceptionally hard with a number of key partners over the past 12 months to bring the Arena to life in a number of ways. The work to that end with the RFU is now taking shape.

"The England Counties fixture was a success that has since allowed us to secure the next tier of internationals. Our aim now is to make a similar success with the double header. Our event calendar is a key piece of the puzzle for the club and Arena and we are also progressing well with events outside of rugby union.’’

Tickets are on sale now and available from the Arena box office.