The Women's Rugby World Cup heads into its second week on the back of impressive off-field numbers, with organisers adamant the tournament's momentum can be maintained despite several mismatches in the first round of pool matches.

More than 85,000 spectators watched the opening eight group games, with host nation England's 69-7 thrashing of the United States attracting a peak television audience of 2.4 million in the United Kingdom.

France's 24-0 win over Italy also broke records with 3.2 million watching on TF1 in France.

But the average margin of victory in the first round was 47 points, with France's ultimately convincing win over Italy the closest contest of the round.

Several more lopsided contests are expected this weekend, with teams that are effectively professional going up ag

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