Former England rugby captain Catherine Spencer has called for prize money to be introduced in the Women's Six Nations as a mark of 'respect'.

The men's tournament now has a prize fund of £16 million per year, with the Grand Slam winning team receiving £6m.

Meanwhile, the women's tournament doesn't have a title sponsor and the winners don't receive any monetary reward, something Spencer believes needs to change.

She said: "The game has moved on and perhaps it’s time to respect its development and actually offer some prize money for the women’s tournament with a view towards professionalism.

“I’m not sure how I feel about people being paid to play for their country, that’s part of a wider debate. But to reflect the development of the women’s game there should be some prize money, although before that, we really need a title sponsor.

“That said, I’m not surprised at all that there’s no prize money in the women’s tournament."

Spencer has also said the women's competition is 'overshadowed' by the men's and that the scheduling of the tournament makes it 'impossible' for people to watch both.

“The Women’s Six Nations is a bit of a strange one," she added. "It exists in the shadow of the men’s tournament. All three games are often on at the same time on the same day. It’s impossible to watch them all.  

“We have an opportunity to look at our game and see what works. Just because the men do something, it doesn’t mean the women have to follow suit.”