The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has named Manchester-based firm Mather and Co to design its new World Rugby Museum at the spiritual home of the sport – Twickenham Stadium.

Scheduled to open in early 2018, the new attraction was commissioned by the RFU as part of the redevelopment of the 82,000-capacity stadium’s East Stand.

The museum will cover 650sq m (7,000sq m) and will chart the history of rugby from the early days as ‘mob football’ through to the women’s and men’s World Cups, through a collection of more than 38,000 objects.

The plans also feature a mini exhibition space and an area dedicated to rugby’s Six Nations.

“Exhibits within the museum will explore how the game is played throughout the world, not just within the home nations,” said Mather and Co CEO Chris Mather.

“Visitors will also be able to learn how the sport has had a huge impact on schools throughout history, while being able to train like a professional player through physical interactive exhibits in the museum.

“Our experience of designing the Springbok Museum in Cape Town has shown us that visitors love the exhibits that allow them to interact and test their own skills against those of their heroes, so we'll be incorporating many ways to do just that.”

An existing museum at the site closed in March to make way for the new development.

It is the second rugby project Mather and Co have undertaken in Britain. They also created the World Rugby Hall of Fame at the sport’s birthplace, the town of Rugby. The attraction opened in November 2016 and acts as a showcase for rugby's rich heritage.