France 6-40 England
Visitors score six tries in final World Cup warm-up match
England stormed to a 16th consecutive win over France in their final warmup match before the World Cup kicks off in two weeks. After a close-run Six Nations finale in April England’s 6-40 win in Mont-de-Marsan was a reminder of the physical gulf between the cross-Channel rivals, with the visitors’ pack instrumental in all six of their tries.
It was fitting that the game, a friendly only in name, was scheduled amid the street festival season in south-west France – matches against Les Bleues are rarely dull affairs, even if the Red Roses have dominated Le Crunch for the last seven years.
Both teams fielded relatively full-strength sides at the Stade André-et-Guy-Boniface, home to the men’s Pro D2 side Stade Montois, under heatwave temperatures. For John Mitchell’s team, Marlie Packer’s suspension and the head injury absence of Emily Scarratt were compensated for by the returns of Ellie Kildunne and the captain, Zoe Aldcroft.
