This Saturday, a developmental England XV will face off against a French side in an uncapped fixture at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
With 13 senior players away on British and Irish Lions duty, the match presents a valuable opportunity for emerging talent to impress head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of England’s summer tour of Argentina, which also includes a one-off test against the USA in Washington.
The contest marks England’s first appearance since wrapping up the Six Nations in March.
Despite a dominant 68-14 demolition of Wales in their final match, a 10-try spectacle in Cardiff, England, narrowly missed out on the championship.
They finished second to France, who secured the title later that day with a decisive win over Scotland in Paris.
After a shaky start to the Six Nations, losing to Ireland on the opening weekend, Borthwick’s men found their form, winning their next four matches.
They comfortably beat Italy and edged out both Scotland and France by a single point at home, generating a strong wave of momentum they’ll be keen to maintain this weekend.
Although they did beat France, it was a game decided more by mistakes from Les Bleus as opposed to quality from England.
For that reason, the visitors this weekend will be hoping to get a touch of revenge, even if they did get the last laugh by winning the Championship.
Team News
England will be without several key figures, including skipper Maro Itoje, who is leading the Lions in their send-off fixture against Argentina on Friday before heading on a three-Test tour of Australia.
Plenty of Lions will be missing, but one who stands out as an omission from this weekend’s squad is Jack van Poortvliet.
The Leicester Tigers scrum-half was called up at late notice to replace the injured Jamison Gibson-Park for training this week.
While he is expected to return to England duty after this weekend, if Gibson-Park’s injury proves to be worse than initially feared, it could open up a spot for JVP on the plane to Australia.
Meanwhile, France boss Fabien Galthié has selected a balanced ‘A’ squad that blends seasoned campaigners with up-and-coming talent. The French side will be eager to settle the score after England dashed their Grand Slam hopes earlier in the year.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025
Kick-off: 3:15pm BST
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London
How to Watch
The game will be streamed live on RugbyPass TV, World Rugby’s official platform. Fans can watch for free by creating an account. Coverage starts at kick-off.
By Charlie Elliott
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