England host France at Allianz Arena Twickenham on Saturday with the game not on television
Attentions may well be fixed on the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer but there is a fair bit of international rugby on the agenda too.
Steve Borthwick’s England kick off their schedule with a match against France at Allianz Stadium Twickenham this afternoon.
The Red Roses are facing Argentina in a two-Test tour to South America this summer and this match against the French will give Borthwick the chance to experiment with new combinations.
Following that trip to the southern hemisphere they play a one-off match against the USA in Washington.
With a total of 13 players away with Andy Farrell’s Lions squad, other England squad hopefuls will see this as a golden opportunity to lay down a marker to Borthwick for future selection.
This will be the first time England play since the thrashing they handed out to Wales at the Principality Stadium; they ended their Six Nations campaign with a 68-14 romp in Cardiff and finished second in the standings.
France head coach Fabien Galthie has named an ‘A’ team squad for the visit to London, which is still littered with rising talent.
However, no major broadcaster has picked up the rights for this one. This is how you can catch the action.
What time in England v France kick-off?
England v France kicks off at 3.15pm on Saturday, June 21, at Allianz Arena Twickenham, London.
What channel is it on?
The match is being streamed by rugby site RugbyPass TV. You can watch the game for free by setting up an account. Coverage will begin just before kick-off.
Full line-ups
England XV: Carpenter; Roebuck, Slade, Atkinson, Feyi-Waboso; Ford, Spencer; Baxter, George, Heyes; Coles, Isiekwe; Hill, Pepper, Willis
Replacements: Dan, Rodd, Davison, Cunningham-South, Kenningham, Dombrandt, Quirke, Beard
France XV: Attissogbe; Duguivalu, Fickou, Gailleton, Moustin; Le Garrec, Hastoy; Fischer, Guillard, Tixeront; Auradou, Duguid; Erdocio, Barlot, Slimani.
Replacements: Marchand, Mallez, Bamba, Taofifenua R, van Tonder, Woki, Jauneau, Berdeu
What have the coaches said?
Borthwick: “Last week, as we were trying to get him (Immanuel Feyi-Waboso) through the final stages of his return to play, I had to man-mark him myself, which is a pretty tricky job.
“He’s full of enthusiasm and energy, it’s boundless. You have to pull him out of things because he’ll just jump straight in.
“He trained really well, he’s excited to be back on the pitch and excited to be back in a white shirt.”
