England's summer rugby schedule commenced with a challenging 35-19 defeat at the hands of a skilful France XV in Vannes. The non-Test warm-up fixture, designed to blood new talent and test combinations, saw the hosts demonstrate superior cohesion and attacking flair, ultimately running away with a comfortable victory.
Despite a promising start which saw Cadan Murley cross for England within the opening minute, France quickly asserted their dominance. Tries from Nicolas Depoortere and Gregoire Arfeuil helped the French establish a 14-5 lead. While England's Marcus Smith responded just before half-time, narrowing the deficit to 14-12, the second half saw France pull away decisively. Nolann Le Garrec and Antoine Hastoy both scored within five minutes of the restart, with Fabien Brau-Boirie adding another late on, sealing England's fate.
Both nations were without several key players due to ongoing domestic play-offs, with Northampton and Exeter stars unavailable for England, and internationals from Toulouse, Racing 92, Stade Francais, and Montpellier retained by their clubs in France. However, the presence of seven starters from European champions Bordeaux-Bègles in the French line-up appeared to give them a distinct advantage in terms of familiarity and execution.
England head coach Steve Borthwick will nonetheless seek positives from individual performances. Wings Noah Caluori and Cadan Murley showed flashes of brilliance, while Ted Hill brought considerable energy to the forward pack. Replacement scrum-half Raffi Quirke also made an enterprising cameo. However, issues at the set-piece and a struggle to contain France's quick handling game will be areas of concern as England prepare for more formidable challenges.
This fixture serves as the curtain-raiser for England's demanding summer schedule. Their next outing is a formidable Nations Championship opener away to South Africa in Johannesburg on 4 July, followed by matches against Fiji and Argentina in subsequent weekends. The performance in Vannes will provide valuable data for Borthwick as he refines his squad and tactics for these crucial encounters.