England to name team to play France in World Cup warm-up three days early
Monday 10 August 2015 15:27, UK
England will name their team for Saturday’s World Cup warm-up against France on Monday, after taking the surprise decision to bring forward the announcement.
Head coach Stuart Lancaster was due to reveal his starting XV on Thursday, but will now do so 72 hours earlier. No reason has been given for the change.
Lancaster has already indicated his intention to field a strong team against France at Twickenham in the first of three matches England will play in the build-up to the World Cup, which kicks off on September 18 and will be played on home soil.
But Lancaster is also expected to assess some fringe players ahead of naming his final 31-man World Cup squad, which must be submitted by August 31.
Centres Sam Burgess and Henry Slade are thought to be in line to make their international debuts, while it has also been reported that Tom Wood will captain the side in preparation for the eventuality of an injury to regular skipper Chris Robshaw.
England will travel to Paris for a return fixture one week after Saturday’s showdown, before completing their programme of warm-up games against Ireland at Twickenham on September 5.
It is only in this final Test that England are expected to field their strongest team as they look to build momentum ahead of the World Cup opener against Fiji on September 18.
