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England claimed the win, 19-14 after a tight affair at Twickenham.
>>MATCH REPORT: Burgess hits hard on England debut, France defeated 19-14
Anthony Watson grabbed two exciting tries, with Jony May England’s other, but France came back in the second half.
England had two players carded – Burgess and Clark – and wobbled in the scrum and lineout, but managed to hold on.
England 19 def. France 14
Northern hemisphere nations England and France meet in a World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham. Join The Roar from 5:00am (AEST) for all the action from London.
These traditional rivals lock horns for the 100th time. It’s an important encounter as time before the World Cup is running out.
Both nations have been undergoing fitness camps as part of their tournament preparations and have not played a Test for three months.
The last time they met, in May, it was a points-feast as the Poms tried to jag the Six Nations title. They failed but it was a highly entertaining, high-scoring game, England winning by 20 points.
It’s unlikely to be the same kind of clash this time round.
This is the first of two meetings, they play in Paris next weekend, and both teams will try some new players in different positions.
Most eyes will be on the debut of cross-coder Sam Burgess in the centres. England have invested a lot of faith in Burgess and are hoping he can provide their x-factor in a month’s time. The home team has also given debuts to Henry Slade, Calum Clark and Luke Cowan-Dickie.
They are resting their skipper, Chris Robshaw, who has been replaced by Tom Wood.
France have not handed out any first caps to any new players but they are also experimenting. Captain Thierry Disautoir is recovering from a training injury, while Francois Trinh-Duc makes his first start for Les Bleus in nearly two years.
The French are expected to use all 25 of their players at some point in their game.
England will be hoping their new midfield of outside centre Slade and inside centre Burgess can shine, with Richard Wigglesworth getting a rare start at scrum-half. There has also been a change in the front row with Kieran Brookes and Rob Webber partnering Mako Vunipola.
The English will be looking to make a statement before the World Cup on their own turf, while the French would love to avenge the defeat they suffered in their last encounter as they plan their own World Cup tilt.
Catch all the action from 5am (AEDT).
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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