Big names headline England XV for France XV showdown
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: England head coach Steve Borthwick has named his England XV to play a France XV at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, June 21.
George Ford and Jamie George are named as co-captains.
In the front row, Fin Baxter starts at loosehead, alongside George at hooker and Joe Heyes at tighthead.
The second row features Alex Coles partnered with Nick Isiekwe.
The back row sees Ted Hill on the blindside flank, his club teammate and last weekend’s Premiership Final player of the match Guy Pepper on the openside, with Tom Willis at No.8 to complete the pack.
The half-back pairing is Ben Spencer at scrumhalf with Ford at flyhalf.
In midfield, Seb Atkinson lines up at inside centre with Henry Slade outside him at 13.
The back three is made up of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso on the left wing, Tom Roebuck on the right, and Joe Carpenter at fullback.
Theo Dan, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Chandler Cunningham-South, Jack Kenningham, Alex Dombrandt, Raffi Quirke and Oscar Beard are named as replacements.
“We’re excited to be playing at Twickenham Stadium and to test ourselves against a strong French side,” said Borthwick.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing this young team get out there and show what they’re capable of.
“It’s a great opportunity to take another step forward ahead of the July Tour to Argentina and the US.”
England’s tour includes two Tests in Argentina, followed by a match against the USA in Washington, D.C.
The Tour squad will be announced on Monday, June 23.
England XV: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 10 George Ford (co-captain), 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Guy Pepper, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Nick Isiekwe, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (co-captain), 1 Fin Baxter.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Chandler Cunningham-South, 20 Jack Kenningham, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Raffi Quirke, 23 Oscar Beard.
Date: Saturday, June 21
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick-off: 15.15 (16.15 French time, 15.15 GMT)
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland) & Ben Breakspear (Wales)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Ouch 😢https://t.co/R0CmWxU78r
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) June 19, 2025
Watch England XV v France XV live from Allianz Stadium, Twickenham at 15:15 BST on Saturday, 21 June. Watch for FREE via the RugbyPass App or RugbyPass TV.
