England's summer begins not with a Test but with an audition. George Ford will captain a young, experimental England XV against a France XV at the Stade de la Rabine in Vannes on Friday night, a non-cap fixture that opens the international window before the new Nations Championship. Kick-off is 17:15 BST, with the game live on RugbyPass TV.
Neither side is at full strength. Players from Premiership finalists Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs are unavailable as they prepare for Saturday's title decider, while France are without anyone from the four Top 14 clubs still alive in the play-offs. The result is two scratch sides — but ones packed with players chasing a place on the summer plane.
Steve Borthwick named five uncapped men in his 23, with Saracens wing Noah Caluori, the Premiership's top try-scorer, and Bristol prop George Kloska starting. Marcus Smith lines up at full-back, Max Ojomoh and Seb Atkinson form the centre pairing, and Tom Curry returns in a back row alongside Ted Hill and Alex Dombrandt.
"We're looking forward to an exciting challenge against a strong French team in what will be a demanding fixture," Borthwick said. "I'm eager to see this group get out there and show what they're capable of. It's a great opportunity to keep developing our game in the lead-up to the forthcoming Nations Championship."
The most notable absentee is captain Maro Itoje, stood down for the match and possibly rested into next season after a punishing 12 months that included leading the British and Irish Lions to victory over Australia. Ford, leading the side at fly-half, played down concerns about the leadership gap.
"Even though Maro is our captain, leadership is always a group effort," Ford said. "A great leadership team shares responsibility, help each other out and bring their different strengths and weaknesses to the party."
One of the night's curiosities is Benhard Janse van Rensburg. The South Africa-born Bristol centre is eligible for this fixture because it is not a full Test; he completes his residency qualification only after England's Nations Championship opener against the Springboks on July 4. Ford has been struck by the newcomer.
"Benhard is like an excitable kid. He loves training, loves being around the lads and he's got so much energy in training and around the place as well. He's been a great addition," Ford said.
France, coached by Fabien Galthié, have leaned heavily on their back-to-back Champions Cup winners Bordeaux-Bègles, recalling loosehead Jefferson Poirot for the first time since 2019 and blooding a clutch of Top 14 youngsters. Les Bleus arrive as Six Nations champions and beat England 48-46 in Paris in March, Thomas Ramos landing a last-play kick to settle it. England, by contrast, endured their worst Six Nations on record, winning just one of five.
Beyond Vannes, the senior squad's eyes are already on Johannesburg. Loosehead Ellis Genge, in rehab and bound for the South Africa tour, has backed England tighthead Joe Heyes — recently named the men's player of the season — to prove himself the best in the world on the hardest stage.
"South Africa is the big test, if he can do it in their backyard, then that cements my opinion," Genge said. "[...] It's their arena, it's their backyard, and they're the best team in the world. So it's an honour."
Friday is where that summer story starts.
