Jess Breach double helps England snuff out fiery France in warm-up friendly

When it comes to England v France there is no such thing as a friendly. The Red Roses scrum-half Natasha Hunt noted the irony in the buildup and the tense nature of the rivalry was on full display from kick-off.

There was a thumping collision between Ellie Kildunne and the France fly-half Lina Tuy. The England full-back was whacked into touch by Tuy, who had jumped to charge down a ball Kildunne had kicked. It was that physicality which reignited the history between the two foes. If that was not enough to light a spark in this match, then the added backdrop of the first game of a season which will end with the Rugby World Cup, being held in England, certainly was.

Kildunne, who was the top scorer in the 2024 Women’s Six Nations, was once again England’s joie de vivre in attack. The No 15, who took part in Team GB’s seventh-place finish in the Olympic sevens this summer, sprinkled excitement whenever she received the ball and she was soon starting a move that ended with a try.

Kildunne made a break and passed to Jess Breach, France’s scramble defence dealt with the wing but a few phases later Marlie Packer, the England captain, struck gold. France reacted well to conceding, holding the Red Roses from scoring for seven minutes, but England were next over the whitewash through Breach.

Some cynical play at a ruck followed with the France hooker Agathe Sochat given a yellow card for kicking the ball away. Helena Rowland, who returned from injury, capitalised on being a player up with a try. The half-time score was 19-0 but the teams were just starting to rev.

England moved into fourth gear with tries from Morwenna Talling and Breach but Sochat earned her redemption arc with a stunning run slicing through the English defence to put her team on the scoreboard.

The French scored again, this time through Romane Ménager, and Kingsholm’s cheers were quietened until the replacement scrum-half Lucy Packer cancelled out the try with one of her own. France are a never-say-die team, though, and their star No 9, Pauline Bourdon Sansus, who started from the bench, pounced to go over.

In the end England extended their winning run at home; they have not lost on home soil since 2016. The Red Roses have not lost at all since the Rugby World Cup final in 2022. That defeat came at the hands of New Zealand, England’s opponents at the Allianz Stadium next Saturday.