England v France - World Cup warm-up |
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Venue: Twickenham Date: Saturday, 15 August Kick-off: 20:00 BSTCoverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live (19:45-22:00), highlights on BBC One (23:45-00:45), repeated Sun 16 Aug, BBC Two, (13:00-14:00), plus live text and radio commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. |
England backs coach Andy Farrell believes new cap Sam Burgess's big-match experience will be "invaluable" against France on Saturday.
The former Great Britain rugby league star plays in the World Cup warm-up game 10 months after switching codes.
Farrell told BBC Sport: "He's an experienced player who's been in these situations before and he'll be fine."
He also denies Burgess, 26, and fellow centre debutant Henry Slade, 22, are playing for one World Cup squad place.
Burgess started his union career in midfield for Bath before switching to the back row - but has been picked to play in the centres against France at Twickenham.
Farrell believes the strong mentality of Burgess - who was rated one of the best league players in the world while with Bradford Bulls and South Sydney - will help him cope with the step up to international rugby union.
England's World Cup pool games |
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Friday, 18 September, 20:00 BST: England v Fiji, Twickenham Stadium |
Saturday, 26 September, 20:00: England v Wales, Twickenham Stadium |
Saturday, 3 October, 20:00: England v Australia, Twickenham Stadium |
Saturday, 10 October, 20:00: England v Uruguay, City of Manchester Stadium |
He added: "Obviously there's been a lot of attention surrounding him playing for his first cap.
"On the back of all the hype you would want a guy that's calm, who can just go out there and deal with what is the main thing and that's going out and playing the rugby that you want to play for your team".
Montpellier fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc starts his first international in over two years as he earns his 50th cap in France's 100th Test against England.
In the absence of the rested Thierry Dusautoir, hooker Dimitri Szarzewski - the most experienced player in the 23-man squad - will lead the team.
Burgess debut 'rings bells'
Former Wigan captain Farrell played 34 times for Great Britain in league and represented England in two rugby league World Cups before switching to rugby union with Saracens and playing eight times for England.
He is especially well placed to appreciate the challenge Burgess faces in learning the nuances of a different code of rugby while under the microscope.
Another similarity between the pair is that Farrell was an outstanding forward in league yet played as a back for England's union side - the same transition the Yorkshireman is attempting to make.
Farrell added: "It rings bells a little, but the hype for Sam has gone on a little bit longer than it did for me. He can only do what he does. He just wants to perform for England tomorrow."
It's not Burgess v Slade
Stuart Lancaster has indicated Burgess and Slade are unlikely to both feature in the final 31-man World Cup squad, and therefore the France fixture is being viewed as a shoot-out for selection between the debutants.
But when asked if that was the scenario facing the centre partners on Saturday, the 2013 Lions assistant coach denied it was the case.
He said: "No. I suppose that's how everyone would like to look at it. You would certainly, over a week of training, never guess that's the point.
"They're two players for whom a big part of their game is to perform for their team mates. That's the type of players they are and that's the type of player that'll show tomorrow."
World Cup excitement is building
England open the World Cup against Fiji on 18 September and have one more warm-up match next Saturday against France in Paris.
Farrell added: "It is our first hit out and the lads are desperate to get out and show what they do in training and put it out there on the field.
"It will not be perfect. That is why we have warm-up matches - so things that can go wrong, we fix accordingly.
"I get the sense the squad is excited for the 23 that will go out and perform in an England shirt in that it will be a couple of brilliant months coming up."
Teams for England v France |
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England: Alex Goode; Anthony Watson, Henry Slade, Sam Burgess, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth; Mako Vunipola, Rob Webber, Kieran Brookes, George Kruis, Geoff Parling, Tom Wood, Calum Clark, Ben Morgan |
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Alex Corbisiero, David Wilson, Dave Attwood, James Haskell, Danny Care, Danny Cipriani, Billy Twelvetrees |
France: Scott Spedding; Sofiane Guitoune, Remi Lamerat, Alexandre Dumoulin, Brice Dulin; Francois Trinh-Duc, Morgan Parra; Louis Picamoles, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Yannick Nyanga; Yoann Maestri, Alexandre Flanquart; Nicolas Mas, Dimitri Szarzewski, Vincent Debaty |
Replacements: Guilhem Guirado, Xavier Chiocci, Uini Atonio, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Loann Goujon, Rory Kockott, Remi Tales, Gael Fickou About : BBC Sport |