Bristol Ladies youngsters feature as junior Roses lose to France

Lucy Attwood, Phoebe Murray, Lillian Stoeger-Goddard, Ellie Mulhearn and Hollie Cunningham were all named in Jo Yapps' starting XV, while Michaela Roberts was named among the replacements as England were unable to build on Helena Rowland’s early score.

“It was an extremely tough game played in some really challenging conditions,” said head coach Yapp.

"Despite the result we are really proud of the character that the girls showed and all credit to France they took their opportunities well.

"There were some key moments in the game where we were just not accurate enough, the players are clearly disappointed but in their overall development they will learn a lot from this playing experience."

England were first get points on the board as fly half Helena Rowland crossed the whitewash after five minutes, but France responded with centre Aude Constans dotting down, leaving it 7-7 at the break.

A penalty awarded to France in the second half saw them take the lead for the first time before replacement Charlotte Torres Duxan scored France’s second try, with Julie Coudert converting for a 7-17 lead.

Despite Rowland taking advantage of a late penalty for England, it was too little too late as the game finished 10-17.