France U20 confident of win and record crowd

Back in 2011 England’s U20s beat France, before going on to beat Scotland, Wales, USA, Canada and South Africa – which amounted to every other U20 team in the world. It was a perfect year – but for the teams that have followed it has been a very different story.

Since 2011 England U20 have won just four of their 20 games (one against South Africa and three against Canada) – a record that includes a remarkable 13 winless games against France, who they meet again on Saturday, in France – where they have never won.

There has been one draw, back in 2016 in Esher, but other than that only two of their 12 defeats have been by less than a single score. In France their best result was a 15-3 loss in 2013.

Its hard to say who this record imposes the greatest pressure on – the England team wanting to end this run, or the French team defending it.

On paper, England look stronger than they have for some years. fresh from theirbiggest ever win - 44-0- against the Army in their annual fixture – a game that saw 13 players make their England U20 debuts. The same team will start in Lille with full back Emma Uren (Saracens) captaining the side, and Brooke Clarke (Worcester Valkyries) - player of the match last against the Army - on the wing.

“We expect France to be a very strong side, but as a squad we are focusing on our own strengths and how we can impose our game plan," said coach Jo Yapp. “Playing France away provides a unique learning experience, bringing new challenges - both on and off field - for the players as they continue to develop through the player pathway. As a squad we are really looking forward to taking on this new and exciting challenge.”

France are similarly a very new squad, with only three players returning after last year, the most notable being full-back Charlotte Torres Duxans from Blagnac. She first came to everyone’s attention at the European U18s sevens in 2016 with a performance that quickly saw her promoted to the senior sevens for the European Championship in the same year. After her match-winning performance in this fixture last year, she has gone on to collect her first full cap for France at senior level (against Italy in November). But she is back for this fixture.

This is perhaps an explanation for French success in that their U20 team is a much more important stepping stone on the way to the senior team, with players playing in the fixture despite having already been selected for senior squads. It’s quite unusual to find a new French senior cap who has not previously played at U20 level. To choose a year at random the 2015 French U20 team included the current French captain Gaelle Hermet, as well as the Menager sisters, Ian Jason, Monserratt Amedee, Julie Annery and Pauline Bourdon – and any other year would provide a similar list. English teams have generally been less good predictors of future senior success with teenage players rarely taking part in this fixture once they have been selected for the senior squad, though players such as Abigail Dow and Sarah Bern are both recent graduates of the U20 programme.

Saturday’s match takes place in Lille, home of leading French club Lille Metropole, who are (in typical style for the club) seeking to exceed the 5,000 crowd at Mont-de-Marsan – the current world record for a women’s age group international.

Appropriately the management teams is being lead by former Lille and French star Hélène Ezanno, who highlighted how the game is changing (and how France are catching up with England) by pointing out that she did not take up the game until she was at university – which was not unusual 10 years ago, or even less. Today she increasingly finds that players in her squad are started at a much earlier age. Mia Kiehlmann – the only local player in the squad this year – began at the age of 6.

France U20 squad:Carla Arbez (Stade Bordelais ASPTT); Suzie Brozda (FC Grenoble Amazons); Brandy Cazorla (Stade Toulousain Rugby); Aude Constans (FC Grenoble Amazons); Emma Coudert (ASM Romagnat Rugby); Julie Coudert (AC Bobigny 93); Mathilde Coutouly (Stade Toulousain Rugby); Morgane Deschamps (Stade Toulousain Rugby); Madoussou Fall (AC Bobigny 93); Mathilde Gaulon (Blagnac Rugby Female); Clara Joyeux (Blagnac Rugby Female); Mia Kiehlmann (Lille Métropole RC Villeneuvois); Nassira Konde (AC Bobigny 93); Maya Lespielle (AS Bayonne) ; Meg Mambe (ASM Romagnat Rugby); Maela Mancip (Toulousain Rugby Stadium); Marine Pellegris (ASM Romagnat Rugby); Manon Pujol (Toulousain Rugby Stadium); Charlotte Rufas (Toulousain Rugby Stadium); Charlotte Torres Duxans (Blagnac Rugby Women); Roxane Vidal (Blagnac Rugby Women); Lucie Vinacua (Stade Bordelais ASPTT); Taonie Zobel (France Rugby)

England U20:15. Emma Uren © (Saracens Women), 14. Lilian Stoeger-Goddard (Bristol Ladies), 13. Phoebe Murray (Bristol Ladies), 12. Lucy Attwood (Bristol Ladies), 11. Brooke Clarke (Worcester Valkyries), 10. Helena Rowland (Saracens Women), 9. Tazmin Bricknell (Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC), 1. Ellena Perry (Saracens Women), 2. Leah Bartlett (Loughborough Lightning), 3. Ellie Mulhearn (Bristol Ladies), 4. Hollie Cunningham (Bristol Ladies), 5. Rosie Galligan (Saracens Women), 6. Tabitha Copson (Gloucester- Hartpury Women), 7. Charlie Wilcock (Worcester Valkyries), 8. Sarah Beckett (Firwood Waterloo Ladies).

Replacements:16. Ellie Gilbert (Gloucester-Hartpury), 17. Michaella Roberts (Bristol Ladies), 18. Hannah Botterman (Saracens Women), 19. Cara Brincat (Worcester Valkyries), 20. Rianna Manson (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 21. Ella Wyrwas (Saracens Women), 22. Zoe Harrison (Saracens Women), 23. Lizzie Adam (Loughborough Lightning).