England will face France at the University of Bolton Stadium at 5PM on Saturday in the second group game of the Rugby League World Cup. Here is a look at some of the previous meetings between the two sides.
Saturday will be the 52nd meeting between the two countries with the first ever meeting coming back in 1934.
England travelled to France at the end of last year in a friendly in Perpignan. The side only included five players, who are in the 24-player squad which Shaun Wane picked for the Rugby League World Cup.
England started impressively with four tries in the opening quarter. Liam Farrell, Tom Davies, Tommy Makinson and John Bateman all scored to put England into a strong position.
Corentin Le Cam and Justin Sangare added scores for the hosts, however, Makinson and Bateman completed braces during the 30-10 victory.
The two countries also met in the last Rugby League World Cup during the group stages.
After a defeat in the opening match to Australia, England bounced back in their second game against Lebanon. Wayne Bennett’s side headed into the final group game needing a win to guarantee a place in the quarter final.
England raced into a very dominant early lead. Gareth Widdop, Stefan Ratchford and James Graham all scored inside the opening 8 minutes as England led 18-0.
Mark Percival and John Bateman added tries before the half hour mark to put England into a comfortable 26-0 lead.
Ben Garcia hit back for France before the break, but two tries from Jerry McGillvary were the only tries in the second half as England won 36-6 and progressed into the quarter finals where they would face Papua New Guinea.
Another memorable meeting between the two sides came back in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.
The DW Stadium in Wigan played host to the World Cup quarter final with both sides looking for a place in the semi-final to meet New Zealand.
Vincent Duport opened the scoring for France inside four minutes.
Wingers, Josh Charnley and Ryan Hall hit back soon after with doubles to put England into the lead.
Brett Ferres and Sean O’Loughlin added scores as England progressed to the semi-final with a 34-6 victory.
Head-to-Head Record:
- Played: 51
- England Wins: 41
- France Wins: 7
- Draws: 3
- Biggest Win: England 84-4 France – 24th October 2015
