Preview: England v France

Although their World Cup win was two years ago, this marks the serious start of England’s bid to retain their crown, with most of their top players prioritising 15s over 7s, in contrast to recent seasons, and with many players taking to the field as fully funded professionals for the first time ever. The squad to play France reflects this. There are 1,000 senior England caps involved with Worcester Valkyries prop Rochelle Clark looking to come off the bench and gain her 114th cap to equal the England record set by Jason Leonard in 2004. Read more about Preview: England v France