Brian Moore claims England women should play against men's teams in World Cup preparation

Former England hooker Brian Moore has said the the women's national team need to be playing conditioned games against male sides in order to prepare properly for this year's World Cup.

Having captured the trophy in France in 2014, England missed out three years later in Ireland when they were beaten in the final by New Zealand. It's the Black Ferns who will be hosting the next edition of the tournament in October, and Simon Middleton's side will again be among the favourites.

On Saturday, the Red Roses opened up their Six Nations campaign with a comfortable 57-5 win in Scotland, as flanker Marlie Packer starred with a hat-trick of tries. Their bid for a fourth consecutive title is likely to come down to the final day of the Championship when they face France in Paris.

Indeed, the gap between the top two in the tournament and Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy has been a seismic one in recent years. The WRU have taken a step forward this season by offering full-time contracts to some Welsh players, but it's not a move expected to manifest in a serious title challenge this year.

Prior to the Scotland game, Middleton said he was prepared to give all his players game time over the first three matches, with a trip to Italy coming up this Sunday before a home game with Wales six days later.

And now Moore, who recently stepped down from his long-standing role as a men's Six Nations pundit with the BBC, has encouraged the RFU to adopt a "creative" approach to ensure the side are battle hardened for the World Cup. Writing in his Telegraph column, Moore questioned if the Six Nations provided England with "the sort of consistent competition" they need.

"If the England women’s team cannot find the sort of physical and