England tune up for Women’s World Cup with assured victory over France

The bigger tests are to come for England later this year but as preparations for the World Cup go, this was about as perfect as it gets.

France are not on the level of Australia and New Zealand, the two sides who will pose the greatest threat to England’s hopes of lifting the World Cup on home soil this autumn. But as the fifth-best side in the world and the next best in the northern hemisphere behind England, they were certainly a test on the level the head coach, Craig Richards, would have wanted.

For large periods the visitors made this mid-season Test tough for the hosts in Warrington. However, in the end, the class England have throughout their star-studded spine proved too much for the French at crucial junctures.

This Test was the start of a potentially groundbreaking six months for the women’s game in England. There is no doubting what victory in a home World Cup could do for a sport still making encouraging strides forward. How heartening it must have been for England’s squad to see that a large portion of the crowd in attendance at Warrington were youngsters, many of them girls, potentially in awe of the players who could become stars if success in the World Cup materialises.

There is no shortage of players to marvel at in this England team, too. That includes Courtney Winfield-Hill, the Australia-born Leeds captain and former Big Bash cricketer who made an assured debut after qualifying for England via the residency rule. She formed an effective pairing with her Rhinos teammate, Georgia Roche, to help the hosts to a second victory in a week after success against Wales last time out.

France made things difficult for England in the opening exchanges, though. There was no shortage of spirit and endeavour from the