Holding tests or any rep games mid-season won't do much to prepare France or England. However, the French team is on a hiding to nothing in this game - Super League based players are worked into the grounds by the cumulative effects of a gruelling Super League schedule, season after season, as [url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby/2010/02/14/super-12-row-115875-22041251/senior figures like Jamie Peacock identified[/url:

well you need to open your eyes then cos what you've put there is a load of nonsense...

Just like the pointless drubbing of France

"but we need this game to see how far France have come"

The international game is a joke and it doesn't matter what you do it will always be a joke, i guarantee that in 30 years time nothing will have changed.

Flogging a dead horse.

and having a west of england team,east of england team,barbarians (union concept not ours) and a rest of europe team...will solve all our international woes...will it?

No, i'm on about watching even games worth watching, i care not a jot if we can put a team out that can compete with the Aussies

FRANCE v ,wales,scotland,ireland and eng 'A'...would be worth watching and be very competitive game just what those nations need....these countries would still get to play against england..just not mid season

ENGLAND v Other nationalities would be worth watching,intense,competitve and the damn near closest thing england players will ever get to kind of battles australian player get during state of origin....hell half the players in the othernationalities team would still be playing origin and for the kangaroos if they still played down under!

in fact i've sold it to myself...if we are ever going to beat the aussies then we need a series against the 'Other nationalities" asap!!!