England Women coach Craig Richards talks up importance of France clash

Richards’ side claimed a 32-6 victory over Wales last week in their first outing of 2022 with Leeds Rhinos centre Fran Goldthorp scoring two of England’s six tries in Newport.

England’s next assignment is a date with France, a team they beat 40-4 in Perpignan last October.

Richards has stressed the importance of producing a strong performance ahead of tougher challenges at the World Cup this autumn.

He has vowed to put on a show in game one of the double-header at Warrington’s Halliwell Jones Stadium.

“This game is massive in terms of seeing where we are as a squad and building towards the Rugby League World Cup later this year,” said Richards.

“It’s going to be a tough battle but we’ve got something positive to build on after last week.

“We need the fans to get behind the girls. I promise you: we won’t let you down.”

Richards has had the luxury of adding four Leeds players to the squad that beat Wales with Caitlin Beevers, Keara Bennett, Courtney Winfield-Hill and Zoe Hornby all in contention to face France.

For Bennett, Winfield-Hill and Hornby, it is a chance to take their first steps in international rugby league.

“It’s great to have been able to bring in four additional players to the squad,” said Richards.

“I’m really pleased that Keara and Courtney have both recovered, have come back into the squad and are now in contention to debut on Saturday.

“Zoe has been a standout performer for Leeds in both the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup and opening rounds of the Betfred Women’s Super League. I always say that if people are playing well they will be brought into the set-up and Zoe is proof of that.”

Those additions have left Richards with a few selection decisions on the back of a solid performance against Wales.

Richards reserved special praise for York City Knights prop Olivia Wood in the aftermath of the game.

“The one thing we came away with was that it answered questions about one or two individuals,” said Richards.

“The likes of Olivia Wood who I thought was tremendous. She remained calm throughout the game. It didn’t matter how much we got penalised and had to defend, she kept turning up.

“It was the same throughout the squad. It answered some really delicate questions that as a coach you want answering.”

The match saw Dannielle Anderson make her first appearance at international level since 2019 after making her way back from a serious knee injury.

Anderson had the look of a player desperate to make the most of an unexpected World Cup opportunity.

“She was fantastic,” he said.

“The World Cup being put back a year was a bit of a punch in the gut for a lot of reasons but it gave Dani a chance to rehab and come back. That’s probably the most pleasing thing about last weekend.

“She’s a fantastic individual and a fantastic player. The rest of the pack was really solid but we need to be a lot smarter at times.”