England Women will have a mid-season international fixture in 2026, in preparation for the Rugby League World Cup at the end of the campaign.
Stuart Barrow’s side will travel to France in summer, as he looks to get a gauge of what his best squad will look like before jetting off to Australia for the month-long tournament.
The game will take place on Saturday 26 July, at a venue to be confirmed, however the French side will need to appoint a new head coach before that, after the recent resignation of Romain Maillot.
Maillot confirmed to a French news outlet that he was offered a role of assistant, under a new head coach, which he rejected, hence leaving his position.
France are currently ranked fourth in the Women’s International Rankings, behind Australia, New Zealand and England. The president of the French Federation Rugby XIII, Dominique Baloup believes this match is a perfect test for the tournament down under, and a testament to the work they have put into the women’s game over the past few years.
“This is more than a match: it is a test of truth against the third [ranked] nation in the world,” he said, in an announcement that also confirmed that the Elite One Grand Final would form part of a double header with Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors’ Super League match in Paris.
“For five years, we have placed women’s rugby at the centre of our priorities. It is a strength and a source of pride for the Federation.”
England have games against Wales, Australia and Samoa at the World Cup, with that final game expected to be the decider of who progresses to the semi-finals and who exits the competition.
France, meanwhile, will take on Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, before playing New Zealand in Christchurch and Fiji in Gold Coast.
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