Warriors trio Ted Hill, Joe Morris and Nick David were all in action for England Under 19s at the weekend but couldn’t stop a powerful France side edging them 35-22 at the Stade Jules Ladoumègue in Massy.
Versatile forward Hill did get on the scoresheet but Les Bleus came out on top in the friendly fixture.
The home side impressed early in the game and led 18-3 at half-time with Northampton Saints fly-half James Grayson kicking a penalty for England just before the break.
England improved in an open second-half and it was number eight Sam Moore who powered over the line to score the first try of the game for the visitors.
England added further second-half tries from Ted Hill and Harlequins’ Dino Lamb-Cona, but it wasn’t enough to prevent defeat.
England Player Pathway Coach Peter Walton said: “Nobody likes to lose, however we have all learnt a lot from this game and it has been very worthwhile.
“The players have really enjoyed the experience and I think they can take a lot of credit from how they performed in the second-half, it is how we want them to play and they really showed their quality.”
England Under 19s
15. Ben Loader (London Irish)**
14. Gabriel Ibitoye (Harlequins)*
13. Matt Williams (London Irish)
12. Jacob Umaga (Wasps)*
11. Levi Davis (Hartpury)
10. James Grayson (Northampton Saints)
9. Rory Brand (London Irish)
1. Alex Seville (Gloucester Rugby)*
2. Henry Walker (Gloucester Rugby)
3. Joe Morris (Worcester Warriors)*
4. Ted Hill (Worcester Warriors)*
5. Josh Williams (Newcastle Falcons)
6. Dino Lamb-Cona (Harlequins)
7. Lewis Wilson (Yorkshire Carnegie)
8. Sam Moore (Sale Sharks)**
Replacements:
16. Gabriel Oghre (Bath Rugby)
17. Toby Trinder (Northampton Saints)
18. Ciaran Knight (Gloucester Rugby)*
19. Elliott Ward (Yorkshire Carnegie)
20. Charlie Wright (Exeter Chiefs)**
21. Will Porter (Wasps)**
22. Elliott Obatoyinbo (Saracens)**
23. Nick David (Worcester Warriors)**
* In England U20 EPS
** In latest England U18 squad