Scoring all four of England’s rugby league debuts after France’s win

England shook off a shaky start to put France to the sword with a 40-8 win in Toulouse.

Braces from Ash Handley, Jack Welsby and Tom Johnstone, along with further scores from Matty Nicholson and George Williams helped Andy Last’s side to another victory over the French; keeping a 47-year streak in tact.

It was by no means a vintage display from England though. The team only had a short time to prepare and the performance reflected that. Uncharacteristic errors cost England some clear-cut chances, and they otherwise looked out of sync. France also provided a much more competitive showing.

England also managed to blood four new debutants into the 17-man squad as Shaun Wane rewarded Super League form.

Castleford Tigers center Sam Wood, Wigan Warriors prop Brad O’Neill, Hull KR loose forward Elliot Minchella and Huddersfield Giants prop Oliver Wilson all made their first international appearances today, but how fair were they? Here are our grades for each of the four rookies.

Sam Wood: B+

Perhaps one of the surprise calls, however Sam Wood gave a decent account of himself in the centres. He really packed a punch in defence, notably attacking Enzo Griffier just as the Frenchman looked to send Hakim Miloudi over for a try, and kept France at bay in the early exchanges.

Wood also became known for his kicking down the left flank at Castleford and he did that for England when it was desperately needed. He ran onto a wonderful line by Jack Welsby and gave him a nice offload too in the build-up to Matty Nicholson’s try which helped his side back to the top.

Brad O’Neill: C

Wigan Warriors youngster Brad O’Neill had a very steady debut but didn’t set the pitch alight. England were starved of possession early on, however he distributed well from the ruck. When England got more on the front foot, they also offered consistent fastball.

The combination with Harry Smith has clearly carried over into the Test phase as well, with the pair able to read each other really well and stimulate play with Smith’s shots.

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Elliot Minchella: B-

People have been clamoring to see Hull KR skipper Elliot Minchella in an England shirt and he’s made no mistake with his girly look. He did get involved in a lot of tackles early on and as England gained more possession he grew into the game and started to get his hands on the ball.

He made a wonderful switch pass to create space for Harry Newman as well and grew into that link-up role as the game wore on. He has also started to combine well with the middle to put pressure on.

Oliver Wilson: C+

He came on when England were on the back foot but added a decent impact to bring them back into the contest.

Despite conceding a needless penalty early in his spell, he really provided punch through the middle and helped get his side into the game. He also got into defense and generally did his job well.

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