ENGLAND under 19s went down 35-22 in a friendly against France at Stade Jules Ladoumègue, Massy.

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 number eight Sam Moore powered over the line to score the first try for the visitors.

They added further second-half tries from Worcester Warriors' Ted Hill and Harlequins’ Dino Lamb-Cona but it was not enough to prevent the defeat.

England player pathway coach Peter Walton said: “Nobody likes to lose but we have all learnt a lot from this game and it has been very worthwhile.

“The players have really enjoyed the experience and 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.”

As well as Worcester Sixth Form College's Hill Warriors' young prop Joe Morris started and Nick David was a replacement.