WORCESTER duo Katherine Merchant and Samantha Dale have been named in the England Women's A' side for their match with France A' on Sunday at Old Albanians RFC (noon).
Merchant is one of the senior players in the squad, having won two caps for the full England side and marked her debut with a try against Ireland in 2005. Head coach Amanda Bennett said: "We have got some really exciting fresh, young players coming through the RFUW player pathways and playing France A' on Sunday will be a real test for them.
"When we played France A' a year ago, without wanting to pull out another cliché out of the bag, it really was a game of two halves. It was a game played in a very vocal stadium and the conditions were horrendous and that took its toll on us in the first-half.
"After the break, however, we made a fabulous turnaround and we took the win. I am expecting France A' to be just as tough this weekend."
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