England: Niall Evalds (Castleford Tigers); Tom Davies (Catalans Dragons), Reece Lyne (Wakefield), Zak Hardaker (Wigan Warriors), Tommy Makinson (St Helens); Jonny Lomax (St Helens), Jordan Abdull (Hull KR); Alex Walley (St Helens), Paul McShane (Castleford Tigers), Mike Cooper (Warrington Wolves), John Bateman (Wigan Warriors, captain), Liam Farrell (Wigan Warriors), Morgan Knowles (St Helens).

Interchange: Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves), Kruise Leeming (Leeds Rhinos), Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds Rhinos), Joe Philbin (Warrington Wolves).

France: Mark Kheirallah (Toulouse); Ilias Bergal (Toulouse), Mathieu Laguerre (Catalans), Mathieu Jussaume (Toulouse), Fouad Yaha (Catalans); Arthur Mourgue (Catalans), Tony Gigot (Toulouse, captain); Romain Navarrete (Toulouse), Anthony Marion (Toulouse), Jordan Dezaria (Catalans), Benjamin Jullien (Catalans), Paul Seguier (Catalans), Mickael Goudemand (Catalans).

Interchange: Eloi Pelissier (Toulouse), Maxime Puech (Toulouse), Justin Sangare (Toulouse), Corentin le Cam (Catalans).

Image source, Getty Images

England are "desperate" to get back playing again, says boss Shaun Wane, after his first game in charge ended in a narrow 26-24 defeat by the Combined All Stars at Warrington in June.

"It's more important," Wane said. "It's a big game, an actual Test match.

Wane's side should have been preparing to face Samoa in the opening game of the World Cup today, but the event has been postponed until next year, while the coronavirus pandemic also forced the cancellation of the Ashes series last year.

"With what's happened over the last few years and losing the World Cup, this is our chance," he said.

"We're desperate to get back playing again and it's going to be a full house over there so we need to make sure we perform the best we can.

"I see this as the start of our preparation for the World Cup. I've explained that to the players and it's why training has been so good and so intense this week.

"I've been really impressed with the way the players have switched on, ready to speak and ready to get better. Their attitude has been first class."

Dave Woods
BBC Rugby League correspondent

After an historic season for the Catalans Dragons and promotion into the top flight for Toulouse Olympique, optimism has reached new levels among the country's passionate supporters.

This Saturday's double-header between France and England men's and women's teams is expected to be a sell-out at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan.

And to add to the buoyancy of the mood, that twin Test match will also act as an early rehearsal for a World Cup in 2025 that is likely to be hosted by the French, backed by national and regional government.

After decades of vague promise, often shrouded in struggle and strife, French Rugby League has finally found its way back to the game's top table.

The Dragons have led the resurgence. In 16 Super League seasons they have had an often bumpy ride but by winning the Challenge Cup in 2018 and the League Leaders Shield this year, as well as reaching the Grand Final, they are now established as one of the game's heavyweights.

Toulouse - who were turned down for admission to the Super League in 2006 - have had to win their way into the top flight through the English lower leagues. They finally succeeded this year after topping the Championship table and beating Featherstone in the so-called 'Million Pound Game' promotion play-off.

Catalans coach Steve McNamara believes the current French side, at this stage, will be a "handful" for England. Johno Ford is willing to go a step further.

"One hundred per cent there's a strong (French) team coming through," says Ford. "There's a good set of halves, good middles, they're good across the park. We'll wait and see, but I'm backing them.

"Give them three or four more years of top-flight footy and you think 'where does that stop?'"

Dave Woods
BBC Rugby League correspondent

A new crop of bright young talent is encouraging French supporters. This year might be too early for them to topple England, but with the 2021 World Cup postponed until next year, they may then be ready to make their mark.

Of this week's French men's squad, 19 of the 20 players come from either Catalans Dragons or Toulouse Olympique. Morgan Escare of Salford is the odd man out.

And the squad is very youthful. Mathieu Cozza at 21, Mathieu Laguerre and Corentin le Cam, both 22, Paul Seguier at 24 and Mica Goudemand at 25 are just some of the promising young players.

But the star of the show, according to former France coach John Kear, is Catalans full-back Arthur Mourgue, who has burst on to the Super League scene this year.

"He's been fantastic." says Kear of the 22-year-old who was born within a stone's throw of the Dragons training base in St Esteve. "When he enters the field of play, everybody looks up and expects something to happen.

"He'll get more minutes next year and people will see his true quality."

England coach Shaun Wane: "We are a very proud nation at giving new caps out, it is a very special day for them, we need to make it special and get the win.

"It has been tough, I like the stress of game day and the feeling of having to win, I miss it, I am a very optimistic person, now we are back playing we are just going to enjoy it. I am expecting a real tough game.

"It is very tough to win here, but we have talented players and I am confident if we fire we can get the job done."

Image source, SWPix

Despite this not being the World Cup opener everyone longed for, Alex Walmsley has welcomed the timing of this game and the level of opposition England will face.

"It's what we need," he added. "We've certainly looked at ourselves and we want to make sure that with so many new faces coming into the squad we're going to look after our own protocols and make sure we're all singing from the same hymn sheet.

"But we know what to expect from France and you only need to see what the two French clubs have done in Super League and the Championship this year to know what kind of team we're going to come up against.

"They're going to throw it about, they're going to play with a lot of freedom. They like to off-load, they like to throw the ball about and challenge you in different areas.

"And when you've got a physical pack in the middle it's certainly going to be a big challenge, but we're looking forward to it."

Wigan forward John Bateman will captain England in the absence of Man of Steel Sam Tomkins, who has been ruled out through a knee injury.

Bateman, 28, is given the armband ahead of St Helens stand-off Jonny Lomax and with 16 appearances, the back rower is the most capped player involved in a largely inexperienced England team.

Wane will hand first international caps to eight players including Jordan Abdull, Tom Davies, Niall Evalds, Morgan Knowles, Kruise Leeming, Paul McShane, Mikolaj Oledzki and Joe Philbin.

Former Catalans Dragons half-back Tony Gigot will captain France in Perpignan, with head coach Laurent Frayssinous naming a squad consisting entirely of Catalans and Toulouse players.

It comes at the end of a successful season for the two French teams as Catalans were won the League Leaders' Shield but were agonisingly beaten in the Grand Final by St Helens, while Toulouse achieved promotion to Super League.

The hosts will field 10 debutants in the match but are without Catalans duo Ben Garcia and Julian Bousquet, as well as new Huddersfield signing Theo Fages because of injury.

Frayssinous said: "This Test match against England is the start of our new planning for the 2022 World Cup and I am confident that we can give the English a competitive game."

More from Craig Richards, on debuts for Rachael Woosey and Savannah Andrade: "Both girls tried really hard, the important thing is to get your first cap, go away, review it - I am really proud to give these two their debuts based on what they have done this season."

BBC One

Get yourself over to BBC One for the build-up to the men's game...

England head coach Craig Richards on BBC Two: "I don't know about comfortable, it didn't look it sat up there, but I will never knock my team in terms of energy, grit and a performance we should be proud of, especially in defence.

"A few things in attack we can work on, but I will never fault that team.

"We talked about they would front-load their energy, they did that in parts, but we never lost belief and kept turning up for each other, we changed one or two things in the middle, but France are a good, tough side in an intimidating atmosphere."

And that's it.

A comprehensive win for England but a nice finish for France.

Kyle Amor
Ireland and St Helens prop on BBC Two

The French players come in and celebrate and why wouldn't they?

England just switched off - the kicker had all the time in the world - but France deserve something out of the game.

Kyle Amor
Ireland and St Helens prop on BBC Two

Super stuff from Rachael Woosey to start the move off. She reacted and turned defence into attack. Goldthorp can beat anyone one on one and supplied a lovely pass to Beevers to stroll in.

It's a super afternoon for them now to put 40 points on the board.

Lovely hands there from the hosts! Melanie Bianchini and Zoe Pastre Courtine combine but can't wriggle free of the England defence.

Andrea Dobson
Former England captain on BBC Two

Despite the scoreline I still think England will be disappointed with some of the opportunities they've missed and the coaches or the players themselves will be looking at ways they can improve.