England seal warm-ups
ENGLAND will warm up for next year’s Rugby World Cup with a double-header with Wales and a Test against Ireland.
Martin Johnson’s men line up at Cardiff and Twickenham before travelling to Dublin on August 27 of next year – just two weeks before England’s World Cup opener against Argentina in Christchurch.
The national side are already scheduled to face New Zealand, Australia, Samoa and South Africa before the Six Nations gets underway in February. And despite the newly-announced summer Tests adding to a hectic schedule, England boss Johnson insists his side will benefit from the timing of the warm-up clashes.
“It is going to be tight but with Argentina as the first game we felt we needed a game two weeks before, not three weeks before,” said Johnson. “There won’t be much pause for breath between now and then. We don’t go on tour next summer so we get a rest at the end of the season.”