 Smith was named as the new Lions coach in March this year |
New Great Britain coach Tony Smith says he will rest some regular first-choice players for the one-off Test against France to give others a chance. The Lions face France at Headingley on 22 June and then play New Zealand in a three-Test series starting in October.
"We want to have a look at a few new faces with next year's World Cup in mind," Smith told the Guardian.
"That gives us a chance to give guys like Stuart Fielden, who have been on the scene a while, a bit of a break."
France's former Wigan coach John Monie says the establishment of the Catalans Dragons in Super League has raised the standard of the French game and he hopes the mid-season international could become a regular fixture.
"Anybody who loves rugby league should love international rugby league and I'm all for trying to build a French team to play Britain on a yearly basis," he said.
"It would be ideal if it could be played one year in England and the next year in France, where interest is growing all the time."
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