British & Irish Lion Ben Youngs insists the World Cup will be England’s true proving ground after signing off until the summer with an enthralling victory over France.
It will be Ireland who head into the World Cup as the European team to beat after they bested England on home turf at the start of March.
However a resurgent Youngs, who made two Test appearances on tour for the 2013 Lions, helped mastermind England’s 55-35 triumph over the French to ensure they finished their spring campaign on a high.
And the 25-year-old believes the Red Rose's formidable record at Twickenham bodes well as they prepare to host the World Cup.
“Come the end of the year if we are lifting the Webb Ellis trophy no one will remember who won the Six Nations,” said Youngs, who scored a try-double on Saturday.
“It depends how we react to it, but we’ve made huge gains. We’re five from five now at Twickenham and we’re going to have 15 weeks in World Cup camp together. I think we’ll be in a good place.
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