Jamie Peacock is given England captaincy

The Leeds second-rower was an obvious choice after leading Great Britain to a win against New Zealand last season.

Smith is set to name his 18-man squad on 23 June for the match in Toulouse and is expected to pick a full-strength team for England's only warm-up match before the World Cup in Australia later this year.

The former Great Britain team is now split into England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with all but Wales having qualified for the World Cup, which starts in October.