VETERAN forward Adrian Morley believes England still have much work to do if they are to be competitive in the Gillette Four Nations Series.

England were given a searching examination by a rejuvenated France before securing a 32-18 victory in their warm-up match at Avignon’s Parc des Sports.

Hull winger Tom Briscoe scored two of his side’s six tries and Brisbane Broncos centre Jack Reed marked his England debut with a 70-metre effort but some of the gloss was taken off their win when the French scored two late tries.

“It was a better test that we thought,” Morley said. “We were a bit scratchy but, fair play to France, they came to play and gave us a real test.

“There is obviously a lot we can improve on but that was probably better preparation than winning by 60.

“It was a wake-up call. We’ve probably not been going as well as we thought we were but that’s not to say we can’t have a good week’s preparation and sort a few things out and be ready for Wales.”

Reed and his fellow newcomers Rangi Chase and Chris Heighington all made significant contributions as England overcame the shock of going 6-4 behind to build a 32-6 lead before France rallied, adding late scores through Vincent Duport and Eloi Pelissier.

Chase, a controversial selection, was named man-of-the-match for his creative play while regulars Kevin Sinfield and James Roby both took their club form onto the international stage with 80-minute stints.

“The new guys have really fitted in and I thought they played well,” Morley added. “I also think there’s more to come from those boys.

“On the whole, we’re probably disappointed with our performance.”