Cinderford fly-half Tristan Roberts starts his third game for the England RU Counties XV in the FIRA/AER Festival in South West France when he plays in the final match against France Amateurs at Saint-Paul Les Dax tomorrow evening (Thursday, September 13, 6pm).

Roberts, who has played County Championship Rugby for Kent, will line up for his third start because Durham University No 10 Alastair Simmie has damaged his thigh.

Despite being catapulted into action for the Counties XV, the representative flagship of the County and Community game outside the Premiership, the 20-year-old is more than happy to be kept busy.

He was exceptional in orchestrating the 12-try, 76-10 win over Russia in the opening game, but then had to deal with a reality check when the Spanish team, who held England to a 21-15 win, denied him space and time and his place-kicking faltered.

But three games in nine days does not faze the Gloucester-based student, who is eager to get back into action.

“Training has eased up a touch and I’m still pretty fresh – I think I have another game left in me.” he says.

“In my previous appearances with the Counties I didn’t get much game time against Ireland and France as a replacement, but this time I’ve got stuck into it fully with three games.

“The two games we’ve played so far were quite different. Against Russia, everything we did in the opening stages went to hand and breaks were being created all over the place. But against Spain it was quite different, with passes going down and people slipping off tackles. It wasn’t at all as we’d planned.

“I was also very disappointed with my performance with the boot and that may have affected by game overall, although I did think that other parts of my game stood up well. I think that’s something we all want to correct in this game.

“After the big start against Russia, everyone was wanting to buy into this expansive game. We didn’t appreciate that that’s not how it’s going to go every time and against France I think we’ll be more realistic and realise that we don’t have to play all the rugby straight away – that we can be more patient and build the situations that will bring the scores.”

The fly-half’s assessment of the situation is very much in line with that of his Team Manager Jim Robinson, who has taken heart from the low-key mood in the camp, even after one of the Counties XV’x best victories.

“We’re going into the final game with a desire to play good rugby, with high performance and high tempo and to stay committed to those values that the players have taken on board so well.” Says the former Coventry prop: “We’re also going into the game with a determination to deliver a performance that reflects their skills and their attitude.

“They’ve set their standards at such a level that when they came off the field having beaten a team recently promoted to 20^th in the IRB rankings, they were disappointed with their performance. The great thing was that the coach on the way back from the game was totally silent despite us having just beaten a team so highly ranked in world standings.

“I thought that silence spoke volumes for their combined ambitions.

“That the time was short when we finally got the two tries that brought us the win simply underlined the fact that the team has plenty of character and also a belief in the style of play we have been working to develop.

For the France game, Tristan Roberts makes his third start in the absence of the injured Alastair Simmie, while Redruth pair Darren Jacques and Glenn Cooper team up in the front-row with James Tideswell.

England Counties XV: F Neale (Blackheath & Kent); T Jarvis (Stourbridge & Gloucester), C Malherbe (Wharfedale & Yorkshire), K Dench (Otley & Yorkshire), N Royle (Fylde & Lancashire);  T Roberts (Cinderford & Kent), C Aikman (Halifax & Lancashire); D Jacques (Redruth & Cornwall), G Cooper (Redruth & Cornwall), J Tideswell (Stourbridge & North Midlands), T Bason (Blackheath & Kent), Richard Snowball (Otley & Yorkshire), M Payne (Henley & Oxfordshire), J Kellard (Blackheath & Kent), J Jenner (Stourbridge & Gloucestershire) capt.

Replacements: C Rowland (Stourbridge & Somerset), D Bick (Blackheath & North Midlands), D Cooper (Durham University & Durham), D Archer  (Henley & Hertfordshire), J Doherty (Wharfedale & Yorkshire), P Mooney (Otley & Northumberland), J Smales (Tynedale & Northumberland).