France v England: Five talking points ahead of Six Nations showdown
By Julian Crabtree
Last Updated: 19/03/16 10:38pm
England head to Paris on Saturday to take on France in a bid to win their first Grand Slam since 2003
France may be all over the place at the moment, however on their day they can still mix it up with the best and England cannot think their trip to Paris is just a formality.
We take a look at five key talking points that could make the difference on Saturday...
Grand Slam or bust
England have bounced back from their early World Cup exit and are on the brink of their first Grand Slam since 2003. However, England's Six Nations history is littered with broken Grand Slam dreams as they have fallen at the final hurdle in pursuit of European rugby's biggest prize.
Yes, they already have the Championship wrapped up but a loss in Paris will certainly tarnish the occasion.
"A loss on Saturday night would be a complete and utter disaster," said Will Greenwood.
"I can vouch for the fact that it is a miserable changing room to lose and collect the trophy. You feel like the last great fraud on the planet.
"Losing on Saturday would lead to a morose change room and it would be a feeling of a Grand Slam lost rather than a Championship won."
Pressure on France
The pressure of a Grand Slam is definitely on England but don't for one moment think that France have nothing to play for. New coach Guy Noves, who took over after the World Cup, has not been able to get France playing in the way he wants them to and the backlash against him is already beginning to start.
A recent article in Rugby World Magazine made a good point on the problems surrounding the style that Noves is trying to implement.
Noves has been a big fan of Argentina's attacking and off-loading game and has given his players free reign to go and express themselves. The problem with this is that the Top 14 frowns on this style of play and the players who have the skills to do this are now few and far between.
It seems strange then that in centre Wesley Fofana, France have one of those players who has all the skills that Noves is looking for. So why then stick him out on the wing?
France are certainly capable of winning any game - but their lack of consistency is a huge concern. A win against England will be massive for Les Bleus but will not paper over the problems that Noves has to rectify going forward.
The making of Mako
The French pack will really look to get into England and test them - England played a World Cup warm-up game against the French and really struggled in the set-piece - but England's forwards have a new bite about them.
At loosehead prop Mako Vunipola replaces Joe Marler, who drops down to the bench despite being cleared to play after escaping sanctions for striking and verbal abuse after incidents with Rob Evans and Samson Lee.
Vunipola will be up against Rabah Slimani, who is a serious threat and will look to put a lot of pressure onto his opposite number. Slimani did not have the best afternoon against Scotland and will certainly be looking to make his mark against Vunipola.
It is the perfect opportunity for Vunipola to show just have far his scrummaging technique has come to back up his excellent ball-carrying capabilities.
Back-row balance
We all love a back-row battle and England's trio of Chris Robshaw, James Haskell and Billy Vunipola is coming along very nicely indeed. Vunipola may have made all the headlines with his bullocking runs but Robshaw and Haskell have been very effective in their roles too.
France have responded to last week's defeat to Scotland by bringing Loann Goujon and Bernard Le Roux into the back row. Damien Chouly switches to blindside flanker to make room for Goujon, who will win his 10th cap, at No 8.
France have battled to replace the carrying capabilities of Louis Picamoles and will be hoping Goujon can step up. South African born Le Roux will need to bring a bit of physicality to the No 7 jersey and make sure France are combative at the breakdown.
Last chance for Ford?
Eddie Jones is a massive fan of George Ford but the England No 10 was far from his best against Wales.
The fact that Jones has not trusted him with the goal-kicking responsibilities may have affected his confidence, which is having an impact on the rest of his game.
It won't be long before Manu Tuilagi forces his way back into the starting XV and Jones may decide that Owen Farrell, who starts at No 12 on Saturday, is the best man to start in the No 10 jersey going forward.
Against Ireland, Jones labelled Ford as 'poetry in motion', however Ford was substituted against Wales as he battled to find his rhythm. Jones has stuck with him for France but it will be interesting to see what happens when Tuilagi comes on - will Ford stay on or will Farrell once again move up into the fly-half role?
France: 15 Scott Spedding; 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Virimi Vakatawa; 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Maxime Machenaud; 1 Jefferson Poirot, 2 Guilhem Guirado (capt), 3 Rabah Slimani, 4 Alexandre Flanquart, 5 Yoann Maestri, 6 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 8 Loann Goujon.
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Xavier Chiocci, 19 Paul Jedresiak, 20 Wenceslas Lauret, 21 Sebastien Bezy, 22 Jules Plisson, 23 Maxime Medard.
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 George Ford, 9 Danny Care; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 6 Chris Robshaw, 7 James Haskell, 8 Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Jack Clifford, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Manu Tuilagi, 23 Elliot Daly.