England’s clash with France is nicknamed ‘Le Crunch’ on both sides of the Channel, and it is certainly that for the hosts’ under pressure head coach Steve Borthwick.
The heat continues to increase on the Red Rose boss after their latest defeat to Ireland extended their dreadful run of form. While positives remain within the actual performances, the results have simply not been forthcoming and there is surely only so many defeats the RFU hierarchy can take.
It is therefore crunch time going into these next two fixtures for Borthwick. A loss to France may not seal his fate but, should another reversal occur two weeks later in the Calcutta Cup, it won’t just be the knives that are out for the head coach but the katana as well.
The issue for Borthwick is that, while there have been moments of real promise, there is a worry that they have stagnated. Fans are becoming increasingly frustrated and he desperately needs a run of victories, starting with France this weekend.
Last year’s Six Nations was when his tenure effectively started to be judged, with the World Cup ultimately a free shot given the short preparation time. And when they overcame disappointing displays against Italy, Wales and Scotland to end Ireland’s Grand Slam dream, England seemed revitalised.
They then followed that up with a close loss to France in a thrilling contest and there appeared to be a sunny outlook for the squad, but that has since turned to darkness. Unfortunately, nothing has really changed from their 2024 Six Nations game with Les Bleus, which has become the issue.
Against the best teams, they have come up short, time and time again, to the extent that it has left supporters wondering – and no doubt the RFU bigwigs – if this is as good as England can actually be under Borthwick.
He and his team will hope that is not the case and they will look to prove the doubters wrong when the mighty France visit on Saturday.
Les Bleus were far too strong for Wales last weekend despite rarely getting out of second gear. With the magnificent Antoine Dupont returning following his sevens sojourn, they look back to their best and will be clear favourites at Twickenham.
Where the game will be won
It may look from the outside that England’s main task will be ‘operation stop Antoine Dupont’, but there is much more to it than that and it starts with France’s gain line dominance. While Dupont has a remarkable ability to control the chaos around the breakdown, he has plenty of gargantuan runners to choose from. Fabien Galthie’s men quite simply have the biggest pack in the Six Nations and matching that physicality, whether at the set-piece or in the loose, is vital.
That would at least help the Red Rose get the field position, which would duly deprive the visitors of the ball or force their scrum-half to kick from deeper. France in general tend to kick long which is partly why Marcus Smith has been selected at full-back. For starters, the Harlequins star offers a counter-attacking threat but he is also there for his own game control and ability to dictate proceedings with his boot.
However, if Smith is too loose, whether that is running when it isn’t on or kicking poorly, then the French have so many threats at the breakdown. If the French can find those turnovers then their outside backs are absolutely lethal and will thrive against a disorganised English defence, just like they did two years ago in the record 53-10 triumph. There are not too many weaknesses in this France side and you fear for England if Dupont and co. are able to dictate.
Last time they met
What they said
England boss Borthwick has praised the talents of Marcus Smith, who has made the move from fly-half to full-back for the France clash.
“I think he is a game-changer. He’s a player who can do things very few of the players in the world can do, and I want him to bring all those natural instincts onto the field in an England shirt,” he told reporters.
“I want those natural instincts on the pitch. He sees space that other players don’t. He has an ability to find gaps in defences that most people don’t know are there.
“I was chatting with Marcus last night and he was tremendously excited about the game on Saturday. He was excited about the feeling of playing with Fin Smith.
“We trained together on Tuesday and then reviewed that training session and reviewed what they did together.
“He was feeling really exhilarated about the opportunities of those two ball players and the space they could find and the space they were trying to look for.”
France had a selection dilemma of their own after Romain Ntamack’s red card but head coach Fabien Galthie has chosen Matthieu Jalibert at fly-half, despite a rumoured rift with the playmaker in November.
“There’s no power struggle. The only power struggle should be with our opponents, not with our own players,” Galthie said.
“We’d had a discussion which some wanted to portray as spectacular, as controversial. But that’s not the case, there was no controversy for us, it was simply a choice that we made.
“It was important for us to stay in contact, and for the player not to lose himself, to define his path, his priorities, his method. Matthieu has put in the work to make himself available for selection.”
Players to watch
Borthwick has a reputation of being a conservative coach but he is anything but as a selector. After playing with three opensides against Ireland, which worked in fairness, he has shifted Marcus Smith to full-back and put Fin Smith at fly-half. It will be the 22-year-old’s first international start after a fine couple of seasons for Northampton Saints, but he has previously proven himself adept at handling pressure.
However, Test match rugby, as has been regularly proven over the years, is another level altogether and France will no doubt look to put both Smiths under pressure. Fin will be pleased to see another playmaker alongside him in Marcus, who has developed into a fine international player over the past 12 months, but the Quins pivot has been thrown another curveball from Borthwick by being played out of position. Interestingly, Freddie Steward ran everything back against Ireland and, given France’s penchant for kicking long, it will be fascinating to see if Marcus Smith does the same.
In fairness, they won’t have any chance if the forwards fail to provide front foot ball. The front-row, Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Will Stuart, all need big games in both the tight and the loose, but the bulk of the carrying work should be done by the back-row, which is where Tom Willis starts. Given his performances for Saracens, Willis very much deserves his place, so it is time for him to step up having been given a chance in this huge encounter.
Willis will be up against one of the modern-day great number eights in Gregory Alldritt, whose work on both sides of the ball will be important for Les Bleus, but the tone for their performance will arguably be set by Emmanuel Meafou and Uini Atonio. In those two behemoths, Les Bleus have power that no other team in the competition can match and their ability to dominate the gain line and scrum will make life much easier for the backline.
It is in the backs where Matthieu Jalibert resides, returning to the side after walking out of the squad in November. Jalibert and Galthie have evidently put their differences aside and the fly-half will seek to impress in the absence of Romain Ntamack. The 26-year-old is a wonderful talent who has been ripping up the Top 14 and Champions Cup this season, so it is exciting to see what he can do in this gifted French side.
Jalibert is also helped by having three Bordeaux-Begles team-mates alongside him behind the scrum, which includes wings Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud. They are special talents and, if given space, will absolutely tear England to shreds. Bielle-Biarrey is the speed merchant while Penaud, who is returning from injury, has a remarkable ability to break tackles via his power and footwork but both, in their own inimitable way, will be a significant threat.
Main head-to-head
It is difficult for anyone opposite this generation’s best player Antoine Dupont and this week it is Alex Mitchell who has the unenviable task of trying to match the Frenchman’s level. Mitchell himself has developed into a fine Test player and has become a vital cog in this England team, but there is a certain amount of redemption required after his display last weekend. Everyone can miss tackles, which Mitchell did for Jamison Gibson-Park’s try, but his all-round game just wasn’t up to scratch.
As for Dupont, what more needs to be said? The France superstar continues to be utterly magnificent and individually is out on his own, but he will want some team silverware to go with those personal accolades. Having seen Ireland lift the Six Nations title in 2023 and 2024, and watched on as the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup, he will be desperate to lift the trophy this year. The 2022 Grand Slam triumph is Les Bleus’ only Six Nations success since 2010, which is quite remarkable for a country like France.
Prediction
Such is the theme of England’s past 12 months, it is hard to predict anything other than another relatively close loss. They just can’t seem to get over the line and, against a French side that are confident and dominated on their last visit to Twickenham, Borthwick’s side should once again be on the wrong side of the scoreline in what will be another nail in the coffin of the head coach. France by eight points.
Previous results
2024: France won 33-31 in Lyon
2023: France won 53-10 in London
2022: France won 25-13 in Paris
2021: England won 23-20 in London
2020: England won 22-19 in London
2020: France won 24-17 in Paris
2019: England won 44-8 in London
2018: France won 22-16 in Paris
2017: England won 19-16 in London
2016: England won 31-21 in Paris
The teams
England: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Tom Curry, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Elliot Daly
France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 François Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Alexandre Roumat, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Mickaël Guillard, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Émilien Gailleton
Date: Saturday, February 8
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/england-v-france-preview-les-bleus-to-add-another-nail-in-the-coffin-of-steve-borthwick-as-second-six-nations-loss-awaits-stagnant-red-rose
