England are hoping lightning strikes twice and that ripping up their training plan will bring another famous win over France, writes Alex Spink in Paris .
Team captain Courtney Lawes revealed that he went to coach Eddie Jones on Monday and told him his players were running on empty after playing Ireland with 14 men.
It mirrors a move made by Martin Johnson 19 years ago in the week of the World Cup semi-final against France in Sydney.
Back in 2003 Johnson told Clive Woodward he was “extremely concerned” at how tired his England team felt midway through their quarter-final against Wales.
He persuaded Woodward to ease up completely on training with the result that a refreshed England upset the odds against the favoured French.
Lawes had much the same conversation with Jones in the wake of his team’s gallant, if ultimately futile, rearguard effort.
“To get back up emotionally after a game like Ireland actually takes a lot,” said the skipper.
“We spoke to Eddie as a leadership group and just made sure he realised what an emotional hit it is to play in a game where you have to give absolutely everything you’ve got.
“We want to go out in the right way, we want to perform this weekend. To do that you need to make sure you recharge emotionally, mentally as well as physically.
“If we’re knocking each other about all through the week it’s a lot harder to get up there emotionally again.”
Jones responded to his players’ concerns by coming up with a revised plan, the team’s leaders “made a couple of tweaks” and England have arrived at match day “really happy” with the outcome.
Whether that results in them putting France to the sword, as Johnson’s glory-bound team did in Australia, is open to question.
This England team is battling to avoid back-to-back fifth place finishes and are up against Grand Slam-chasing opponents.
They are also much changed, with Jones removing a third of his starting team, most notably gambling that dependable fullback Freddie Steward is suddenly a better bet on the wing.
Woodward branded the switch, which sees George Furbank parachuted in at fullback, a ‘Hail Mary call’ with only a 10 per cent chance of success.
The last four times France have played for a Grand Slam on home turf they have delivered - most recently against England in 2010.
The visitors played all the rugby that day as Les Bleus tightened up under pressure. Jones is banking on more of the same.
“We know the crowd at Stade de France can either be extremely positive - or quite quiet,” he said.
“When they’re quiet it can be quite eerie there and the quietness can turn to booing. We’re hoping we might get them to the extreme end of the negative side.”
Hope is all England have left.
“A wounded beast like England is always dangerous,” France centre Gael Fickou observed. “But they are not going to be team of the year either.”
France: Jaminet; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Villiere; Ntamack, Dupont (capt); Baille, Marchand, Atonio, Woki, Willemse, Cros, Jelonch, Alldritt.
Replacements: Mauvaka, Gros, Haouas, Flament, Taofifenua, Cretin, Lucu, Ramos.
England: Furbank; Steward, Marchant, Slade, Nowell; Smith, Youngs; Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Isiekwe, Lawes (capt), Underhill, Simmonds.
Replacements: Marler, Dolly, Sinckler, Chessum, Dombrandt, Randall, Ford, Daly
