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Sport
Dylan James

What time is England v France kick-off and what TV channel is it on?

Steve Borthwick's England face reigning champions France in the penultimate round of the Guinness Six Nations.

Both sides currently have two wins and a loss to their names, with France losing out to powerhouses Ireland, whilst England suffered another defeat to Scotland at Twickenham.

However, both teams are coming off the back of strong wins, with England pushing through Wales in Cardiff, while France edged Scotland in Paris. The last time the two sides faced off, France secured their 2022 Grand Slam with a 25-13 victory in front of a home crowd.

What time is England v France kick-off?

The match will kick off at 4.45pm on Saturday, March 11th at Twickenham Stadium in London.

What TV channel is England v France on?

The game will be broadcast live on ITV 1. Coverage begins at 4.15pm. You can live stream the coverage using ITV X.

What's the England v France team news?

Borthwick has dropped England legend Owen Farrell from the starting team, opting for Marcus Smith at fly-half instead.

Apart from that switch, the team is unchanged from Wales. The centres are made up of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade, with Freddie Steward starting at full-back after a sizzling performance in Cardiff. He is flanked by Anthony Watson and Max Malins. Jack van Poortvliet is named at nine, which completes the back line.

Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler and Jamie George make up the front row, in a strong trio that seem to have cemented their places in the starting line up. Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum take point in the second row, with Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis and Alex Dombrandt making up a power-packed back row.

There are three changes for Fabien Galthie's France.

Mohamed Haous and Anthony Jelonch have been removed due to suspension and injury respectively, so Dorian Aldegheri and Francois Cros fill in. The third change sees Jonathan Danty come in for Yoram Moefana at inside centre. He will be partnered with Gael Fickou.

The formidable half-back pairing of Toulouse men Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack continues, whilst Ethan Dumortier and Damien Penaud take up the flanks. Thomas Ramos makes his fourth consecutive start of the campaign at full-back.

Julien Marchand and Cyril Baille pack down alongside Aldegheri in the all-Toulouse front row, with Thibaud Flament and Paul Willemse in second row. Cros, Charles Ollivon and Gregory Alldritt complete the pack. Melvyn Jaminet and Moefana are named amongst the replacements.

England: 15. Freddie Steward, 14. Max Malins, 13. Henry Slade, 12. Ollie Lawrence, 11. Anthony Watson, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Jack van Poortvliet, 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Jamie George, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Ollie Chessum, 6. Lewis Ludlam, 7. Jack Willis, 8. Alex Dombrandt.

Replacements: 16. Jack Walker, 17. Mako Vunipola, 18. Dan Cole, 19. David Ribbans, 20. Ben Curry, 21. Alex Mitchell, 22. Owen Farrell, 23. Henry Arundell.

France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gaël Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Ethan Dumortier, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 1 Cyril Baille, 2 Julien Marchand, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 4 Thibaud Flament, 5 Paul Willemse, 6 François Cros, 7 Charles Ollivon, 8 Grégory Alldritt

Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Sekou Macalou, 21 Maxime Lucu, 22 Yoram Moefana, 23 Melvyn Jaminet

Who's the England v France referee?

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)

Assistant Referee 1: Jaco Peyper (SARU)

Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Piardi (FIR)

TMO: Brett Cronan (RA)

What have the coaches said?

England head coach Steve Borthwick on dropping Owen Farrell: "Owen’s track record as a kicker, and every kicker has this, there are periods where there is a small dip and the great kickers always come back and get the percentage right back up there again.

“I consider every aspect and you would expect me to consider every aspect as I try and do this job as thoroughly as possible. I consider every aspect. Owen has been kicking brilliantly this week in training as had Marcus. They have been working very hard. From my point of view, there are other aspects, wider aspects to be considered within this game and within this game plan – not simply goal kicking."

France head coach Fabien Galthie on choosing Aldegheri in the front row: He plays in Toulouse, in this big club which has dominated French rugby for a few years, and which is in the process of becoming number one in his club. His connection with the other two front row players Julien (Marchand) and Cyril (Baille) is important. They knew each other almost when they were children. They grew up together. There is something very strong between them. And then there is the level that Dorian has reached at club level since the start of the season. We preferred to start with Dorian thinking that Sipili will bring us all the energy we need to finish the match.

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