One glance at the team sheets tells you everything about the contrast between France and England ahead of the final round of the 2022 Six Nations championship. Les Bleus’ selection these days is as reassuringly consistent as the à la carte menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant. England, on the other hand, resemble a microwaved stew made up of whatever leftovers the head chef can still find in the fridge.
Such is life when one team is going for a grand slam and the other is scrambling to avoid a bottom-half finish for a second consecutive year. A 14-man England also put so much effort into last Saturday’s game against Ireland that the odd tweak was inevitable. Few, though, predicted as many as five personnel changes, including a rethink at full-back and yet another U-turn at scrum-half.
Into the starting lineup, accordingly, come George Furbank, Ben Youngs, Will Stuart, Nick Isiekwe and Sam Underhill with Freddie Steward redeployed on the right wing. Kyle Sinckler will also be on the bench, having barely trained since his premature departure against Ireland, while Joe Launchbury, expected by most to return to the second row, is nowhere to be seen.
The rationale, as ever with Eddie Jones, is based on how the opposition are likely to play. With plenty of French kicking likely there is some logic in moving the 6ft 5in tall Steward to the wing while Youngs’s superior box-kicking ability has earned him a starting recall ahead of Harry Randall. Isiekwe will be invited to put pressure on the French lineout while England are lucky to have a flanker of Underhill’s quality to replace the injured Tom Curry, whose badly torn hamstring will sideline him for between 10-12 weeks.
Furbank had an uneasy time in this corresponding fixture in 2020 but Jones insists he is now much better placed for what lies ahead this time. “What you’ll see on Saturday is a much better-prepared player. The way that France play we think that he’s the best full-back and Freddie’s the best winger for us for this game. It’s a one-off selection.”
The relentless churn of players, though, is in stark contrast to France who welcome back Damian Penaud after a spell of Covid in the only change to the starting XV that beat Wales in Cardiff. Jones is still talking a good game – “It’s about creating our own party rather than spoiling France’s” – but perhaps more telling was his suggestion that England could struggle to field their absolute first-choice XV until next year’s Rugby World Cup.
Eddie Jones has named his side to face France in our final @SixNationsRugby match on Saturday 🏴🇫🇷#WearTheRose | @O2
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 17, 2022
The Premiership clubs would argue the attrition rate on international duty is an equally major factor but Jones, now lacking a clutch of Lions including Curry, Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Watson, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jonny Hill, believes that English injury disruption is becoming harder to avoid than ever. “Now, more so than at any time, the length of the season in England is daunting,” Jones says. “We’ve got to be more accepting that this is going to be part of the normal going forward. Your ability to get your best team on the field is probably only going to be seen at the World Cup when you get three months to prepare the players properly. Otherwise you’ve just got to make do with what you have available.”
Given France, even with the occasional Covid issues, have used just 26 players in the entire championship and have an even longer domestic season, there is a certain irony to the timing of Jones’s complaint. Cohesion, too, is not entirely down to good luck with injuries. Those English supporters exasperated by England’s endless comings and goings will be wondering if England’s management are subtly – or not too subtly – trying to get their excuses in early.
France M Jaminet; D Penaud, G Fickou, J Danty, G Villiere; R Ntamack, A Dupont (capt); C Baille, J Marchand, U Atonio, C Woki, P Willemse, F Cros, A Jelonch, G Alldritt
Replacements P Mauvaka, JB Gros, M Haouas, R Taofifenua, T Flament, D Cretin, M Lucu, T Ramos
England G Furbank; F Steward,J Marchant, H Slade, J Nowell; M Smith, B Youngs; E Genge, J George, W Stuart, M Itoje, N Isiekwe, C Lawes (capt), S Underhill, S Simmonds
Replacements N Dolly, J Marler, K Sinckler, O Chessum, A Dombrandt, H Randall, G Ford, E Daly
Along with everyone else, however, Jones knows this is a highly significant weekend. Hence the rejigging of the training week and the increased focus on freshening up the squad this weekend, with only limited training and players given permission to head up the Eiffel Tower on their day off. If they wave the hosts through to a grand slam, though, Jones accepts the inquest could be prolonged and messy: “Do I think we’re going in the right direction? I do. But, obviously, we need results. Saturday is an important game, we all understand that. One extra player will help. You don’t have to be a genius at maths to tell that 15 v 15 is better than 14 v 15.”
France, for their part, are not expecting an easy evening. “I can testify first hand because I had the opportunity to live and play at the heart of domestic English rugby for six years,” says their team manager Raphaël Ibañez. “The absence of motivation does not exist. All their matches are important to them and it is that that makes them strong.”
