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.
